Jump to content

Alternative Brake Line Colours


breandawg

Recommended Posts

Currenty running mushy rubber hoses on my yellow VFR - aside from the usual carbon-look or steel hoses, anyone care to share pics of their snazzy coloured hoses on their VFR? Would like to get an idea of some alternatives to the usual suspects before spending a decent wedge on new lines...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Member Contributer

I went with HEL colored lines. These are not the best pics of how they look on the bike but were taken just after installation. I put them on my Red '01 VFR800. Note that you can also get colored banjo ends. I went with the stainless steel all the way around, lines, banjos and banjo bolts.

 

IMG_1331_zps480af91a.jpg

 

IMG_1332_zpse57276ac.jpg

 

IMG_1333_zps604e4429.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply, they look really good. That shade of red is probably what I'm going to go with. The bike is yellow and has the red accents on the script on the cowls, plus the red of the rear spring (which I'm replacing with titanium black nitron unit)....so shouldn't clash. I'm guessing they were a bit of a nighmare to fit? 10 line kit....not all that straightforward!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Nightmare?  No. Just time consuming.  

 

I did Galfer, which are very high quality lines but the kit leaves something to be desired. If that makes sense. There are one or two compromises on the galfer lines like a double banjo on the front left caliper, and the way they mount to the chainguard is just cheesy.  Hel lines will be a little easier as the kit is better thought out, and are probably worth the extra cost. But no matter what you do it'll be time consuming. You literally remove ALL of the plastic and the tank. And no matter how hard you vacuum out the current lines, you'll find a way to spill some more brake fluid out of one or another. Just be prepared for a small mess and be patient.

 

Totally worth it, though. My lever is race-bike tight even with the linked brakes, and brakes are predictable, consistent, and strong. I have much more confidence in them. Tied for the best thing I did to the bike -- the other best being the rear shock from Jamie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

I agree with Moose, time consuming more than difficult. In both my installs, 5&6 Gen bikes, I used a Mity-Vac to fill the lines and traditional bleeding methods,once the lines were filled. After that was done I swapped out the bleeders with speed bleeders and did a quick bleed to ensure air that might have been introduced when the bleeders were swapped was flushed out.

 

As far a HEL versus Galfer, I knew there was something about the Galfer lines that wasn’t quite right (for the lack of a better term), I recall a few people complain about the mounting. The HEL lines are a direct replacement of the OEM lines and everything is clean and tidy IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HEL lines it is (though Goodridge also do a decent kit). I am almost certain that my bike is on its original lines, which ain't good. It's my 3rd VFR and the first time I rode it I did think the brakes were a little vague or mushy (plenty of pad material left, and the fluid looks fresh and clear).

 

I have heard nothing but good about Jamie's shocks on this forum, but shipping from the States would've been a little on the pricey side, hence my decision to go with Nitron (let's hope Handmade in England is more Bentley than TVR in this particular application...).

 

So to confirm - drain as much fluid as possible from both brake circuits, remove old hoses, fit new hoses, top up fluid in the reservoir and begin bleeding process as per the workshop manual, topping up fluid as you go?

 

Anyone who happens to have a delightful Pearl Shining Yellow VFR with jazzy lines do feel free to share! When it comes to colour coordination I have difficulty visualising...!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Yes, that's it.

 

A mityvac or other vacuum bleeder will save you quite a bit of time filling the lines. And a lot of mess when bleeding.

 

Also, two things really helped me. One was SpeedBleeders. Good lord are those things handy! No backflushing with a little air, so it's much easier to get air out of the calipers. 

 

The other was patience. I finished up, bled the crap out of it, let it sit overnight, then went through and inspected everything. I found one teeny, tiny bit of weeping at the joint from the hard line to the hose in front that I was able to tighten up. You do NOT want to pull that much plastic a second time! Then I rebled using the normal procedures -- just went around the loop one more time. By that point it'll take you less than 15 minutes to bleed the brakes and you'll have it down pat.

 

Anyway, after I was done with that last round I got even tighter brakes, especially the pedal. So I think I still had just a bit of air and it had settled out to the high spots by then. I used to do the same on my last bike as well. I sometimes sometimes got a  better bleed after I let it sit for a day. Or maybe it's psychosomatic, but that's my method now.

 

Again, this is simple stuff. Just takes a lot of time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers for the bleeding advice. SpeedBleeders are pricey wee buggers from what I can find, as it's my first time bleeding brakes I might just suffer through it the old fashioned way, no harm in learning!

 

Re Core Moto, lots of lovely colour options, my problem is I want to see the hoses on the bike and how the colours contrast. It would seem I have very poor visualization skills...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.