need brake lines

[redbone]

so i know that i need new brake lines. my question to you guys is where is a good place to order them from. i have a 1980 xs1100 mns. the calipers just keep hangin up. cleaned the calipers, did the spooge thing and no good. any help appreciated.

[CatatonicBug]

Did you rebuild the calipers AND the master cylinders? By rebuild, I mean replace all rubber and moving parts. The lines may not be the issue, unless you know that they are crumbling.

[redbone]

catatonic,
i've had those calipers off and on so many times i can do it eyes closed. yes all three calipers have been rebuilt. the front master cylinder has also been rebuilt. the brake lines almost have to be desinigrating altho i am not sure. they are the originals

[DGXSER]

Your rings are cruddy....

Nope, not your onion rings....your caliper rings. as you have not stated the problem, it is suggested you have sticking calipers. Have you pulled the o-rings out of the calipers and cleaned that slot the ring sets in? Alot of folks tend to just pull the piston out and clean it and the cylinder walls and just the exposed ring. But the ring needs to move/roll and spring back to work. The crud builds behind the ring in that groove where you can not see it and it can't roll back into place....stuck caliper.

My bakes were hanging up bad when I first got the bike, and I still have what appear to be original rings in all three calipers. I pulled the rings out, and cleaned that groove out and used clean brake fluid to clean the rings up good as well as the piston. Put it all back with the same parts, and no more sticking calipers.

That is not to say you should not replace the lines, its never a bad idea especially if they are the 30 year old originals, but I doubt your lines are contributing enough gunk to stick your calipers that fast after you cleaned them.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Redbone,

Aside from the aforementioned troubleshooting, once you have determined that you want new lines, you'll want to go with stainless steel braided lines. There are many sources to acquire these, from your local Harley shop even, to different brands like Galfer, or HELUSA, etc., places like Dennis Kirk, I think Partsnmore or BikeBandit, many other places.

Some places will sell complete sets, but you pay $$ for the fittings, and with the XS, you have 3 hoses for the front, but only 2 are really needed. You'll save $$ by getting a custom set and having 2 long lines that go from the MC to the calipers with enough slack for shock action of the front wheel. Just use a longer banjo bolt at the MC instead of the "Y" splitter. Same volume of fluid in either setup, but less costly for only 2 sets of fittings instead of 3. And then there's the rear line, it'a half metal hose anyway, and so it doesn't experience the swelling affect as badly. Again, just have a single line made to replace the entire line from rear MC to caliper.
T.C.

[redbone]

DGXSR....yes i have done all of that, even went as far as using dental picks to clean out the grooves. the actual pistons are not in the best of shape for the front brakes tho and these are impossible tofind new. as a matter of fact the left one leaks a little. i ahve done my best to clean them [pistons] and get the pits out of them, but i don't think this should affect the actual movement of the piston. the rear brake has been rebuilt with new piston and seal. this one hangs up the worse of the 3.
TOPCAT...thanks for that info also.

i will try once more to dismantle these and clean again.
i'll be back.