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stainless steel braided brake lines

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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 .
 
Good Luck Gentlemen , I don't belong to your church .

gee, that's kind of a shame. their "church" is called "reality experience." Especially Andy- he's worked in this field for over 20 years. A wise person might think that all his years of experience are valuable beyond compare. I do.
 
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I could give one rip if you think my "opinions" are worthwhile or not. I also don't offer it because I like to read my own words, or blather on because of some inflated self-worth attitude. The net is ripe with unknowing opinion. The info I offer is strictly based on being on the inside of the hydraulic hose industry, knowing the specs that go into the construction of hoses, knowing how hoses are made, and what really does make a difference. Take it, leave it, I don't care.

I am not making an ad for S/S brake lines. Motorcycles used the cheapo synthetic rubber brake lines for decades, and we all accepted it as "standard". Once the FMVSS regs changed to allow the S/S brake lines, the bike makers jumped on it because they knew the S/S hoses were much better. I still say S/S brake hoses are one of the better upgrades you can make to your bike.

JohnR100RS, your repeated responses are confusing, since they seem to be in support of the choice for S/S braided lines, then you turn on that choice? Huh?
 
Ok, let me simplify it this way, based on what I know of hoses:
1. To replace OEM rubber brake hoses with stock OEM brake hoses costs as much if not more than S/S braided line. So why not upgrade if you are replacing the hoses.
2. OEM/stock hoses are only cheap on the salvage parts market, plus you can't be certain of what you're getting.
3. S/S hoses are a definite upgrade to rubber brake hoses.
4. Stock/OEM rubber brake hoses DO degrade over time, no arguement.

If you are satisifed with the feel of the brakes on your bike, and/or don't care to upgrade the performance and durability, then stay with the low grade OEM brake hoses. It has nothing to do with "being an ad for S/S brake hoses."
 
Andyvh, Yours did not sound like an ad at all, but the OP did to me. Thanks for your detailed insights in this thread. RB
 
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