Brake Hoses

[BooG]

Had a prob re-registering. My R65 needs this site, trust me!! So happy to be back!
Ok...leaking brake hose on my 1980 R65. It has twin front discs and Brembos. Pads probably contaminated...yet to verify.
Stock hoses or stainless braided? Been reading up on each, and am edging towards stock. Any wisdom gratefully recieved as usual.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

It all depends on who is answering!
Much like tire and oil questions.
Stock work fine.  New is what is important, especially if you are running the originals.
Some who like the braided say they can find them less expensive than OEM.
Those who like OEM say some of the braided can have connector issues.
I rebuilt my brakes last spring and opted for OEM.  If they last as long as the originals, I will be 75 by the time I get around to doing it again...

[Bob_Roller]

I installed stainless braided lines in 1991, and my experience in the last 15 years, is that I would never go back to standard OEM type brake lines. At the time that I replaced mine, the cost difference was  about $10US between OEM and stainless. My bike was 10 years old when I changed over,and the difference in braking was quite noticeable. Living here in Phoenix, rubber lives a real hard life, I try to stay away from anything rubber.

[Chris_in_BC]

on my 1980 R65. It has twin front discs and Brembos. Pads probably contaminated.

Just a comment. Do you actually have Brembos or the ATE look-alikes? Not that it would affect your choice of hoses.
With twin discs on the R65 I find plenty of braking power. Is changing to stainless hoses going to improve them that much more? More an aesthetic improvement maybe. If you only had a single disc I would have definitely considered it.

[Justin B.]

On my '95 R100 it was a matter of economics.  The Stainless lines from Moto-Bins were cheaper than the rubber ones from Chicago BMW.  Thats kind of a no-brainer in my book...

[Semper Gumby]

Replaced mine with Stainless from Aeroquip here in Atlanta.  I walked in with my old lines and 10 minutes later walked out with stainless.  Like the less mushy feel. 8-)

[Bob_Roller]

The difference between 10 year old OEM lines, and stainless was about comparable to going from standard brakes to power assisted brakes in a cage. If that makes a difference to anyone.

[mjbickford]

where would i find some for my project bike?

[BooG]

Definitley Brembos! Seeing as they both seem to work equally well and the question seems to be aesthetic, I'll let my girlfriend decide!! Which means stainless braided probably...

[nhmaf]

I'll say that moving to stainless lines with dual front discs will give you improved stopping power like you
wouldn't expect on a 25+ year old bike - be ready (and careful) !  I definitely like the stainless lines
on my LS,

[SCJJR65]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone replaced their stock rotor with a cast iron one?  A friend who is an independent BMW mechanic tells me they are much better than the OEM kind you get from the dealer.  I was wondering if anybody out there has had any experience with using a cast iron rotor.  I'm getting ready to replace both the rotor and pads.  As long as I'm askin', any thoughts on the best pads?  :-?

[Bob_Roller]

I think Semper Gumby installed a set on his R65, I believe they were EBC Pro-Lite cast iron floating rotors, and EBC graphite pads. There is some minor rusting of the rotors if you get them wet,but from what I've heard, it's not real noticeable, but it does happen. As soon as I get my motorcycle stand built the '81 R65 is going in for heavy maintenance, and new rotors ( EBC iron floating) , as they are worn beyond in service limits and pads, most likely EBC graphite as well.

[Semper Gumby]

I have the EBC floating rotors on the 1980 and they work great.  I have Galifer Kevlar's which are for the Brembo brakes but which I have farkled to work with my ATE (Brembo Lookalikes) calipers.  The Kevlars work great in the dry.  They squeege a bit when wet which is Ok since the front wheel would probable skid if they hit as hard as they do when dry.

All this I bought from www.cyclebrakes.com in California.  There is a nice lady on the phone when you call....

[BooG]

So....stainless it is! Cheaper than BMW stock and recommended by Motorworks in UK. Have just recieved them, so will stick em on when I get a moment and let y'all know what I make of em. Any tips for the swap over??

[Semper Gumby]

Keep a bucket of water or a cold water hose handy if you happen to splash any brake fluid on your paint.  Otherwise the brake fluid "eats" the paint.  Probably best to drain the system and clean out the calipers now so you can "zerotime" your brakes.  You will be amazed at what crud can build up in a caliper (and cause a brake to drag).  

Get a new bottle of fresh fluid.