Braided lines

[kerryg]

Probably happened to others but how's this: was forced to change front braided front lines on my bike to (bloody expensive) "legal' lines. The braided lines on it were fine but didn't have the prescribed specifications written on them, so nearly $300 of new lines were fitted. Passed WOF inspection, so it's all good. I check the rear line yesterday when I'm doing some maintenance and to my horror it's stuffed. Where it was bent around a bit of a radius the outer cover has split, and a couple of square cms of the outer rubber sheath has gone completely and bits of fraying textile stuff are sticking out. Lines are dated 11/87, so they're the originals. Ironic eh???....they failed me on the perfectly good braided lines at the front because of some bureaucratic reason...but overlooked the old faulty line at the rear which was genuinely unsafe. Testing stations .......where the people who aren't good enough to be real mechanics work

[Posh Tourer :P]

That really sucks - part of the reason why i've stopped going to Onehunga Testing station and going to Motu instead. OVTS wouldnt let me carry my warrant out of the office and stick it on my bike myself. The testing officer had to do it himself, and ask me where I wanted it put....

[vifferman]

Probably happened to others but how's this: was forced to change front braided front lines on my bike to (bloody expensive) "legal' lines. The braided lines on it were fine but didn't have the prescribed specifications written on them, so nearly $300 of new lines were fitted.

Yup.
In fact, my first (or one of my first) posts to KB was about this. If you check the forums on maintenance and the like, you'll find several threads on this.
I fitted some beautiful Aerotek BSR lines because standard VTR ones are absolute shite (give you very spongey feel, and are a pain to bleed, due to a hump in the line where bubbles gather). Less than a week later, I discovered they were illegal, so had to pay ~$200 for some that looked similar (but if anything, inferior) that had DOTxyz printed on the lines. Would've been cheaper to get an indelible marker and carefully write the appropriate code on the sides. Would've made no difference to performance, apart from the first ones having slightly better look and feel.

That reminds me - should check the rear brake (not that I ever use it), as I've never done any maintenance on it apart from changing the fluid....
Probably why the friggin thing is useless except for doing hill-starts....

[kerryg]

Would've been cheaper to get an indelible marker and carefully write the appropriate code on the sides.

Not that I would ever do such a thing but......

is there an effective way to put official looking DOT or DIN or JIS or whatever type writing on lines that don't already have them.


Just in the interests of scientific inquiry

[Yokai]

Just in the interests of scientific inquiry

Theoretically there should be a letraset available in that font. If that's the case then I guess that someone might just transfer the letters to the lines - Ok if it washes off later, it would just depend on how long it needed to be there for.

Just a theory though.

Yokai

[k14]

You might be able to sell your braided lines to someone with a race bike. Pretty sure they don't have to be certified to be used there, but I may be wrong.

[kerryg]

You might be able to sell your braided lines to someone with a race bike. Pretty sure they don't have to be certified to be used there, but I may be wrong.

Hey K14...my neighbour has already baggsed them and you're right: you don't need certified ones for racing

[kerryg]

Theoretically there should be a letraset available in that font. If that's the case then I guess that someone might just transfer the letters to the lines - Ok if it washes off later, it would just depend on how long it needed to be there for.

Just a theory though.

Yokai

MMMMMM...vvveerrrrry interesting

[bluninja]

I guess if you get caught you could get a huge fine....in the Yukay people have been known to etch or stamp a BS number on their illegal exhausts and getting cuaght fro this is far worse than the fine for being caught with the illegal item.

Now I'm back here I will have to swap the slip on akrapovic for the aprilia dustbin to get though my inspection. I then swap it back as soon as I get home. Braided lines though ain't a problem.

[toads]

this puts me in mind of the stupid thing I failed a wof on for the van, it was a sticker that needed to be placed in the rear of the van
It had to read as follows

all seats must be facing forward when the vehicle is in motion

ok, so what the hell are you gonna do with the pajaro's and landrovers then??,
idiots

[Jackrat]

Oh dear,that sucks.
I,m geting DOT approved Spiegler braided lines from the US for under $200.
That won't help you, but I can and am also geting (Speed bleeders),which allow you to bleed the brakes without worrying about air going back up the line.They have a spring loaded one way valve in em,so you can leave them open for the whole job.No more open/shut carry on.
They fit most jap bikes from 77 on,$20NZ a pair.
Interested PM me.

[Motu]

First off I gotta agree Testing Stations are a retirement home for mechanics who can't hack it in the real world - they were bullied in primary school,and now it's payback time.

Hang onto the old hoses - in a few months the rules may change and they could be legal again.That's always happening - lighting,window tinting,seatbelts - makes us look like dickheads,but hey...if the shoe fits.

Not a good look on missing the rear hose...but,um....I'm guilty of that myself,front hoses deteriorate because they are moving,up and down.The rears just stay in one place,they last the life of the vehicle - almost.For every 200 front hoses failed one rear might fail.Put it another way - I buy at least 20 front hoses a month...and one rear hose every couple of years.We are given a time limit for the test...it can't ALL be done in that time,judgments are made - or do you want to pay $90 for a bike WoF? Come and see me if you are,it will take me about an hour - and you WILL fail,gauranteed.

[kerryg]

do you want to pay $90 for a bike WoF? Come and see me if you are,it will take me about an hour - and you WILL fail,gauranteed.

Hmmmm tempting though your offer is.....

[TwoSeven]

Its not a beurocratic reason - its a fairly good one (one that I actually agree with - which is rare)

The idea is that now we live in a world where anyone can bodge up a mod to a high performance vehicle, there is a tendancy for the totally clueless to enter themselves into the darwin awards by doing such a poor cheap arse job on the mod, that its likely to fail and kill them or perhaps someone else.

We have the boy racers to demonstrate for us.

So what they are saying is you can mod your vehicle, but please use parts that have been properly tested and certified (to a known standard of some kind) rather than some old bit of rubber hose that you found on the side of the road.

The cert number is a way that people can see that someones tested the bit - and it applies to most bits that fit to a bike - not just the brake lines.

Thats how I understand it.

[FROSTY:Me]

I agree with Tiggers Case in point is the old gas axx through the springs bit to lower a car
same applies to braided lines. We can all say--yea Ill do it all perfectly but imagine if the same bright spark that modified the springs also did his own braided lines......