Just wanted to share my experiences with custom stainless braided brake and clutch lines.
A few years ago, I put the front end from a Maxim 750 onto a Maxim 650 that I fixed up so I could have dual front disc brakes. I bought a new larger master cylinder to push the extra hydraulic fluid needed to operate both calipers. At first I tired using the old rubber brake hoses that came with the setup. It seemed as though I wasn't bleeding all of the air out of the lines because I could pull the brake lever all the way to the bar. It turns out the problem was the 25 year old spongy rubber lines. They flexed and expanded so much that under pressure the lever would touch the bar. So I upgraded to stainless braided lines that I custom ordered from http://www.cyclebrakes.com/html/custom_lines.html.
The nice thing about ordering your own is you can pick the color of the line, the exact length, and the bends you want on each end. I chose to run dual lines going from the master cylinder using a double banjo bolt to avoided needing to unnecessarily tee the line.
The total with new chrome banjo bolts came to just over $100 for both lines (it may have gone up a little as this was a few years ago) and ordering them couldn’t have been easier. The lines looked to be made very well and looked great on the bike. Bleeding them only took a couple of minutes and I had a solid brake lever. I went from braking with my whole hand to only using two fingers on that bike.
I’ve used the same company for the lines for an XS650 project also. I have a hydraulic clutch setup on that bike so I ordered a line in the exact length I needed for that along with a line for the front brake. When you measure for the front brake, you have to make sure the forks are fully extended and still leave a little slack. You wouldn’t want to order it too short and have it limit the suspension from extending all the way. I used a piece of clear 3/8" plastic tubing to route along where I wanted the line to go and measured that to get an accurate measurement for the length I needed. The ends swivel so you don’t get any weird twist or anything in the line. I bought a set of braided lines from another company for my FZ1 and the ends didn’t swivel. It wasn’t a problem because they were specifically made for that bike, but for a custom application you’ll want the ends to swivel.
So I’m sold on custom braided lines. It’s nice if you want an exact length to accommodate different handle bars or custom clutch configurations.
A few years ago, I put the front end from a Maxim 750 onto a Maxim 650 that I fixed up so I could have dual front disc brakes. I bought a new larger master cylinder to push the extra hydraulic fluid needed to operate both calipers. At first I tired using the old rubber brake hoses that came with the setup. It seemed as though I wasn't bleeding all of the air out of the lines because I could pull the brake lever all the way to the bar. It turns out the problem was the 25 year old spongy rubber lines. They flexed and expanded so much that under pressure the lever would touch the bar. So I upgraded to stainless braided lines that I custom ordered from http://www.cyclebrakes.com/html/custom_lines.html.
The nice thing about ordering your own is you can pick the color of the line, the exact length, and the bends you want on each end. I chose to run dual lines going from the master cylinder using a double banjo bolt to avoided needing to unnecessarily tee the line.
The total with new chrome banjo bolts came to just over $100 for both lines (it may have gone up a little as this was a few years ago) and ordering them couldn’t have been easier. The lines looked to be made very well and looked great on the bike. Bleeding them only took a couple of minutes and I had a solid brake lever. I went from braking with my whole hand to only using two fingers on that bike.
I’ve used the same company for the lines for an XS650 project also. I have a hydraulic clutch setup on that bike so I ordered a line in the exact length I needed for that along with a line for the front brake. When you measure for the front brake, you have to make sure the forks are fully extended and still leave a little slack. You wouldn’t want to order it too short and have it limit the suspension from extending all the way. I used a piece of clear 3/8" plastic tubing to route along where I wanted the line to go and measured that to get an accurate measurement for the length I needed. The ends swivel so you don’t get any weird twist or anything in the line. I bought a set of braided lines from another company for my FZ1 and the ends didn’t swivel. It wasn’t a problem because they were specifically made for that bike, but for a custom application you’ll want the ends to swivel.
So I’m sold on custom braided lines. It’s nice if you want an exact length to accommodate different handle bars or custom clutch configurations.
I want to repair and refurbish, and upgrade the hose, but basically introduce as little change from stock as possible, if that makes sense.
