Win the battle of the bulge with Venhill braided brake lines
Guy Martin stepped onto the podium no less than three times at this year’s Isle of Man TT races. Riding the 600 and 1000cc Hydrex Hondas at average speeds of nearly 130mph on the 37 ¾ mile road circuit, Guy needed a braking system that would perform consistently under the highest pressure, which is why the team chose Venhill braided brake lines. Modern bikes are equipped with very advanced braking systems – the Honda CBR600RR has dual 310 mm front radial disc brakes with four-piston callipers as original equipment. However, the majority use rubber hoses as part of the standard set-up and once they have a few miles and years on the clock those rubber hoses start to ‘give’. They are still perfectly sound but the rubber has aged and allows some of the rider input to be wasted in subtly expanding the hose as the lever is squeezed. Replacing the standard kit with braided brake lines is a tried and trusted solution to the problem.
Due to their construction, braided lines completely eliminate swelling under heavy braking, even when the brake fluid reaches the extremely high temperatures experienced during racing (over 220 miles at an average speed approaching 130mph at the Isle of Man TT). The hose itself is made up of a flexible Teflon core tube wrapped in a stainless steel over-braid, which in turn (to prevent abrading paint work) is covered in a plastic sheath.
When choosing replacement braided hoses some owners take the opportunity to upgrade their machine to a race line set-up. For machines with twin front discs this means a separate line running from the master cylinder on the handlebars to the calliper on either side. Race teams use this configuration as it provides more consistent pressure to each disc.
Braided brake lines tend to appear very similar, but quality of components and construction can vary wildly. There are two quality marks worth looking for when in doubt, the American DOT and German TÜV standards. In order to display the TÜV badge of quality, braided lines must withstand pressure testing at 10,000 psi, (brakes operate at around 25-30psi) and a 1,445 Newtons (325 lbs) tensile pull test.
Venhill have been making control cables and hoses for over 35 years and are the only manufacturer to produce their brake lines to meet both DOT and TÜV as standard. They also supply their ready-made Powerhose Plus kits to fit most popular bikes; both ends of the hose have captive socket nuts that are free to swivel and allow perfect stress-free alignment with the steel banjo fittings supplied in the kit.
Because the whole replacement kit is model specific, some banjo fittings have angled necks and some have straight ones, helping the owner/mechanic to match the original set up. Stainless steel fittings can be specified if required.
It’s not only on the roads that Venhill braided brake lines make a difference. On track Hydrex Honda’s Stuart Easton is currently running in third in the ViSK British Superbike Championship, the highest placed Honda rider, chasing the Airwaves Yamahas of Leon Camier and James Ellison.
Braided brake lines are not expensive – prices start at £43.48 inc. VAT – and Venhill even offer a range of sleeve colours – clear, blue, orange, red, yellow, white, light green and ‘original’ black.
For more information call 01306 885111 or visit http://www.venhill.co.uk/
Due to their construction, braided lines completely eliminate swelling under heavy braking, even when the brake fluid reaches the extremely high temperatures experienced during racing (over 220 miles at an average speed approaching 130mph at the Isle of Man TT). The hose itself is made up of a flexible Teflon core tube wrapped in a stainless steel over-braid, which in turn (to prevent abrading paint work) is covered in a plastic sheath.
When choosing replacement braided hoses some owners take the opportunity to upgrade their machine to a race line set-up. For machines with twin front discs this means a separate line running from the master cylinder on the handlebars to the calliper on either side. Race teams use this configuration as it provides more consistent pressure to each disc.
Braided brake lines tend to appear very similar, but quality of components and construction can vary wildly. There are two quality marks worth looking for when in doubt, the American DOT and German TÜV standards. In order to display the TÜV badge of quality, braided lines must withstand pressure testing at 10,000 psi, (brakes operate at around 25-30psi) and a 1,445 Newtons (325 lbs) tensile pull test.
Venhill have been making control cables and hoses for over 35 years and are the only manufacturer to produce their brake lines to meet both DOT and TÜV as standard. They also supply their ready-made Powerhose Plus kits to fit most popular bikes; both ends of the hose have captive socket nuts that are free to swivel and allow perfect stress-free alignment with the steel banjo fittings supplied in the kit.
Because the whole replacement kit is model specific, some banjo fittings have angled necks and some have straight ones, helping the owner/mechanic to match the original set up. Stainless steel fittings can be specified if required.
It’s not only on the roads that Venhill braided brake lines make a difference. On track Hydrex Honda’s Stuart Easton is currently running in third in the ViSK British Superbike Championship, the highest placed Honda rider, chasing the Airwaves Yamahas of Leon Camier and James Ellison.
Braided brake lines are not expensive – prices start at £43.48 inc. VAT – and Venhill even offer a range of sleeve colours – clear, blue, orange, red, yellow, white, light green and ‘original’ black.
For more information call 01306 885111 or visit http://www.venhill.co.uk/