SS braided brake hose failure

[Gecko]

Just a word of warning - check your brake lines carefully. I fitted some HEL stainless braided hoses to my bike (1999 R1100GS) in May 2003. Since then I haven't given them much thought but yesterday on a routine inspection I found the short hose leading down to the front left caliper was chafed and the braiding was fraying . There's some sign of it rubbing against the plastic front mudguard but stainless steel versus plastic should suggest the plastic would give long before the brake hose.
I contacted HEL who offer lifetime warranty on their brake lines and without hesitation they offered me a replacment for the damaged one and said they'd get it off in the post last night so I may have it in time for next weekend....I hope !

 

[pomm001]

I contacted HEL who offer lifetime warranty on their brake lines and without hesitation they offered me a replacment for the damaged one and said they'd get it off in the post last night so I may have it in time for next weekend....I hope !

Glad to hear that HEL are prepared to replace, you were lucky though they could have refused as the failure mode was due to pipe chaffing against something else.
But good for them all the same.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

you sure it hasn't been rubbing against the tyre ??

 

[Gecko]

you sure it hasn't been rubbing against the tyre ??

No , it's well clear of the tyre. It comes down from the top of the mudguard and curves in an ' S' down to the caliper. The hose is damaged in the curve at the bottom of the 'S' about 5 inches up from the caliper. There is a bit of scuffing against the plastic mud guard but this is from the fraying stainless steel braiding . Anyway I'm hoping the postie delivers a new one by Friday morning ortherwise my weekend away is fecked good and proper. I guess I could always just go and buy one but.....rather get the one from HEL in time.

 

[sjwb]

Don't get too carried away. The braiding has no fuction other than to provide some anti-chafing protection and of course to look nice. Provided that the nylon (generic term) pipe is undamaged the hydraulic system is safe.
If you need greater piece of mind, wrap some cable wrap round the damaged area.

 

[Gecko]

That's what I asked the people at HEL about and they said the teflon hose is very strong anyway but as the braiding is frayed and it has lots of little sharp bits I am not at all happy driving except to get it fixed. That was HEL's advice too - get it replaced before riding .

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Don't tell Nemezis, PLEASE.

Paul