Braided brake line.

[FatFergie]

After hearing about Lutin's trouble with his fitting of a set of brake lines I thought I'd post my own experience of doing a similar job. I'd also be interested in other experiences of trying to improve braking.

For ages I've been meaning to do something about the ropey single front brake that I have on my 600 alp and I finally got around to getting a braided line instead of the standard rubber. At the same time I got a fresh set of pistons and (seals) as the originals were very corroded.
I went to my local bike shop and got them to make up a line using the original as a template using the same sleeves and brackets. This meant that I would avoid the abrasive steel line eating through my mudguard and fairing and I would have exactly the right length.

Reusing the old banjos with a new set of washers I'm so far very happy with the improvement. Lever travel is reduced and I've fiddled with the span adjuster as a result. It's also far more "wooden" than I've been used to and I don't feel as if I know how hard I'm braking but I'm getting used to it and I presume its partly psychological. I can now get the front tyre to squeel just a little which I couldn't do before.

Cost of the line was €45 which compares quite well with an off the shelf price especially since I have all the sleeves and brackets in place.

[markh]

I replaced my OEM lines with HEL stainless steel ones. I didn't notice any great difference in lever travel or performance, but the yellow lines look nice

[doglegdon]

Replaced my originals on the @, front/rear, with the Melvin ones from Wemoto a couple of years ago. Didn't have an actual problem, but wanted to decrease the chance of UV damage to the exposed rubber hoses. Likewise haven't noticed a huge improvement in braking, but at least have more peace of mind.