brakes... thought I knew what I was doing...

[BigRed]

I think the lines I've got are good, but they aren't stainless. I'm planning on replacing the brake lines in my second string of reparis/mods (after I have the bike running). Once I'm ready to replace them, I'll for sure be going with stainless. I've heard nothing but good things.

[jimbyjimb]

We are supposed to use DOT3 fluid which is alcohol based and the crap actually develops from moisture that the brake fluid attracts. Over time it deteriorates every surface inside of the system and appears as crud and off colored fluid.

If you want to avoid alot of brake failure and cruddy fluid, change the fluid once a year. It will flush out alot of the contaminants that develop over time. Its easy to do and takes only about ten minutes with a hand held vacuum pump and a fluid catcher cup. I change mine every 'Spring' tuneup and never have brake problems.

This is great advice. Doing a brake fluid flush on a car is extremely easy, doing one on this bike is very simple and important. I dump all fluids on all of my vehicles every two years maximum. Tranny regardless if manual or auto, differentials, brakes, coolant, blinker(j/k). The thing to remember is the less fluid a system utilizes the more often it should be changed. Keeping this in mind I'll be doing all fluids on my XS a minimum of once a year. It's better to do it more than needed than after it's broken! Another thing to consider, if replacing lines, is swapping to a synthetic brake fluid or DOT 5. If anyone here has done this I'd personally like to hear about the results!

[newc4]

The PO ran DOT5 in the front brakes on my 79SF. No performance issues noted, doesn't remove paint off the calipers, appears to hold up better than DOT3 and finally, has a smoother taste than DOT3. Downside, costs about twice as much.

I am also refurbishing an 80G and will run DOT5.

Darrell

[fredintoon]

Don't mix your drinks.

The PO ran DOT5 in the front brakes on my 79SF. No performance issues noted, doesn't remove paint off the calipers, appears to hold up better than DOT3 and finally, has a smoother taste than DOT3. Downside, costs about twice as much.
I am also refurbishing an 80G and will run DOT5.
Darrell

Hi Darrell,
never mind how it tastes, don't drink either of them.
As I understand it, DOT3 & 4 absorb water over time which deteriorates the fluid's performance while DOT5 don't absorb water so the water that gets in there hangs about in beads which also deteriorates the fluid's performance.
Changing either fluid every second year will fix the water problem. Not spilling DOT3 will fix the paint stripping.
The main problem is, the two don't mix.
Swapping from either to other involves a complete system teardown & cleanup between fluids.

[Crazcnuk]

http://www.motorcycleproject.com/mot...rakefluid.html

Should have all the info you need.

[TomRodgers]

DGXER.... i think i bought the same lines you did...from Coastguard, right?? From the research i have done here and other forums, it seems the setup doesnt work the best on our bikes......in the stock forms that is...

The front banjo fittings dont mate up to the stock m/c (on the end)..my aftermarket m/c has the bolt out the front and works A-O-K. the rear on the other hand is a different story...a lot of tension on the line to make it hook up, and it rides VERY close to the shock, or tire, depending on the 'flex' of the line when you attach it. nothing that a few well placed retainer rings wont fix, but not just a simple swap.....

other than that, the new m/c and stainless lines have MASSIVE AMOUNTS of stopping power!!!! my rears are still a little squishy right now, but i may have a bit of air still in them.......

[DGXSER]

Tom,

That was my concern with the lines, both my MC lines needed alot of tension to connect and reattach. The rear line I left in place for a few days and it rubbed the paint off the swing arm in a couple places.

My biggest issue with the seller is that he told me form the beginning he would owkr with me to make it right, then did not. And infact, I sent the two lines back to him and got nothing in return except abunch of horse crap. So I paid $80 for the two front lines from the splitter to the front calipers now. He will not return any email or ebay messages from me. So I wrote it off as a learning experience.

[TomRodgers]

Don..

That sucks.....im glad i didnt have those issues with the man. I hate it when things work out that way.

[geobiker]

SS Brake Lines

I have a 1979 F model that I bought a few years ago. Cosmetically it is very nice and I think that it had done a lot of "garage sitting" in the past.

I also upgraded to ss lines this Spring and I likewise got them from coastguard on ebay. I specifically asked if they were a "direct replacement" and they said they were. Replacing the front ones wasn't too difficult, but the rear line was another story. The original line was two piece and the new line single. I also found it to be a tight fit and I had to do some modification to the attachment points. Although I got them to work in the end, I don't consider them a "direct replacement".

At that time I rebuilt both master cylinders. Prior to that time I had a reoccurring problem with front brakes locking up, because the "spooge" hole was plugged. I was shocked at the amount of "crap" that came out of it when I tore it apart. Made me wonder it had the original seals.

I have ridden the bike about 200 miles and the brakes seem to be working flawlessly. Braking is much more possitive. Now, I have to work on the poor acceleration that the bike experiences between 2000 and 3000 rpm.