HEL Brake Lines

[Lutin]

Well, my new HEL stainless brake line kit arrrived in the post this morning.

So, any tips from the knowledgable folks out there about fitting the kit?

By, the way, I got the 4 line kit to directly replace the original lines.

Ta in advance.

Tony (aka Lutin)

[Pussyhorse]

Fitting a piece of piss. So is bleeding.

Buy a big syringe and attach it to the bleed nipple on the calliper on the end of a little hose. Use it to pull the brake fluid though the system.

Takes 5 mins to bleed the brakes rather than hours of fruitlessly pumping the brake lever with no apparent effect.

[sproggy]

Well, my new HEL stainless brake line kit arrrived in the post this morning.

So, any tips from the knowledgable folks out there about fitting the kit?

Yes - before you remove any standard lines (i.e. before stopping the bike from being usable) hold the HEL lines alongside the standard ones to make sure they're the right length. Hopefully HEL will have learned from the experience that they had with me 18 months ago - the front lines they supplied me with originally reached down to the ground and kept on going a few inches more!

Oh - I'll second Pussyhorse's recommendation of a syringe - I didn't have one and it took AGES to bleed the system. Ages as in about an hour!

[Lutin]

Thanks for the replies.

Just checked the HEL lines against the original ones on the bike and the lengths all appear to be correct.

Just need to get into town tomorrow to get brake fluid, brake cleaner, latex gloves (Ooh err, matron) and a few other odds and sods. Then that's me spannering away happily for a good hour or several.

[severs]

4 lines?

I must have gone mad. I can't seem to remember why you would need four lines.

I bought a Goodridge kit - 3 lines. Two for the front (lever to caliper, one each side, double-length banjo bolt at the lever) and one at the back.

Where does the fourth line go? Are you keeping the little bit of connector halfway down the fork?
And if so, please tell me why (because now I am worrying whether I have done it wrong).

[Recycler]

4 lines?

Where does the fourth line go? Are you keeping the little bit of connector halfway down the fork?
And if so, please tell me why (because now I am worrying whether I have done it wrong).

Original fronts on twin disc bikes have a short hose to a 'splitter' (usually mounted on the bottom yoke), then 2 lines from that, 1 to each disc. I have always replaced with 2 lines direct from the master cylinder to each caliper. It's cheaper and works the same.

[Warthog]

If you dont have a syringe, unbolt the calipers and pump them till the pads meet in the middle (don't let any one pad come out too far, or fluid will escape). Then rebolt them using only the top bolt (they will sortof sit on the sdisc where the pads are together, resting on the disc rim, given that the disc cannot slip between then). Once this is done, undoo the banjo bolt on the caliper and fit the braided lines and replace all lines upwards till the whole system is replaced. Now simply push the pads apart fully. The volume of fluid behind the pistons should be more than enough to fill the empty lines from the bottom up, saving you a lot of pumping at the lever.

Which ever way you do it, that evening, pump the lever several times so that it goes as firm as possislbe then, without releasing the lever, use a cable tie, string or bungee cord to tie the lever in place. Leave over night. The increase in pressure within the lines will accrelerate the rise of any small remaining air bubbles up to the master cylinder. Next day you will stonking stoppers.

[Lutin]

Been having fun fitting the HEL brake lines. The original four line kit did not fit and, after ringing them and discussing the problem, was sent a two line kit instead. I'll go into details about why it didn't fit and post some photos after I've got my brakes sorted.

Now, for those of you that have fitted a two line kit (for the front brakes of course) how did you route the lines? I think that HEL have been a bit generous with the length of the lines, but I'd like to check first.

[sproggy]

What a surprise to hear that you've had trouble with HEL lines not fitting. And the two-line kit was too long, you say? So much for thinking that HEL had learned from their experience with me, then.....

Routing should be pretty obvious - the right hand line goes straight down the fork leg, pretty much, and I routed the left hand one alongside the right down to the bottom yolk, across the yolk and then down the left fork leg. I don't think there's another way to do it (sensibly) that would use up more length.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Hmm. I was thinking about some braided lines soon - reckon i'll go with Goodridge!