Hi,
I'm looking for a little advice. My bike is just about 2yrs old now - Kwak Z1000. I'm going to need to replace the front pads shortly and as its 2yrs old, the brake fluid as well. So whilst thats all being done I was wondering if braided brake lines are worth the money or if it'll not make any difference to me.
I'm not a track day person (but may try one again at some point). My bike is used for hacking to and from work and some weekend riding too.
Worth it or not?
Will it improve the feel of the brakes or, as my bikes not that old, will the rubber lines not have softend up enough for them to be noticeably poor by comparison?
A set of HEL lines, front and back were £90.
Worth it...in fact they should be standard equipment on all bikes...but yes they expand less than rubber hoses and give a more direct feeling from pads to lever...not just for track use...every day use is very beneficial...anything that provides feel and more directness can only be good.
Hel are good quality...they would be my choice.
If you are happy with the performance of your brakes I would leave well enough alone.
Rubber hoses do start to go off over time but as your bike is only two years old this should not be an issue.
If you would like things a bit sharper in the braking department they are a good place to start particularly if you are changing the arrangement from one line plus one over the mudguard to a direct two line with double banjo bolt set up.
And they look bling.
+1 for bling factor
Do it Ant. Only benefits to be had lol
Defo worth it! Its one of the first things i do on any bike or track car i get!
I'm not convinced of this argument on a 2 year old bike. I fitted them to my G1, and TBH found more difference by just overhauling the calipers and MC on a more regular basis and makign sure the system is bled properly.
They made the lever feel very slightly harder, bur didn't affectthe braking force or bite at all.
It's a proven improvement...and they dont suffer the gradual deterioration of OE hoses...they look miles better...and dont cost the earth...a no brainer upgrade in my book.
it'd be cost effective to do it now and they will last longer than the rubber hoses. I probably would if I were in your position
Thanks for the info guys.
I think i'll get them. It makes sense to do whilst the system needs to be bled through anyway and changing the pads.
Yes no brainer .... when did you hear someone say "I've changed my OEM lines to new s/steel braided lines and now my brakes are worse" ? ;-)
Quote from: mc101 on August 20, 2013, 11:28:39 AM
Yes no brainer .... when did you hear someone say "I've changed my OEM lines to new s/steel braided lines and now my brakes are worse" ? ;-)
I've certainly seen the case where people have done it and can't get the air out of the system which makes the brakes feel totally shite.
It's the first thing I do on any bike I buy, partly to get rid of the garden hose look, partly because the fittings always tarnish and make the bike look scruffy, and it firms the brakes up a bit.
HEL yes ... do it!! ;)
i wouldnt want to be without the better breaking .... has definately saved me a few of times over the years, first time was my own fault, but others have been smidsy, i dont doubt i may have ended up in the side of a car if i had still had the standard rubber hoses.
I also agree it should be standard, std rubber brake lines should be left in the past!
On the vast majority of - if not all - newish bikes you can lock the front wheel quite easily with the standard set up so fitting braided hoses will not make you stop any quicker.
If your bike is getting on a bit then it's a different story.
I take on board Doug's pint - they do look better and firm up the feel if you like it like that.
I fitted a set to my 9 year old bike last year and didn't notice much of difference - making sure you have decent pads and good condition calipers is more important imho.
having just rebuilt my calipers and replaced the (13yrs old....) hoses with new hel lines - they've definitely improved stopping power but at the expense of feel. Also inital bite is nowhere near as good as the old hoses.
tbh I reckon I could have got most of the performance improvement back by just rebuilding the calipers and re-bleeding. Which is what I would do with a two year old bike with a few miles on it. If it aint broke etc Next time I'll be looking into the price of OEM lines.
I'd have thought initial bite was the pads, not the lines. The lack of feel is probably the loss of 13 year old lines flexing, you'd probably get the similar loss with new oem lines.
Yeah you could be right there about the old hose flexing more. I guess that might improve the feeling of initial bite as a decrease in pressure as you come of the brakes would make the hoses return to their normal state and draw the pistons back further into the caliper body than they would with new lines.
With these new hel lines it feels like the pads are already against the disc iykwim
[Scratches chin]
When I got my '10' the brakes were OK but seemed to be too much lever before they bit
Changed to HEL lines but saw no real difference, it had done less than 4k
Rebuilt the calipers with new seals, lubricating with fluid, as per the book, and changed the plunger in the master cylinder but still the same...! :(
Was resigned to this just being the way they are on '04s, having read plenty on the web about Brembo master upgrades and swapping calipers from zzr1400s and stuff :undecided:
24k now and the lever was starting to get a bit too much so ripped them apart again, cleaned and reassembled with red rubber grease on all parts
Could feel the very slightest movement on one pad when pulling the lever but barely
Now I am riding with the lever on its closest notch and working like a microswitch :azn:
Quite scarey first time out, nearly dropped it out of the garage! :shocked:
Those behind got a wake up call too
Surprising how the riding style had adapted to 'just not braking much' :grin: