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I am getting ready to upgrade to braided stainless brakelines on my 1980 GS550L. I will be tackling the front brake first, then the rear (assuming I am pleased with the front results). I have been doing a reasonable amount of research, but am left with some questions. Any help/advice/comments will be appreciated:
1) I think switching to custom built single lines on the front (single disk) and eventually rear (also single disk), is the way I want to go. I don't see any reason for all those extraneous fittings, little bits of tubing, etc. that just seem to add complexity and more places to leak, when it should be just as easy to replace the whole mess with a single braided line. Do you see any faults with my logic? Any opinions about why this shouldn't work?
2) I am narrowing in to either Russell or Goodridge. Both offer equivalent features for DOT compliant setups and are roughly comparable in price. Is there someone else I should consider whose products are vastly superior to Russell/Goodridge? Does anyone feel very strongly about or have reason to recommend one much more than the other? Any suggestions for dealers I should go through to buy what I need (e.g., J&PCycles, Kirk, Whitney)?
3) Any opinions about a preferred type of crush washer for the union/banjo bolt fitting? It appears that copper and aluminum are the most common, but I do not know which would be better for use with chrome plated stainless banjos.
4) Has anyone had any luck finding metric brake fittings, such as 10mm banjos and crush washers, through their local auto supply store? What are the chances that I could walk into Schucks or NAPA and find any of these in stock on their shelves?
5) Regarding construction, I have found a few suggestions to use teflon tape on the banjo fitting threads when assembling, but by no means a common observation. Any opinions or thoughts about the need or desirability of using teflon tape?
6) My Clymer manual indicates the union/banjo bolts should be torqued to 15-18 ft-lbs; my Haynes and original Suzuki manual do not indicate a recommended torquing. Would you concur with the Clymer recommendation or do you recommend a different torque range?
7) Finally, I have seen "speed bleeders" for sale at pretty reasonable costs (e.g., $15/pair). Do you have any experience with using these (i.e., do they actually work or are they just hype)? If they do work, are they worth the investment given the once a year or less benefit they offer when replacing the brake fluid?
That's it for now. I'm sure I will think of other questions as I actually get into this. Thanks in advance for any thoughts and input you can offer...
...Ross
1) I think switching to custom built single lines on the front (single disk) and eventually rear (also single disk), is the way I want to go. I don't see any reason for all those extraneous fittings, little bits of tubing, etc. that just seem to add complexity and more places to leak, when it should be just as easy to replace the whole mess with a single braided line. Do you see any faults with my logic? Any opinions about why this shouldn't work?
2) I am narrowing in to either Russell or Goodridge. Both offer equivalent features for DOT compliant setups and are roughly comparable in price. Is there someone else I should consider whose products are vastly superior to Russell/Goodridge? Does anyone feel very strongly about or have reason to recommend one much more than the other? Any suggestions for dealers I should go through to buy what I need (e.g., J&PCycles, Kirk, Whitney)?
3) Any opinions about a preferred type of crush washer for the union/banjo bolt fitting? It appears that copper and aluminum are the most common, but I do not know which would be better for use with chrome plated stainless banjos.
4) Has anyone had any luck finding metric brake fittings, such as 10mm banjos and crush washers, through their local auto supply store? What are the chances that I could walk into Schucks or NAPA and find any of these in stock on their shelves?
5) Regarding construction, I have found a few suggestions to use teflon tape on the banjo fitting threads when assembling, but by no means a common observation. Any opinions or thoughts about the need or desirability of using teflon tape?
6) My Clymer manual indicates the union/banjo bolts should be torqued to 15-18 ft-lbs; my Haynes and original Suzuki manual do not indicate a recommended torquing. Would you concur with the Clymer recommendation or do you recommend a different torque range?
7) Finally, I have seen "speed bleeders" for sale at pretty reasonable costs (e.g., $15/pair). Do you have any experience with using these (i.e., do they actually work or are they just hype)? If they do work, are they worth the investment given the once a year or less benefit they offer when replacing the brake fluid?
That's it for now. I'm sure I will think of other questions as I actually get into this. Thanks in advance for any thoughts and input you can offer...
...Ross
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