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Are replacing brake lines after 4 years necessary?

2K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  ozart 
#1 ·
My '08 wee is going into it's fifth summer. Is replacing the brake lines after 4 years, as suggested by the head office, a necessary task? What do I look for as a tell tale sign that they need to be replaced?
 
#2 ·
Nope

its a CYA thing is all.
Ditto coolant hoses, vacuum hoses etc.
 
#4 ·
No.

But it's a great excuse to upgrade to zooty stainless lines that work better and won't ever need to be replaced. :mrgreen:

I think the stainless lines are less expensive than the OEM crap, too.
 
#5 ·
Utra violet degradation can be a big factor, its only aparent in extreme causes.Have you left your machine outdoors contiounsly when not in use? If so you would see fadeing and cracks in the rubber hoses.If not are you willing to risk a hose rupture?Give them an extreme pressure test of sqeezing the brakes to the ultimate extreme of pressure.Another consiquence of failer can be due to moisture in the fluid causing oxidation of brake componets,pitting,resulting in fluid bypassing seals resulting in low pressures,which I have experianced in an auto with cast iron mastercylinder,not fun when your brakes fail at a stop sign! While I would delay replacing brake hoses and fuel lines from ecomony reasons doing so as at the denial of manufactures recomendations is risking trouble. Weight the costs of replacement to the conseqences of a remote failer.
 
#6 ·
I keep my bikes indoors. No need to replace brake lines unless the UV gets to them. Its visible exterior damage.
 
#7 ·
I take my bike outdoors to ride it :beatnik:

and more in daylight than at night, and it get parked outside during the day a lot, only at night do I roll it in under cover

I wonder more on mine, UV exposure + road deicers that cause exothermic reactions. (they transmitted cancer into my wire harness)

I still have original brake & clutch hydraulic lines, haven't seen a need to replace them
 
#11 ·
Thanks, All! I've kept my bike stored in the shed every winter and many summer nights, so uv is probably not a concern; certainly not de-icers. I'm going to check all hoses, do the extreme squeeze test, and if they look and behave ok, I'll let them slide for another year or two. CYA indeed. But they'll get carefully scrutinized, for the first time, actually.
 
#12 ·
Something else comes to mind is the elasticity of the hoses at the couplings to the frame,after continual flexing from suspension travel, that could be hard to spot a developing problem there.Hope I haven,t alarmed you to much.
 
#15 · (Edited)
stainless lines that work better and won't ever need to be replaced.
Well...I'm not at all sure that they work better. Stock type brake hoses work fine. Brake hoses are made with an internal tube that is suitable for brake fluid, reinforcement, and an outer tube for protection. Stock hoses are made with an EPDM rubber inner tube, wound or braided PVA fiber reinforcement, and an EPDM outer tube. Stainless hoses are made with a teflon or EPDM inner tube, braided stainless reinforcement, and often a clear or colored PVC outer tube to let the braid shine through.

I recently had a Russell (Edelbrock) stainless brake hose blow out on my truck. I think it had a PTFE (Teflon) inner liner, which is bad news. Teflon doesn't have the fatigue resistance that is needed for a long lasting hose. If the inner liner blows out, the stainless braid and outer cover have no way to contain the fluid.

If I had the need to replace the brake hoses on my strom, I'd buy stainless if they were cheaper than stock. If the stock hoses were in good condition (which mine are), I wouldn't buy stainless. Here's a good routine for inspecting brake hoses: http://www.hoseandfittingsetc.com/technical-info/inspecting-brake-lines/
(Of course this outfit is in the business of replacement hose, so they say to junk your brake hoses after six years.)
 
#17 ·
The only brake hose failure I've ever encountered was on my 20 yr old pickup. The left front hose internally collapsed. Couldn't tell anything was wrong with the hose by looking at it.
The symptoms were pulling to one side when brakes were applied and left front brake not completely releasing.
I thought at 1st it was a caliper piston sticking, but after opening the bleeder, the brake released. It wasn't the master valve/piston because that would have affected at least both front brakes. This left what was in between, either the hose or metal line.
The blockage prevented fluid return and was holding pressure on that caliper/piston.
 
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