Steel Braided Lines

[Duc2V4]

So I'm going on the hunt for steel braided clutch/brake lines for my 2009 VR800. These are the makers that I know of; Galfer, Goodridge, Hel, Russell, Spiegler and so far found that Galfer and Hel have full line replacement kits for the VFR800, I have not looked into the others as of yet. So what I was hoping to find out is, if any members have any other makers that I might look into, and/or if there are any comments on the makers listed as to fit/finish of their products. I'm not too worried about price, although the less I spend the better, I am more concerned with quality and reliability. After all, these are my brake lines I'm talking about. I know there's also the make your own lines route, but I would prefer to buy pre-made lines from a quality maker than taking a chance of my doing something wrong or "not to spec".

Cheers!

[ciprinakos]

I have Hel and they are great. The kit comes with everything you need (including banjos and copper washers) except instructions on which line is which. Took me some time to figure them out but they are great. Not only good looking (you can chose whatever color combinations you like) but more effective too. The replacing process is a bit of a pain compared to most of other models though.

[FJ12Ryder]

I just put the Galfer on my '99 and am very happy with the fit and finish of them. They came with all the necessary parts except for a couple small parts that are included on the later model years. Everything fit as it should, and filling and bleeding the brakes and clutch were not anywhere near as bad as I had expected. I used about a little more than 2/3 quart of brake fluid to get everything full and bled.

I also went to HH brake pads and the difference is wonderful. Not night and day because the old brakes were fine, but there is a difference and I love it.

[Duc2V4]

My guess is It'll probably come down to a coin toss between these two, or it may come down to price and customer service level. Thanks for chiming in with your experience.

Cheers!

[Dutchy]

yeah just go for the one's most convenient

I do not think there is much difference in quality, these lines are not a recent invention...

to add to the confusion, I got a ready made set from Goodridge...

[ciprinakos]

I forgot to mention that for the brake and clutch hoses (the ones coming from the handlebars) I've asked them to be made about 10cm longer due to mounting of a high & wide superbike handlebar. They did it without any extra charge.

[Duc2V4]

YEA! HEL lines came in yesterday while I was out, found them on my doorstep when I got home. I also received an email on Friday that my speed bleeders are on their way too.

Before I actually pulled the trigger on the HEL lines I was going to try and look into the other brands (Goodridge, Russell, Spiegler) but found that there was no off the shelf kit ready to go for the VFR800 at all the places that I searched at, most had other Honda models listed but none for the VFR800. Others you had to call and get pricing/part numbers, but that always seems to lead to more time and questions I didn't want to deal with.

So I decided to just price out the HEL and Galfer kits I knew were available. I found that putting all of the pieces together for the color and banjo options I wanted, I felt the HEL was the better deal. Maybe it's just me but I didn't like the fact that in order to get colored banjos from Galfer, they had to be aluminum banjos, but HEL offers them in colored stainless steel but ironically, to get colored banjo bolts from HEL, they had to be in aluminum. Something about mixing aluminum with stainless steel rather than having all stainless steel bothers me for some reason. That being said, if you were to just go with the off the shelf lines with no colored banjos/banjo bolts, the Galfers are cheaper, but once you add in all the options, the two are not that far apart , so I opted for the HEL with stainless steel banjos in black, but left the banjo bolts stainless steel (silver), which are part of the kit anyway. I should have kept my notes as to which one was actually cheaper and by how much, so sorry for lack of detail there.

Anyway, sometime in the next few weeks I should be installing these along with the Speed Bleeders and hopefully be able to give an installation report with pictures. My first priority is to finally install my new valves and springs I got from Jamie D into the front forks! Life, along with a few rides , has gotten in the way of that task but I'll get them done.

Cheers!

[Veefer800Canuck]

I found that the cheapo aluminum aftermarket crush washers suck donkey balls.

The OEM Honda ones, which I believe to be nickel plated copper (I cut an old one in half) are MUCH better, and do not deform at the specified torque setting.

I had some cheap aftermarket aluminum ones warp and deform so badly as to be unuseable and dangerous/leaky when they were tightened as per the FSM.

Needless to say, I did not use them, nor ride the bike like that.

[Duc2V4]

I found that the cheapo aluminum aftermarket crush washers suck donkey balls.

The OEM Honda ones, which I believe to be nickel plated copper (I cut an old one in half) are MUCH better, and do not deform at the specified torque setting.

I had some cheap aftermarket aluminum ones warp and deform so badly as to be unuseable and dangerous/leaky when they were tightened as per the FSM.

Needless to say, I did not use them, nor ride the bike like that.

Good to know. Thanks Veefer.

[ciprinakos]

Here's how they look on my bike (I still need to muster the right mood to put also the rear ones...):

Cheers!

[AnikMankar]

Got these ...and they work great. these are goodridge

[Guest]

What is the size for speed bleeders?? I'm just starting down this road now, and considering whether to keep the stock linked setup or unlink them and go conventional. Either way, i need speed bleeders... anyone know the correct size??

Thanks!!

[Duc2V4]

I ended up buying a speed bleeder kit from wiremybike.com. If memory serves me right all of the ones that came in the kit were the SB8125 (M8 x 1.25). However the proportional valve ended up being the SB8125LL (which is not part of the kit and is ordered separately). I went with the stainless steel version SB8125-SS

Here is the count that I have for a 2009 (Non ABS).

Front Left Caliper - Qty. 2

Front Right Caliper - Qty. 1

Proportional Valve - Qty, 1 (under seat)

Rear Caliper - Qty. 2

Clutch Slave - Qty. 1

--------------------------

Total : 7

[ronimalvfr]

I'm getting ready to order these for my 03.Think I'm going with Galfer.

[dallasb]

Several years back I couldn't find anyone to make them for my '02. So I just ordered 2 universal lines and ran them to the front calipers and I am very pleased. Yeah, the rest of the bike would be nice, but for the street I didn't find it mandatory. The way the 6th gen system works has a separate system for the front majority of the brakes. The master cyl on the front caliper is in a different system. I don't know why the major companies haven't done this simple 2 line front kit.

[AnikMankar]

What is the size for speed bleeders?? I'm just starting down this road now, and considering whether to keep the stock linked setup or unlink them and go conventional. Either way, i need speed bleeders... anyone know the correct size??

Thanks!!

Front right caliper: SB8125

Front left caliper outer bleeder: SB8125

Front left caliper inner bleeder: SB8125

Rear caliper outer bleeder: SB8125

Rear caliper inner bleeder: SB8125L

Clutch slave bleeder: SB8125L

PCV bleeder : SB8125LL.

The stainless Steel ones have a SS at the end...buy the SS one as they will not rust.

if you have put AM braided lines then the PCV will be different based on the type of adapter they have given you.

Good Luck

[mello dude]

^^^ Just a tip on speed bleeders - the difference between the SB8125 and SB8125L is the length of the bleed nipple. I put SB8125(s) on my 5th gen calipers. The SB8125 is short and I had difficulty keeping a bleed hose to stay on. Kinda PIA. -- I ended up using spring hose clamps. -- I bought the SB8125L(s) for my Valk and they worked much better.

YRMV

[Duc2V4]

FINALLY! Well after some months of procrastinating and taking advantage of our riding weather, I finally set aside this past weekend to install the HEL brake lines and Speed Bleeders I bought last year. I have to thank Jay-d for his post on how to do this as it came in handy. http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/70842-bleedingfluid-replacement-on-linked-brakes-wabs-on-6th-generation-the-ultimate-guide/

I also used the Honda service manual as a reference for torque values on nuts/bolts and for the basic gist of what to do.

Apart from having a heck of a time with the "hard" line connections, especially the one under the seat, it was really uneventful. There were no major problems, no "runaway"/"lost" bolts or washers, etc. that seem to plague most service jobs. I probably could have finished up in one day, but I got a late start on Saturday morning and had two events on Saturday evening that prevented me from finishing up on Saturday night. So after enjoying Sunday brunch at the neighbors, I was able to finish up the installation part and perform the bleeding procedure. I have to say that Speed Bleeders are the BOMB!, they made this procedure the easiest part of the whole install. I tested/cheked for leaks, did a small ride around the perimeter of the housing complex, double checked for leaks, then took it around the block and tested the brakes. I am glad to say that still no leaks and everything appears to be fine. So the next mod is going to be PAIR removal and an official dynotune, after that...?

[Stucky]

Nice!

[mello dude]

. I have to say that Speed Bleeders are the BOMB!,

Absolutely agree with that! I wont even bother thinking about a brake bleed job, without changing over to SBs.

[FJ12Ryder]

Speedbleeders make life so much easier.

[KanadianKen]

I've ordered full SS "Kit" - and its from GALFER - so should be decent quality. Also ordered Speed Bleeder kit from Tightwad at wiremybike.com to make the burping process easier.

Got some good info from this thread! Thanks!

[Veefer800Canuck]

Kken, how much was the Galfer kit?

[KanadianKen]

Kken, how much was the Galfer kit?

$294 delivered to USA location. Got from Pashnit.com. Includes clutch line.

[number9]

I'm in the process of figuring out what I want to buy for my bike.

• Goodridge make a kit, P/N is HN0800-10FR
• Galfer make a kit, P/N is FK003D195-11
• Hel make a kit, P/N is HBF2708
• Russell supposedly make a kit, but I couldn't find it
• Spiegler make a kit, P/N is S-HN0186

Have I missed anyone?

[bayarearider]

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/79829-6th-gen-galfer-brake-line-group-buy/

You may want to check and see if you can start another group buy to benefit more and save a few bucks.