stainless steel braided brake lines

[JOHNR100RS]

stainless braided brake lines

[bikerfish1100]

i dunno. Conversely, is there any valid reason to replace a solid line with a flexi line?

[mcmxcivrs]

I can't think of a good reason for doing so unless the steel line is damaged. The benefit of stainless brake hoses is the resistance to expanding under pressure. Standard rubber hoses which are reinforced with either steel or nylon cording, have a much greater tendency to expand thus wasting some of the braking effort and pressure. Hoses are used where there is a need to accomodate motion in the suspension and steering. The ridgid steel lines are used where no movement is acting on the line because they are cheaper and more ridgid than even stainless hoses.

[JOHNR100RS]

stainless brake lines

[bikerfish1100]

and the benefit would be....?

[JOHNR100RS]

stainless braided brake lines

[bikerfish1100]

assuming that nothing is leaking now.. is that really a benefit?

[mcmxcivrs]

Another advantage of the ridgid steel lines is that they can be bent and routed in ways a hose cannot. You may not be able to run the hose through the same path as the steel line since it is not possible to make sharp bends with the hoses. Before you choose to eliminate it, look very carefully at the routing and make sure that the hose will not rub or chaffe on anything and that you can achieve a route that will not create kinks in the hose.

[ANDYVH]

I have been a field engineer for Parker Hannifin for 15 years. Its very likely Parker (or Aeroquip) actually makes most of the s/s braided hose for US made hoses, such as those sold by Russel, and is what is available at your local hydraulics distributor. S/S braided hose is no doubt THE best hose to use for cycle brake systems. I would not waste one penny on OEM standard brake hose as it is the cheapest least strong type of hose for a braking system. It is common because it is cheap, period.

The s/s braid is not what really makes the hose in this case. The inner tube of Parker 919 hose and Aeroquip 2807 hose is made of Teflon, which is a very strong tube and is chemically tolerant of brake fluids. The s/s braid is the protective cover for the inner tube and adds mechanical support to the tube, but the tube is the real feature of the hose.

Now, steel tube is used where it makes the best application for specific, controlled, tight routings and to provide mounting/clamping consistently. If you remove those steel tube sections, yes you do eliminate some connections, but you loose those hard mounts. Even hose like a Parker 919-3 (3/16" ID) or 919-4
(1/4"ID) will not route as tight as bent tube and will not bend as tight as steel tube. Also, how do you clamp it? Zip-ties? Cheapo hose clamps? Neither is as good as bolted down hard mounts. I suggest keeping the steel tube and hard mounts. The cover on s/s braided hydraulic hose is VERY abrasive, if it is not clamped down properly it WILL abrade whatever it contacts, including paint, wiring, other hoses, clamps, zip-ties, etc. S/S braided BRAKE hose, like that sold by Russel and Spiegler, has a plastic cover extruded on over the s/s braid specifically so it does NOT abrade everything it touches.

Also, motorcycle hydraulic brake hose use specific types of hose ends which are not common to hydraulic hose shops unless they also specialize in making DOT style brake hoses. Most often they have 37 degree flare hose ends, and in stainless steel they aint cheap. Also, s/s flare hose ends can be a bitch to get them to seal properly, as I know from direct experience.

Quite honestly, to do it right, use the brake hoses from Russel, or Spiegler, pay the money to get the right stuff, instead of fudging up a critical system on your bike. I have been riding for 39+ years, a home mechanic type, and I have been in the hose industry for 15 years. I considered doing what you are doing, because I even have the bulk stock of hose and hose ends available to me (for nearly nothing) AND I have the crimper to make the assemblies. By the time I fudged through it all, the hoses from Russel and Speigler made MUCH more sense.

I have plumbed many hydraulic systems and worked as a designer on hydraulic systems and worked with the engineers at many customers on hydraulic hose systems. Those bent tube sections and hard mounts are there for very good reasosn, proved out by 100's of hours of testing and evaluation, in a WIDE variety of test situations. When you modify a critial system like brakes, YOU TAKE ON ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY. If you think you know more about it than the BMW chassis engineers and the hose engineers, go for it. If not, don't mess with what has been proven. Its your bike, but it could be your life you are messing with.

[JOHNR100RS]

stainless brake lines

[kmellzey]

One word - Spieglers

Kerm

[JOHNR100RS]

stainless brakelines

[JOHNR100RS]

I wanted to revisit this thread . I am very satisfied with my custom made brakelines . They are DOT certified .
I think that Andy and Kerm just like to hear the sound of their own voices and so give their opinions as if they were gospel .
Good Luck Gentlemen , I don't belong to your church .

[JimMoore]

That's an odd way to thank people who took time out of their busy lives to try to help you.

[Roger 04 RT]

That's an odd way to thank people who took time out of their busy lives to try to help you.

This thread seems like an ad for SS brake lines.