Sat 11 Oct 2008
Before
After my first unsuccessful attempt at getting the brakes on my 1986 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim motorcycle working a few weeks ago, I did more research and found out that Yamaha never intended for their brake lines (rubber hoses surrounded by steel spring guards) to be in use longer than 4 years. It had been 22 years on my bike, and since brakes are the biggest safety element on a motorcycle, it seemed wise to finally replace them.
While I was at it, I decided to rebuild the master cylinder, too. It wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be. Along with the replacement parts I bought a special set of ‘circlip’ pliers that made the job possible. Amateur Mechanic Lesson 1: get the right tools.
My friend, Dave B, helped me install these a week ago. It wasn’t too difficult, but making the new lines actually fit was a bit of a brain puzzler (as was the master cylinder job). Stainless steel brake lines don’t twist at all, so you have to figure out which position allows them to connect smoothly at the fittings.
Now I have a whole new lexicon of motorcycle brake terms, and I learned how to operate a brake bleeding pump and a torque wrench (not hard). Compared to the corroded, old, water-in-the-brake-fluid system the bike had when I bought it, the new brakes are incredible!
After
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:11 am
I just purchased a 1985 xj700, and was wondering you purchased your aftermarket brake lines from?