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Russell/Yamaha Brake Line Install

Hellgate

Hellgate

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Aug 3, 2008
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Beautiful brake lines; really sharp looking, well thought out and wonderfully detailed. The fit is a little odd however. First I'd like to see the rear line about 1 to 1.5 inches longer. At the current length it is a doable, but very tight fit.

The front was a little odd fitting too. There is a left and right line and it is critical to get them on in the correct sequence. Left on first and right second. The right hand side is about 2 inches shorter. Now here's the odd fitting part, the banjo bolts have some pretty radical bends to them and honestly I'm a little stumped as to why. The left side is a good fit, the right makes a tight loop. See photo. I had other SS kits before and they have more of a traditional bend to them.

Bleeding was snap with the Mity Vac. I used Teflon tape to get a better seal on the zerks and eliminate any air bleed back. While I was doing this I replaced the zerks and flushed the entire brake fluid. Note the oxidation on the zerk. All three were like this. If you've got an older bike flush your fluid and check your zerks.

Performance wise the new lines are great! They have a nice firm feel and don't mush out during a hard pull. Nice! :shoot:
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Yeah that crossed my mind too. I need to buy some more crush washers first. But if I do flip it the rear fitting will not be a clean fitting.

For the rear line I think a straighter banjo from the MC would be a better fit.
 
Corrosion! Yikes

I was a little shocked to see the condition of your bleeder, especially on such a new bike! When I did my lines I did not have the bleeders out. Makes me what to go out and get a set of Speed Bleeders and change them.
 
Well I ordered these blind thinking they were solid black. I was settling for the price and testimonial. I am very pleasantly surprised by your photos. They look much more like the color of Galfer lines I wanted but could not justify the expense! I can't wait.
 
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They are kind of a dark, translucent graphite color. I think the look great.

I looked at the bike again this morning and I'm going to try refitting the rear and the right lines.
 
BroHay said:
What would happen if you flip the rear banjo 180?
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No luck, I tried positioning the line several different ways. Ends up on of the banjos is about 90 degrees off. I compared it to the OEM line and it's a big no go. The rear line is going back to Y tomorrow. I've not had time to fiddle with the right front line yet. If it's the same problem it's out of here to. I probably won't get to that until later in the week.

I've install many sets of lines over the years on MCs and autos, and they, well...suck so far. I'm really disappointed as this should be dirt simple.
 
Well, thanks for being the guinea pig Pete. Sorry they aren't working out....

So if the galfer lines rust and suck, and these suck, where are the lines that fit, don't rust and don't suck? :D

Thanks for the honest feedback Top!
 
I'm just hoping the dealer refunds my money, time will tell. I'm going to consider the Goodridge, Spiegler, and HEL. Of the three I'm leaning toward Goodridge; like the Russell they can be purchased from Yamaha for a very good price.

To be honest I should probably call Russell and ask what the deal is.
 
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FZ1inNH said:
Well, thanks for being the guinea pig Pete. Sorry they aren't working out....

So if the galfer lines rust and suck, and these suck, where are the lines that fit, don't rust and don't suck? :D

Thanks for the honest feedback Top!
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Not sure if you noticed my HEL lines this weekend or not. They are holding up fine. Lee has them on his bike as well. So far I am pleased with them and they are not that much more that the Russell. I am surprised that Yamaha is selling those lines if the fit is so crappy...

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NJFZ1 said:
Not sure if you noticed my HEL lines this weekend or not. They are holding up fine. Lee has them on his bike as well. So far I am pleased with them and they are not that much more that the Russell. I am surprised that Yamaha is selling those lines if the fit is so crappy...
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I did notice them and really liked the smaller diameter and the fact they are black. I'm not much for a lot of color on the bike as you've noticed. ;)

Perhaps we need to petition Yamaha to sell the good ones!?!? :tup:
 
Haileyan said:
Well I am still hoping that mine are fine, that maybe the ones you got just slipped past quality control. Is it only the rear you had issue with?
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The right front fits funny too, left front is perfect. The banjos on each line have a pretty radical bend to one end or another, which makes for a funny fit. I may have the front right on upside down, but it was the only way I could make it work, just like the rear brake. Once I looked at the OEM rear line I saw how the Russell rear was supposed to go but it was impossible.

I hope it is only my line that is messed up. Russell has alway been a very good company; I'll call them tomorrow and ask what the deal is.
 
FZ1inNH said:
I did notice them and really liked the smaller diameter and the fact they are black. I'm not much for a lot of color on the bike as you've noticed. ;)

Perhaps we need to petition Yamaha to sell the good ones!?!? :tup:
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They actually have them all black, that is lines, banjo fittings and bolts. I didn't get them because they were more money, but they probably look nice. I've never seen an all black combo in person.
 
NJFZ1 said:
Not sure if you noticed my HEL lines this weekend or not. They are holding up fine. Lee has them on his bike as well. So far I am pleased with them and they are not that much more that the Russell. I am surprised that Yamaha is selling those lines if the fit is so crappy...

IMG_1176.jpg


IMG_1163.jpg
Click to expand...

That I do, The HEL Lines fit just fine (the front are just a tad long and would work with a slightly raised bar. I just zip tied mine together onto the lower triple by the horn bracket. I routed my rear slightly differently than Tony. I tried the line both ways and went with what I thought worked best. I mounted the end by the heel gaurd between the two posts instead of between the guard and the rear post (see picture) It does not get near the swingarm even though it looks like it in the pictures. The quality of the copper crush washers, stainless banjo bolts and fittings seem top notch. One note; if you get coloured ends, use care in installing, as the colour coating is thin and easily scratched (how do you know you ask, oops).

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Rusting componants

As one of the best upgrades to braking, braided steel lines are tops, and sufficient for all but the Pro racers. Other places in the forum, there have been comments about 'other' brands or possably even Russel lines, that have had the banjos and crimps rust, making it ultimatly look tacky or worse than the stock lines. Who out there has experianced this bit with rusting or corrsion of the lines. Also we have another popular item used in tandom with braided lines, wave rotors.

Again I pose the question, what brands of wave rotors are subject to rusting? I know that there are two or three brands out there, but offhand the only one that comes to mind at this early morning hour are Gaffler's.

The point of these questions is to be able to put togather a system on the Gen. 1 or Gen. 2 FZ1 using quality componants not subject to rusting and constant attention to prevent it. So..... what are the brands you have had experiance with that stayed clean and corrosion/rust:(:confused: free..???
 
Gohot229 said:
As one of the best upgrades to braking, braided steel lines are tops, and sufficient for all but the Pro racers. Other places in the forum, there have been comments about 'other' brands or possably even Russel lines, that have had the banjos and crimps rust, making it ultimatly look tacky or worse than the stock lines. Who out there has experianced this bit with rusting or corrsion of the lines. Also we have another popular item used in tandom with braided lines, wave rotors.

Again I pose the question, what brands of wave rotors are subject to rusting? I know that there are two or three brands out there, but offhand the only one that comes to mind at this early morning hour are Gaffler's.

The point of these questions is to be able to put togather a system on the Gen. 1 or Gen. 2 FZ1 using quality componants not subject to rusting and constant attention to prevent it. So..... what are the brands you have had experiance with that stayed clean and corrosion/rust:(:confused: free..???
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Rotors will not rust if they are made out of ss. The only rotors that I can see rusting would be the cast iron ones. And I can assure you that the Galfer's are probably some of the best rotors out there and not prone to rusting since they have an aluminum carrier with a ss disc. However, with their brake lines I've heard of rust issues on the banjo fittings.
 
Gohot229 said:
As one of the best upgrades to braking, braided steel lines are tops, and sufficient for all but the Pro racers. Other places in the forum, there have been comments about 'other' brands or possably even Russel lines, that have had the banjos and crimps rust, making it ultimatly look tacky or worse than the stock lines. Who out there has experianced this bit with rusting or corrsion of the lines. Also we have another popular item used in tandom with braided lines, wave rotors.

Again I pose the question, what brands of wave rotors are subject to rusting? I know that there are two or three brands out there, but offhand the only one that comes to mind at this early morning hour are Gaffler's.

The point of these questions is to be able to put togather a system on the Gen. 1 or Gen. 2 FZ1 using quality componants not subject to rusting and constant attention to prevent it. So..... what are the brands you have had experiance with that stayed clean and corrosion/rust:(:confused: free..???
Click to expand...


This is taken from HEL's UK site. Maybe it is advertising propoganda, and maybe not, you decide:



"Never Use Aluminium Fittings On Braking Systems
Some people sell aluminium brake line fittings for brake hoses. Not only is this a dangerous practice but you will also notice that they are normally sold with a 'for race use only' label as a possible legal get out clause for the company involved.

HEL Performance have never and will never use aluminium fittings on brake lines - Why? When two metals with different electromotive force are placed together and are subjected to an electrically conductive fluid, 'electrolytic' corrosion takes place. If you are looking for a light weight, corrosion resistant high strength alternative to stainless steel then we suggest you check out the HEL Performance Titanium fitting mini site.
Never Use Aluminium Fittings On Braking Systems

Electrolytic corrosion works on the same principles as a battery. Two metals, an anode and a cathode, are placed in fluid and an electrical reaction takes place which results in the softer metal being eroded due to electrolytic corrosion. Once these conditions are met, a "corrosion cell" is created, an electrical current will flow and metal will be consumed at the anode. The only way to remove this corrosion is by using metals of the same electromotive force (EMF). HEL Performance only ever use stainless steel or titanium fittings on stainless steel hose for our motorcycle brake lines which keeps the EMF constant across the system eliminating electrolytic corrosion.

Electrolytic Corrosion Of
An Aluminium Fitting
This image shows the results of electrolytic corrosion of an aluminium fitting when connected to stainless steel hose. Corrosion has resulted in half of the fitting breaking away - if this line had been left on the vehicle the results could have been fatal. Do not use aluminium fittings on your brake lines.

For example, Aluminium has an EMF of +1.66 volts and stainless steel an EMF of -0.34 volts. When these two metals are in contact in the presence of a fluid (rain water etc) the electrolytic corrosion outlined above must take place resulting in the erosion of the anode (the positively charged metal in which in this case is aluminium). The greater the difference between the difference in the EMF's of the two metals the greater the level of corrosion.

Never Use Aluminium Fittings On Braking Systems

In the case of an aluminium brake part this could lead to catastrophic results in the failure of the brake system. Again we reiterate that you should never use aluminium brake line fittings on any vehicle even for race use. The minimal weight saving obtained by using aluminium fittings is insignificant especially when viewed against the real dangers and risks involved when, and we mean when, the fitting corrodes."....[B]HEL Brake Lines Quote [/B]

There are a few companies that offer aluminum fittings with weight savings in mind. Maybe in the racing world were the lines won't be seeing years of use and the fluid is changed after every race they make sence. I don't get paid to ride, but rather the reverse, so I want what I buy to last and not cause me problems down the road.
 
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I got my HEL F/R lines from ebay for $100 shipped. They go by a unnamed listing since the seller doesn't want to advertise them as HEL and sell cheap. He customizes them any color you want. The HEL btw routed weird too and the rear was similarly long. I think all have got the dimensions wrong.
 
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