Tech Talk - Steel braided brakelines vs OEM rubber hoses. Except for the very high end bikes... most bikes (DRZ included) come from the factory equipped with rubber brake lines. These brake lines are thick rubber / neoprene jackets that have a cloth weave in them to protect / reinforce the inner tube that carries the brake fluid. Being of rubber construction.. they will work fine for a while until sunlight and heat starts to deteriorate the rubber compound. When the rubber gets age hardened.. fine cracks will appear and the brake line will weaken. When the brake presure in the line is great.. especially under hard braking... the rubber hose will expand and absorb some of the braking pressure instead of sending all the fluid pressure intended for the brake pistons. The brakes will then feel spongy. By the way.. most bike manufacturers recommend that the OEM rubber brake lines be replaced every 4 years. Steel braided brake lines are constructed of woven stainless steel braid around the inner fluid tube of PTFE or teflon material. The woven steel braid prevents the inner fluid hose from expanding or ábsorbing the braking pressure so little brake fluid pressure is lost at the caliper pistons. The first noticeable advantage that can be felt when using steel braided brake lines is that the brake lever requires lesser movement before maximum braking can be felt. Since steel braided hoses do not expand during hard braking... the linear braking feedback is more sensitive resulting in better brake control. Unlike rubber hoses, steel braided hoses are more durable and stronger, not affected by the weather and basically will last the life of the bike when fitted. The fastest and cheapest way to improve the braking of a bike is to change to steel braided brake lines. No point having a very fast bike when you cannot stop in time. At Raptor MotorSports.. we carry Venhill steel braided brake lines from UK for the DRZ400SM. They are available in blue, yellow, red and carbon black.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 09:05:05 +0000
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