My bike suffers from a soft front brake lever ( Kawasaki ZR1100 ) I have bled the brakes and changed the fluid, new pads etc. But as the hoses are now 30 years old it was suggested that they might be swelling when pressure applied. They don't pump up so I doubt that there is any air in the system. Just wondered what others think and should I change to stainless steel braided hoses!
bill-robinson,
Oct 10, 2:14am
just replace with new standard hoses
dingo011,
Oct 10, 2:22am
Oh okay good advise! Thought the stell braided would be better, but guess just cost more!
raymond00001,
Oct 10, 3:54am
Mates who race bikes reckon standard lines better for road use, more feel. Think braided lines may make it easy to lock up accidently. Might be WOF issues too if they see shiney braided lines (ie modification). Are you sure no air in master cylinder etc.
the-lada-dude,
Oct 10, 4:59am
frankly i'd prefer slightly springy brakes, i guess it's what you get used to. like everything there's braided hoses and braided hose. two identical units can be poles apart in performance. just ask bill robinson, esp when it comes to brake lines/ hoses and callipers. the longer the hose the more squishy you get !are these std items at present !
jason_247,
Oct 10, 5:44am
i chucked braided hoses on a road/track car was replacing near new rubber so was a good comparison new lines made a huge difference in reducing pedal travel and increasing feel through the pedal
though i agree that it can make bikes more prone to locking especially if its not a daily ride
id say go rubber and use the extra money to redo the master cylinder seals and caliper seals
dingo011,
Oct 10, 6:07am
Thanks all for the advise. Locking a front wheel going into a corner not my idea of a good time! Think I will re kit the master cylinder 1st as it has occurred to me seal could be leaking back into reservoir giving spongy brake!
jason_247,
Oct 10, 6:14am
if the master seal is leaking back you will notice it if you pull on the brake hard and the handle slowly moves to the stop then totally loses pressure behind it after some time
if it holds steady then prob just hose expanding
keep in mind it only moves a very small amount of fluid so alittle bulge hurts alot
peril787b1,
Oct 10, 9:38am
Braided lines are not a modification, merely a replacement with an improved option. If you get failed on a WOF with braided lines, your WOF guy doesn't know what he's doing. They will alter "feel" but will improve braking performance. I'd be very surprised if braided lines were more expensive than OEM rubber hoses.
pauldw,
Oct 10, 9:51am
So long as the end fittings are machine made (swaged).
purplegoanna,
Oct 10, 9:53am
hubby swears by ss braided.when he got his new bike we got the hose on the same day and he came home and changed it over.
gmphil,
Oct 10, 10:03am
After reading this thread amkeen on replacing my front ones in my torana with ss braid where / who best place see for those !
dingo011,
Oct 10, 8:21pm
Thanks for the comments so far! I have been quoted $350 + GST to have braided hoses made in NZ! I can buy off Ebay U.K for 68 pounds + post so will cost well under $200 ( N.Z ) landed. The U.K hoses are made to fit my bike and have stainless steel fittings and are cert for U.K etc.
m16d,
Oct 10, 8:39pm
If your going for braided,make sure they have the compliance number stamped on them. My CBX got a warning for this when it was revined, so I had to replace them with the correct ones to keep the man happy. Braided lines are "bling" only. I cant see they make any difference to the way the brakes operate. Bleeding twin discs can be a real pain.If you've pumped heaps of fluid through and they're still a bit soft, just go ride it.You'll probably find the lever will get better when you've done a few K's.
bill-robinson,
Oct 10, 8:39pm
make sure that the UK cert is valid in NZ.
peril787b1,
Oct 11, 11:11am
Go to your local bike shop and ask for Dragon braided lines, they're FMVSS106 approved (legal in NZ). If they know their stuff, they'll know where to get em
xs1100,
Oct 12, 6:08am
when i had the xs i had a similar problem and couldnt get new hoses and ended up with braided hoses and then i had to get them certified because of course vtnz could no longer see the condition of the rubber
Also braided line does make a difference. I'd say the option to go to braided would be dependant on the size of your master cyl bore, current feedback from the lever and cost of replacement. If you have a small bore master with zero feel it will just make it easier to lock and that's about it. Something larger bore that was quite heavy on the lever anyway you'd be pressed to find it's suddenly much easier to lock IMO.
It's not really the type bike that suits that kinda mod but that's in how you ride it I guess.
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