By AndyW Mar2005 (Updated May2005)

• Tools

• Before you start

• Removing the old brake lines / hoses

• Fitting new brake lines / hoses

• Bleeding the brake system

• Notes

See also: Braided Clutch Line install FAQ

More information regarding Goodridge products, including their stainless steel braided brake lines
can be found here: www.goodridge.net

 Special Offer - Goodridge braided stainless steel brake line kits (SV1000 & SV650)

OK, so here are the contents of their 3 line kit plus the clutch line.
 

Full marks for quality, very nicely made, quality stainless steel parts and
highly polished banjo fittings. Each brake line is covered in a clear plastic sleave.
(brake lines with coloured sleeves are available)

I had only one tiny criticism of the Goodridge brake line kit and that was their basic fitting instructions are not bike/kit specific so with the different shaped banjo ends to some lines it was difficult to work out which line/end went where. The same is true of the HEL brake line kits! You'll not have that problem now :-)

**Quick warning**
Brake fluid damages paint work....surprisingly quickly! Apparently the right way to deal with spills is to rinse the brake fluid away with clean cold water. I just kept a wet cloth to hand, do not wipe spills with a dry cloth, paintwork may still be damaged!

**Disclaimer!**
Your bike's brakes can make all the difference between life and death, if you are in any doubt what so ever about your ability to change your brake lines, get a professional to fit them for you. Just because I chose to do the work myself does not mean you should. It's already been said in the site disclaimer but I'll say it again here: I cannot accept any liability for the outcome of any error or omission in these guidance notes nor your misinterpretation of them! It is essential that you ensure your brakes are functioning correctly before riding your bike!

Right lets get on with it:

Tools:
You'll need an 8mm open ended spanner for the calliper bleed nipples and 14mm ring spanner or socket to undo the banjo bolts. A torque wrench and 14mm socket to tighten the new banjo bolts. 10mm ring spanner or socket and a cross head/Phillips screw driver:

Reference: Suzuki SV1000 Workshop Manual (2-23, 6-65/68, 6-76/79)

Before you start:
First thing to do is wrap some clean cloth around the top of the brake hoses to stop any leaked fluid running down them. Cover the fuel tank and wheels, any areas likely to be damaged by spilt or splashed brake fluid, with a couple of layers of clean cloth also. Keep that wet cloth close to hand!

You'll also need a length of plastic tube with a suitable internal diameter to make it a tight fit on the bleed nipples (possibly two different tubes as the rear brake bleed nipple is larger than the front!). And of course something to collect bled brake fluid in. Alternatively use an 'easy bleed' kit such as the one shown here, which utilises a non-return valve to make bleeding easier.

Step 1:
Removing the old brake hoses:
Remove the brake reservoir caps - the screws holding the cap on the rear reservoir are easier to get to if you undo the 10mm bolt holding the reservoir to the mounting bracket so that it can be tilted towards you a little. Remove the rubber diagrams ('bellows') and plastic insert (front only) within. Don't worry if the rubber diaphragms are miss-shaped, that's the effect of the vacuum that occurs as brake fluid level drops with brake pad wear (see here).
Gently dry/clean the diaphragms with a lint free cloth and pop them in a plastic bag to make sure they don't pick up any dirt.

• Using your plastic tubing/easy bleed kit, drain all brake fluid, don't undo the bleed nipples too much or brake fluid leaks up past the thread of the bleed nipple instead of through your plastic tube!

• Close the bleed nipple and loosen the banjo bolt from the calliper taking care to catch the few last drops of brake fluid that'll run out.

• Pull the banjo bolt and wrap the hose end in a piece of cloth, just in case :-)

• Undo and remove the top banjo bolt - remove the hose being careful that no brake fluid drips.

• Wipe away all signs of brake fluid from the calliper and master cylinder where the banjos have been removed with a wet cloth...you've still got lots of dry cloth everywhere?!

Most likely the inside of the brake reservoirs will have a fine film of dirt  coating them (a build up of miniscule rubber particles from hoses and seals). Carefully wipe them out with a lint free cloth.

Step 2: (or jump to Step 3: Bleeding the system)
I'll just cover the front lines in detail here as the rear line is straight forward to install and I'll include a couple of photos at the end of this section.
Decide how you will install the new front brake lines (referring to different shaped banjo ends mentioned earlier). Install the lines loosely and make sure you're happy with the routing before you tighten any banjo bolts.
I say 'decide' as I can see no reason for there being a right or wrong way to fit the lines.

When discussed on the forum someone mentioned having used the line that has a straight end for the right calliper and mounting the straight fitting at the master cylinder and closest to the master cylinder.
I'm a bit of a 'tidiness freak' and like symmetry so I made sure that the two line banjo ends at the master cylinder were the same so the lines ran parallel down to the mounting point below. Photos will help:

Next, Securing the lines so they are tidy and more importantly, making sure they don't catch or rub on anything either as the steering is moved from lock to lock or with suspension travel. Also make sure that the banjo union line joints are not 'stressed' at all.

Once you're satisfied with the routing of your new brake lines torque all banjo bolts to the correct tightness. (Care: see notes below)

So what to do?!.............well I spent a lot of time and designed a new bracket to replace the stock bracket under the steering head and had a local company make a couple of these up for me in stainless steel.  I also phoned Goodridge and had them send me a couple more of the rubbers sleeves that hold the brake lines in the mounting brackets and ordered a brake line separator/clamp.

I sent one of the brackets mentioned above to Chris (Chewy) together with my template for the bracket and he is now looking into making up a brake line 'fitting kit'. www.chewys-stuff.co.uk
Time for some more photos:

Almost there but the lines are not secured at the calliper ends yet. Some debate as to whether this is necessary but if for no other reason than to ensure the lines don't rub the front mudguard it's worthwhile. Now the right hand side is easy, just use the existing bracket attached to the fork lower........unless your name's AndyW :-) No, that doesn't look right! So..............

The rear brake line is straight forward to install but you'll need a long socket extension bar to access the banjo bolt at the Master Cylinder from the other side of the bike for torqueing. I did away with the bracket with the brake line retaining loop a long time back - with a hugger fitted and the length of the brake line being short there's nowhere for it to get trapped or damaged. I'll keep an eye on the line to make sure it doesn't rub against anything and if needs be secure it to one of the hugger mounting bolts with a p-clip.

Step 3:
Refilling the system with brake fluid and bleeding air out

First here's what the Workshop manual says: Bleeding air from the system -

Air bleeding from the brake fluid circuit:
Air trapped in the fluid circuit acts like a cushion to absorb a large proportion of the pressure developed by the master cylinder and thus interferes with the full braking performance of the brake calliper. The presence of air is indicated by "sponginess" of the brake lever and also by lack of braking force. Considering the danger to which such trapped air exposes the machine and rider, it is essential that, after remounting the brake and restoring the brake system to the normal condition, the brake fluid circuit be purged of air in the following manner:

• Fill up the master cylinder reservoir to the "UPPER" line. Place the reservoir cap to prevent entry of dirt.

• Attach a pipe to the air bleeder valve, and insert the free end of the pipe into a receptacle.

• Front brake: Bleed the air from the air bleeder valve.

• Squeeze and release the brake lever several times in rapid succession and squeeze the lever fully without realising it. Loosen the bleeder valve by turning it a quarter or a turn so that the brake fluid runs in the receptacle; this will remove the tension of the brake lever causing it to touch the handlebar grip. Then, close the valve, pump and squeeze the lever, and open the valve. Repeat this process until the fluid flowing into the receptacle no longer contains air bubbles.

NOTE:
Replenish the brake fluid in the reservoir as necessary while bleeding the brake system. Make sure that there is always some fluid visible in the reservoir.

*Close the bleeder valve, and disconnect the pipe. Fill the reservoir with brake fluid to the "UPPER" line.

CAUTION (Reminder!)
Handle brake fluid with care: the fluid reacts chemically with paint, plastics, rubber materials and so on.

*The only difference between bleeding the front and rear brakes is that the rear master cylinder is actuated by a pedal.

Brake Fluid Specification and Classification: DOT 4

Sounds pretty straight forward but the front callipers are a sod to get clear of all air so here's a few helpful tips: (translation: bleed nipple = bleed valve = bleeder valve)

• Top tip.......next time I have to bleed the brake system I'll have one of these!
  

• A spare pair of hands isn't a bad idea so that one person can be keeping an eye on the brake fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir and operating the brake lever and the other can be opening/closing the bleed nipple, watching for leaks etc. I managed single-handedly but it would have been easier if I'd called a friend :-)

• Rapid tapping of the calliper, with a rubber mallet or anything that won't mark it, whilst brake fluid is being pushed out through the bleed nipple

• Tie the brake lever back to the bars overnight (conflicting views on this advice - I'm trying to find out more)

Before riding the bike - double check that all banjo joints and bleed nipples are tightened correctly and that all brake fluid has been cleaned from around all joints.  Carry out such checks regularly.

Notes:
1) Are crush washer reusable? I don't know, some say yes and some say no. According to some if you tighten up a banjo bolt to the specified torque and then decide you don't like the orientation of the line you can't just loosen the bolt (even if its only been tight for a few seconds), reposition the line and retighten. You must disassemble the fitting and reassemble with brand new crush washers.
To play safe I recommend that you only place enough torque on the banjo bolts to keep the lines stationary during the install until all lines are run and all attachment points are decided upon. Then as the last step the banjo bolts can be torqued to the proper specs. This way you'll be free to make some changes without having to replace the crush washers. As a contingency and for the sake of a few pennies, order a few spare crush washers :-)

2) Please note that the correct torque settings for the bleed nipples/valves are very low (as specified in the Tools section) - over-tightening can easily result in the threads being stripped in the callipers. It's probably a good idea to try and get a feel for what the proper torque is before trying to bleed the system. This can easily be done by setting your torque wrench to the proper torque and giving a twist to any nut with a higher torque spec.
There should be no need to exceed exceed the specified torque settings. If you think you need to use more torque than the spec don't do it - you have some other problem that needs to be remedied.

After installing my new lines I was sure I passed enough fluid through the system and tightened the bleed nipple but after a test ride there was signs of a small amount of brake fluid around the base of the nipples. The natural tendency was to tighten more assuming the valve must still be open a bit but I knew I had already tightened them properly. Having asked around apparently it is not unusual for a little fluid to seep up past the nipple threads for the first few rides - just wipe it off with a cloth and keep an eye on them......they should dry up soon.

Bayouboy had a different problem after tightening the bleed nipples - air bubbles continued to come out of the nipple and up the bleed hose he was using. It turned out that air was being sucked in from the outside through the bleed nipple/slave cylinder threads. He cured the problem by applying a small piece of Teflon plumbers tape to the bleed nipple threads but I'm unsure I'd recommend this. If in ANY doubt seek advice from a professional!

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