Brake line replacement

[ontariokatana]

I regularly change my brake fluid and I understand the reasons behind the practice. That said, I also know that it is recommended that you change you brake lines every 4 years. While I am a proponent of performing preventative maintenance I am not sure about the need to replace the brake lines based on time alone. I ride my bike on sunny days only, it has never seen rain and I keep in my garage when I am not using it and it only has 11,000k on it. I inspected them and they look fine. I am looking at about $200 to replace them and I am not convinced that I need to at this point.

Do the rest of you abide by this recommendation?

I know CP does because I am reading his book (The Art of Katana) for the second time. I gotta put this thing down. Very well written and a great source of knowledge but I am obsessive compulsive and every time I read it I add a plethora of activities to my already massive task list.

[Black_peter]

Brake lines work fine... Right up until they don't.
If you're lucky that time will be as your going 4 MPH in your drive way.

Time is the enemy. Not weather, miles or anything else. In fact only riding your Kat on sunny days has done more harm. If you only rode on cloudy days you might be better off. Over time the rubber in the lines breaks down and weakens. Unused lines are not really the issue as lines produced in the same calendar year. Or do the right thing and go Stainless braided.

[ontariokatana]

What is the advatage to stainless? Will they last longer? I would guess that the stainless steel will protect the rubber from the loss of VOC's.

[arsenic]

the advantage of SS braided brake lines is that you don't have to change them every 4 years

[tone]

The advantage of s/s brake lines is that they dont degrade like plain rubber ones do & they dont expand under extreme pressure

[Jim_C]

I'm in Ireland and I bought a decent set of Goodridge SS braided hoses for £40 (approx. $60) on ebay, I'm sure he'll post to the USA. They fit in less than an hour and the kit comes with all appropriate banjo bolts and washers. They're are a great bit of kit and whilst the work better than the OEM lines they look much better also!! Goodridge are a well renowned brand over here, they supply a lot of kit to the professional racers.

Anyhow if you're interested here's a link to the item on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Goodridge-Brai...1%7C240%3A1318

[Black_peter]

What is the advatage to stainless? Will they last longer? I would guess that the stainless steel will protect the rubber from the loss of VOC's.

A. The stainless steel keeps the line from expanding. That means more pressure for the caliper.
B. Most (all??) good SS lines have lifetime warranties.
C. The line is Teflon, no VOCs, low water permeability..

[gobigorange189]

and they look cool. just to add to what everyone has already said

[arsenic]

A member here sells the best SS brake lines you can get. HS2020 sells HEL brake lines, there better the Galfer, better then Goodrich, plus they are covered in whatever color you want. PM HS2020 and he'll hook you up with a set

[ontariokatana]

Sold.... I took your advice and ordered a set from 2020.

[adam3203]

Ive been looking for a place to get ss lines. Thanks!

[The CyberPoet]

I regularly change my brake fluid and I understand the reasons behind the practice. That said, I also know that it is recommended that you change you brake lines every 4 years.

That recommendation comes straight from Suzuki on OEM brake lines (see your owner's manual service table), and matches virtually every motorcycle industry vendor on brake lines in general.

Most rubber parts tend to have an expiration date of five years from time of manufacture, because of loss of the VOC's that keep them supple, including tires, brake lines, fuel lines, vacuum lines, etc. You can extend this by use of Red Rubber Grease (esp. on rubber that sees only air, such as velocity boots), because it restores some of the VOC's at the surface & reduces the VOC-loss rate [IDIOT WARNING: DO NOT USE ON EXTERIOR OF TIRES].

Brake lines are rated at four years for your safety because unlike a vacuum line, if the brake line fails, it can readily kill you (not only from loss of braking power unexpectedly, but also because of the oil it can shed onto the surface you're driving on, robbing you of traction all-together).

I know CP does because I am reading his book (The Art of Katana) for the second time. I gotta put this thing down. Very well written and a great source of knowledge but I am obsessive compulsive and every time I read it I add a plethora of activities to my already massive task list.

Thank you for the compliment!

A. The stainless steel keeps the line from expanding. That means more pressure for the caliper.

And less pressure wasted on hose-expansion, for crisper, more linear lever control.

B. Most (all??) good SS lines have lifetime warranties.

At least in theory. You have to read the small print to see what they actually say they'll cover. Aging and age-related failure is typically NOT covered by any manufacturer.

C. The line is Teflon, no VOCs, low water permeability..

Depends on the manufacturer.

Almost all SS- and kevlar-sheathed lines are made of rubber lined with teflon (Gafer comes to mind); a few companies skip the rubber all-together and go with pure teflon (HEL I believe). Again, it pays to research.

BUT in general, whatever line you use (esp. in the front) has to deal with flexing up and down & potentially left-to-right, over the course of years, and with any material I know of, flex it often enough and it develops stress cracks (even if it's not cracking from VOC loss). Sooner or later the cracks will go all the way through the material. Which material (& which grade of material) is used dictates how long that process will take to fail in general.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

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