Braided hoses, worth it?

[Wonko The Sane]

Thinking of replacing the hoses on my ZZR as, if they're the originals, they've done 40K in the 16 years the bike has been on the road and Kwak do recommend changing them every so often.

Are braided hoses worth it for commuting use or are they more of a track thing?

Any brands to go for / avoid?
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[Kickstart]

Hi

Avoid any with alloy fittings.

Some people seem to think they are the best thing since sliced bread. Personally think they are no great improvement beyond forcing you to bleed the brakes properly. But they are a hell of a lot cheaper than buying OE hoses. Down side is they seem more prone to damage (and if you by 'race style' hoses, with 2 lines from the m/c with one direct to each caliper you need to be careful routing them)

All the best

Keith
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[Polarbear]

I found overhauling the brakes had more effect than fitting braided hoses but as Keith says, much cheaper to fit than OEM's.

My Stripple had them fitted as standard, just an observation rather than an accolade.
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[Taught2BCauti...]

Braided hoses are stronger than OEM rubber hoses, and less likely to suffer from abrasion, perishing, or other damage from being exposed to the elements.

If you grip your standard hoses tightly with one hand, and apply the brake lever with the other, you might even be able to feel them expanding under pressure!

Hel, Goodridge and Venhill are the leading makes, but like Keith says, don't re-use alloy fittings - get the stainless ones (banjo bolts) and copper washers to suit.
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[Irn-Bru]

They made a massive difference on my bike but Keith raises an interesting point about bleeding, maybe bleeding rubber lines would have made a huge difference also but I obviously never tested it so can't say. Venhill make very good lines, I would recommend them too.

I did put braided lines on my dad's old KLE 500 and it made fuck all difference but that bike has very underpowered brakes vs. its weight.
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KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[pinkyfloyd]

I fitted braided onto the Storm when I had it, I cannot say if the upgrade was an upgrade because I put Brembo pads in at the same time. Somewhere between the 2 there was a massive difference though.
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[Diddylord]

I have replaced my lines with HEl braided and it made a massive difference.

Much nicer now and more power.

[nowhere.elysium]

Keith has pretty much nailed it. They're no better than rubber hoses, but they've got this aura of magical 'fixed my braking woes' about them because they're new hoses, and new hoses will improve any braking experience on a bike that's seen some miles.

The primary advantages are that they're cheaper and are shiny.
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[Andy_Pagin]

But doesn't that braiding make a nice trap for road crud & muck? Especially out of town?
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[RhynoCZ]

I think it's not worth the money, I had a try of both, ''plain'' rubber and braided hose. The braided hose made the brake way too sharp and the lever too hard to squeeze, for my likings. It was a '98 CB500, the feel of the front brake may vary through different brake calipers, MC's and brake pads, of course.

Now, I've got OEM hoses, Nissin 4 pots from the late 80's and Nissin MC on the ZXR, the lever feels soft, but it lets you easily control the pressure with only one finger on the lever. I can even make a full stop on gravel/sand with confidence using the front brake of the ZXR and that's what defines a good brake, I guess.

The '98 CB500 with braided brake line felt like it had just an front brake ON/OFF switch. My very first ''crash'' was on a MZ 150, where the front brake was the same, an ON/OFF switch. I tried to stop the bike on the side of the road where some gravel was. Instant front wheel blockage and went down. This would have never happened on the ZXR.

TL; DR, I've had only bad experience with braided hoses and I really like my plain rubber OEM brake lines on my ZXR.
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[Slacker24seve...]

[nowhere.elysium]

[Llama-Farmer]

I rate braided hoses. I prefer the way they make the lever feel. And if you get the ones with stainless connections/banjos then they'll generally last forever, unlike rubber hoses which only last a few years before they degrade to the point where they're less than optimal.


Fitting them also means you need to refill the brake fluid (and most people would completely change it rather than just add more and bleed) which will further improve the brakes.


I've had HEL and Goodridge hoses on the bike and cars and can't fault either of them.


Fresh brake fluid and a re-bleed will make a big difference though, ideally should replace it every year, as the brake system isn't perfectly sealed, so the fluid absorbs water and tiny amounts of air gets into the system.


Whether you go for new rubber hoses or braided hoses, they will definitely be better than the current old rubber hoses you have.

[Kickstart]