Braided Brake Lines

[98tls]

So even if you purchased a kit meant for your bike from a company like say...Goodridge [1] it wouldn't be legal over here. That's just f@#4cked up. Someone needs to go down to Wellington and give them policy making civil servants a good kick up the arse.

[1] I think they're the worlds biggest manuf. of brake lines?

sure is....same as LED tailights,i bought an extreme graphic one with LEDS.....bright as but because they dont have the right numbers stamped on the lens its hard to get a WOF......crazy...

[imdying]

Goodridge lines have a small collar with the relevant numbers on them, they're legal in NZ.

The policy is fine, badly manufactured brake lines (braided or rubber) have the potential to kill and maim quite effectively.

Braided lines came from the aircraft industry, where they're replaced are a specified service life, unlike the road where they're neglected and used forever and a day.

If the teflon line inside takes damage for whatever reason (seen it more than once), you're fucked. No brakes. The braid (obviously) has no backup, as it isn't sealed.

If the inside line on the rubber one takes damage, the outer will take over 5000psi (sure, it'll bulge a little) and you won't lose braking performance (ok, maybe 10%).

Rubber lines are safer than braided lines, plus, they're cheaper to replace. Typically I could make a set of four (front front rear clutch) low expansion rubber lines for $120.

Other problems with braided lines include the screw together types. These shouldn't be disassembled at the collar and reassembled without trimming and replacing the olive. Sure, you can get away with it, but people have lost their brakes at a bad time because of it.

The policy makers have taken quite a good approach over the years, I can't really fault them to be honest. When it came to their attention (lets face it, they're not at the coal face, pertinent info takes time to filter up to them), they banned all braided lines but factory fitted ones. Then they investigated world brake hose standards, and manufacturing processes for making them locally. Once they had the info, the WOF standards were revised once again to include suitably marked rubber lines, suitably marked crimped braided lines, and factory fitted braided lines.

Personally, there's no way in hell I'd fit lines assembled by some monkey from a bike shop. Did they test them to 4000psi? 2000psi? 500psi? Did they pressure test them at all? Were you (the customer) the one testing them... on the way home?

Goodridge, Galfer (or another well known, standards approved brand), factory or properly made lines that have been tested to the appropriate standards... that's a huge range of legal lines for you to choose from. Accept no substitutes.

[quickbuck]

Goodridge lines have a small collar with the relevant numbers on them, they're legal in NZ.

The policy is fine, badly manufactured brake lines (braided or rubber) have the potential to kill and maim quite effectively.

Braided lines came from the aircraft industry, where they're replaced are a specified service life, unlike the road where they're neglected and used forever and a day.

.

Too true,
I keep forgetting that 90% of the motorcycling community fail to carry out pre-ride inspections on their bike.
They also tend to ride until failure....

[imdying]

To be honest, braided lines are reasonably safe. I don't know of anyone who has split a line internally whilst riding. Generally it appears that it happens through some sort of rough treatment, say bending them inapporpriately when cleaning calipers or chaning pads. It is a caveat that is worth bringing to peoples attention though, imho.

[scracha]

Goodridge lines have a small collar with the relevant numbers on them, they're legal in NZ.

Excellent. So why the hell are bike shops here charging 100's for 3 brake lines when a complete Goodridge set with all the fittings can be bought for a sniff over 100 bucks?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stainless-Brai...QQcmdZViewItem

[imdying]

Because people will pay... simple economics really. Sure you could private import them and pay freight etc... of you could roll down the shop and pick them up. I guess the difference is made up of what the market will bear for convenience.

I personally take a reasonably pragmatic approach to bikes bits... I want them, they cost money, I pay. Of course being a couple of analyst DINKs helps

If it were my bike, I wouldn't bother with braided lines. Of course some like the wooden feel they give, I prefer the feedback from good rubber lines. Good rubber lines that is... not worn out rubber lines. The low expansion hose used on rubber lines is actually pretty good when new, but it degrades over say 5 years. Fortunatley new low expansion hoses are readily available and reasonably priced. And of course you never have a problem come warrant time. Some people swear by braided lines, horses for courses... they do have bling factor which comes for free Bargin

[quickbuck]

To be honest, braided lines are reasonably safe. I don't know of anyone who has split a line internally whilst riding. Generally it appears that it happens through some sort of rough treatment, say bending them inapporpriately when cleaning calipers or chaning pads. It is a caveat that is worth bringing to peoples attention though, imho.

Correct.
Bend the Teflon inner past the minimum bend radius and you get a leak very quickly.
Fine on a Hyd system that has an enormous reservoir of fluid (relatively speaking). Find the damaged hose, and replace (as in after flight inspection on aircraft). Trouble comes when you need the same amount of fluid you send to the caliper to actually act on it...
Just got to be careful with them.

[scracha]

I'd estimate about 40% of all bikes in the UK have them. You're correct, they probably feel much better just due to new fluid and hoses, not because they are braided steel.

[Shaun]

Excellent. So why the hell are bike shops here charging 100's for 3 brake lines when a complete Goodridge set with all the fittings can be bought for a sniff over 100 bucks?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stainless-Brai...QQcmdZViewItem

$115NZ $ + Postage, so about $130



It is called making a living mate, and anything can sold for less when you have a huge population giving you a higher turn over allowing you to make a living, NZ does not have so need bigger margins to make a profit

[sunhuntin]

dunno about safety features, but my partners panhead has braided lines, and where the steering goes into full lock either side, the line has been pinned numerous times and rubbed some paint from an otherwise mint bike...so in the interest of paint-saving, watch where they may get pinned in the same spot repeatedly. [loss of paint, leads to rust etc etc]

in saying that, i loved the look of them!

[quickbuck]

On aircraft we use Spiwrap (Spiral wrapped teflon) to prevent the brade taking off paint.
That is if it can't be P-Clipped out of the way.

On my bike though, the lines run no where near the paint.
Guess my bike is a very different shape to a Pan Head though.

[scracha]

dunno about safety features, but my partners panhead has braided lines, and where the steering goes into full lock either side, the line has been pinned numerous times and rubbed some paint from an otherwise mint bike...so in the interest of paint-saving, watch where they may get pinned in the same spot repeatedly. [loss of paint, leads to rust etc etc]

in saying that, i loved the look of them!

The cheaper ones have no covering. Most folks get the ones that have some plasticy stuff over them. You can get them in all sorts of purty colours.

[Morepower]

To be honest, braided lines are reasonably safe. I don't know of anyone who has split a line internally whilst riding. Generally it appears that it happens through some sort of rough treatment, say bending them inapporpriately when cleaning calipers or chaning pads. It is a caveat that is worth bringing to peoples attention though, imho.

Thanks for posting some realy good information.

Dave

[fatnold]

Reply on cost from Alert Motorsport

Yes We Custom Make LTSA Approved Brake Hoses And Yes We Can Do Them In
Black .It Is A Plastic Coating Over The Stainless Steel Braid . All Ends Are
Stainless Steel .Kit Includes New SS Bolts & Crush Washers .
We Should Have These Hoses On Record So The Price Will Be $321.00 Incl Freight & Gst.
Regards
John @ Alert Motorsport