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Can someone recommend a good set of brake lines?

4K views 34 replies 13 participants last post by  itsasti 
#1 ·
I'd like to install a good set of steel braided brake lines on the bike before spring rolls around and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions. I did a search, but all I found was threads that were five years or older. Back then it seemed most people were recommending Fren Tubo lines. Are these still a good option, or are better options out there now? I appreciate any advice you can give me.
 
#11 ·
coremoto is a newer player... they allow you to configure the color and fittings to your liking. They sponsor a few MotoAmerica teams & riders.

Braided lines are pretty much braided lines though. None are any better than the other in terms of performance. So its a matter of supporting those that support
roadracing & racing in general. :D
 
#12 ·
coremoto is a newer player... they allow you to configure the color and fittings to your liking. They sponsor a few MotoAmerica teams & riders.



Braided lines are pretty much braided lines though. None are any better than the other in terms of performance. So its a matter of supporting those that support

roadracing & racing in general. :D


I agree though I have seen differences in the fittings.
 
#13 · (Edited)
BTW, last night I was on tapatalk, so here is a bit more relevant information.

Brakes and suspension are the two most important components of the bike. Brakes work on hydraulic pressure obviously, with the master cylinder bore/piston creating pressure increases that expand the pistons on the calipers. Pretty simple stuff. We use brake fluid because - it doesn't expand or compress like some other fluids (or air) under heat due to vaporization. It has a high boiling point. As an aside, we shouldn't use DOT5 silicone fluid as it is more compressible. So, why do steel braided lines and (good) aftermarket brake components help? Not because they look good, have nifty colors, or neat logos. But because they increase the predictability and sensitivity of the feel and performance of the brakes. Masters like a Brembo RCS allow for a sometimes adjustable stroke, and a FAR more consistent feel through the stroke. That means more precision. Rubber/OEM lines can and will expand as you increase pressure. Especially as they age. That means when you pull that brake lever, part of the increased pressure the master is creating is being lost as the lines expand under pressure - rather than the pistons being pushed. That makes your lever feel "softer". And, if they're expanding - they will do so MORE when hot. This is WAY more important with the front brake as opposed to the rear, as frankly the limits of the rear before the tire locks is way lower. More precision is needed for the front.

This is very important on the track, but it's not important just there. It's also important on the street. I would not ride a sport or sport touring bike even on the street without swapping for braided lines. On the track even if it's just a few track days a year? The bike wouldn't head for the track without braided lines on the front.

As for what brands - I'd pretty much agree with Turboblew. Stick with the ones that have a good presence on the racetrack. My confidence in their quality control is higher, and they're supporting motorsports. Plus, they almost certainly have better customer service in the event you end up needing help or support. While they are simple, this can happen - it's happened to me. Sometimes you might get the wrong "fitting" or "end" on a pre-packaged kit for your bike. You need a 45deg vs a 90 deg banjo fitting or something. The good companies know how to take care of an issue and they probably have less fitment issues to start with. It's not about color. It's about making sure the line length is correct, and it has the correct orientation and type fittings on each end.
 
#15 ·
Just put on some Galfer lines front/rear as well as Galfer pads. The quality is solid and they look nice as well! I have heard good things about Fren Tubo..
 
#18 ·
I should add one more thing. The "rigors of braking at high speeds" does NOT "cause the wear that leads to that spongy feel".

There are two things that lead to soft brake feel.

1) The expansion of brake lines - which is more likely and of more impact on standard lines as opposed to braided lines.

2) Aeration - including air bubbles - in the brake system. This can be caused by several things.

a) Improper or incomplete bleeding.
b) A "crack" or something similar in the system, such as a banjo fitting that isn't completely sealed, or a bleeder that isn't properly tightened down. A bad seal in a master cylinder can cause this. A bad caliper can cause this. Etc.
c) Heating of the brake fluid, which can be caused by a number of things. Poor quality brake fluid. Older brake fluid. Excessive heat - each fluid has it's own max operating temperature. And pressure causes heat.

A good brake system with good pads could care less how fast your'e going. You may heat up your pads and rotors. In fact, you have to heat up those braking surfaces to make them effective. But decent calipers (and most OEM calipers these days are pretty good - they don't have to be monobloc Brembos) good brake fluid, a decent master cylinder (ideally radial, as the R6 has been since 2005) and braided lines - will give you excellent performance, reliability and predictability regardless of how fast you're going.
 
#23 ·
One other thing. If you've been "north of 145mph" in the last 5 years, but you've done it on public roads, you're not riding with me. Especially if you haven't spent time on the track, you simply don't have the skill or experience to be riding at those speeds - and you're putting others at risk in doing so. Maybe you found a spot that you think nobody else will be around. But you don't know, because it's not a closed course. You have no control. I know how to manage the contact patch on my tires at 150-165mph. I train doing it, in safe conditions. You don't. Nobody - and I mean nobody - should be riding on public roads at those speeds. Period. Sorry for the soapbox. However, a close friend of mine is a Trauma doc who doesn't really understand why I'm on a bike to begin with, and some of the stories include car fatalities caused by sport bike riders speeding excessively.
 
#24 · (Edited)
One other thing. If you've been "north of 145mph" in the last 5 years, but you've done it on public roads, you're not riding with me. Especially if you haven't spent time on the track, you simply don't have the skill or experience to be riding at those speeds.
It seems difficult for you to make that assumption about someone you don't even know... especially since you admit that you don't even get to those speeds on some tracks!
Here is MY opinion since were getting on a soapbox though;
The track is a fairly tale experience that may be fun, and provide a safe riding experience, but in no way at all, compares to the dangers and risks of riding on the street! It's got perfect ideal magical conditions that gives people a false sense of confidence when they get on the street. The track wont prepare you for idiot drivers. Like how to swerve out of the way of a football that rolls in the road, (they don't bounce or roll straight). Knowing small animals crossing the road are a much higher risk on roads and highways with woods/trees adjacent to them. Knowing that wet leaves are as slick as snot! Knowing to stay clear of the painted lines on the street when in a lean early in the morning or hours after it's rained. Understanding the wind blow of passing a semi truck at speed! Knowing to NEVER ride near the rear quarter panel of a car because you are now invisible in their mirrors! Knowing to count to three after a light turns green before you speed off to avoid the idiot that trys to beat the yellow light! Just being able to look at a street and understand how that pavement will likely grip with your tires! Knowing that when one person in a group of riders guns it, you need to carefully check your sides because it means every other idiot in the group will now feel compelled to follow suit and blow past anyone that isn't maxing their bike out! You learn to never go balls out in a corner you don't know, and do a dry pass before you go all out in corners you do know! Because the street conditions change everyday, and there might be a pot hole there today, that wasn't there yesterday. Even just a down tree limb or a ripped open trash bag. Do you speed passed a lot of empty beer cans on the track? Should you avoid those, or is it okay to just run those over? What about a cheeseburger wrappers? Is that okay to run over? If you're in a turn, will your tires rip through it and keep traction, or will they slide an inch before they rip through the wrapper? Does it matter?
I hear fantiastic things about the track and I'm sure it's an extremely valuable experience, but don't you dare make it seem like street riders are inferior without track experience. SMH...

I have no doubt you are an excellent track rider, and maybe would stomp me in a circuit/street race, but based on your post, I wouldn't ride with you on the street either.

PS, yes "Parkways", not "highways".
 
#32 ·
Look, Rayon, I'm not trying to get in some sort of pi$$ing contest with you. And I'm not saying I'm a "better rider". I am saying that I'm more experienced than you are at those kinds of things - not for any reason other than I've clearly spent a lot of time training, etc than you by your own admission. When I had 17 yrs of riding experience, I was probably the same as you are now. And experience is priceless. Please note that I never ever said I was better. Only that I was more experienced - experience that you yourself could get as well.

Going "all out" is going "all out". I don't care what speed you're doing. And yes, my response was in fact based on your comment of not going ABOVE 145mph more than once in the past 5 years. I think anybody reading that would take it the same way.

But more importantly, I'd really ask that you come to the track. It's not about speed really. At least, not completely.

I remember getting ready for the first time my friends were getting me to the track. I wasn't going to race, it was just a track day. The org running it is very disciplined. I was told up front that I'd be in the novice group. Well, I used to race motocross, have been riding street bikes for over 30 years, and do have a road race car. I immediately asked "well, will I be moved to faster groups right away"? I didn't have a clue. I thought I knew what I was doing. Uh huh. Within an hour of getting on the track, I quickly realized that the techniques I had developed over 30 years of riding on the street, including some crazy fast bikes, were flat out wrong. I was riding over my head trying to keep up.

So I learned. Even to the point of going to YCRS years later - after I was already relatively competent and reasonably fast. And the techniques and skills I learned made me quickly a FAR FAR FAR FAR better rider than the total of 30 years of riding all over the country - and frankly overseas - had. It's like having a toolbox that I thought was full, but really was more than half empty - and some of the tools were defective. So I went and got more tools, and replaced the bad ones. And those tools are equally as effective on the street as they are on the track - to keep my alive - not go faster.

It is NOT about speed. It is about control. Do you think everyone who has had a drivers license for a car for 30 years is really a "skilled" driver? Probably not. At YCRS, which frankly I think is the best rider training program on the planet - they spend a lot of time doing parking lot drills. Low speed handling. Not like MS Safety courses. They focus on building core technique. Their motto is "Faster - Safer" but there are people who show up that never rode a bike before. It's all good stuff.

Come to the track. A lot of track orgs have programs where you can do a couple sessions on your first day absolutely free. Just show up, go through tech with some very minor requirements for "Intro", and you'll get a couple sessions for free. After that you pay, but IMHO it's worth it.
 
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