Introducing Beatrix (and myself)

[Crunch]

Aside from the existing brake lines being an eye sore, is there any reason I HAVE TO change the brake lines?

I know I read that new brake lines needed to be installed while I was researching, but at this point I can't seem to dig back up the resource that convinced me to change them. I know the RT lines will look a bit out of place and unfinished, but is there any reason I couldn't ride the bike with the old lines for a bit? I wasn't expecting the brake lines to cost as much, and wouldn't mind spreading the cost of the full fairing-less conversion a bit.

No, you don't have to replace the existing brake lines. Neither do you have to change your oil, but eventually you will. If the lines are original then you have rubber lines that are around 30 some years old. It just depends on your tolerance for safety. Think of it from this perspective; you have gotten the bike to where it will go, but you still have to get it to where it will stop. Everytime.

[nmalozzi]

I completely agree that they will need to be replaced, and I plan to do it soon since I'm sure they will look odd once the fairing is off. I guess I should reword my question to be more in line with why I'm asking it.

Will the brake lines be any more susceptible to damage or function improperly with the fairing removed. I'm sure they could use replacement in general, but am I creating a true need for replacement by removing the fairing?

[ME 109]

but am I creating a true need for replacement by removing the fairing?

No.

Close inspection of the lines for leaks, cracks etc.
There is as much concern that can be applied to the condition of the caliper rubbers.

[Major Softie]

The lines soften with age, and thus provide inferior braking, so your brakes will be better if you replace them, but, no, it's all unrelated to the fairing removal.

So, you don't have to change them because you're removing the fairing, but it's in your best interests to replace them regardless of whether or not you replace the fairing.

[jagarra]

Here is a lower cost source for brake lines. The hoses meet DOT standards and they have a wide variety of fittings to match your applications. I have a set of these lines on my Connie, they work just fine and the price is right. Just get all new crush washers, along with the lines.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUELL-BMW-MOTOR ... d6&vxp=mtr

gg

[nmalozzi]

I took a look at the brake lines last night, and they don't seem to be in bad shape at this point in time. So I'm going to run them as is for the time being, but swapping them will be the next item on my To Do list. I've also riden the bike a handful of times now (including a 20mi jaunt with the Mrs on the back), and the brakes don't seem squishy or lacking in stopping power. So I feel comfortable with them for a few more weeks. I had it in my mind that removing the fairing made them extremely unsafe, but had no logic or reasoning as to why.

Anyway, my GS bars are on order. I decided to go with the GS style bars found at the bottom of this page:
http://www.northwoodsairheads.com/parts-links.html

Jeff (the site's owner) is very responsive via email and assures me the bars are a true 22mm OD. So I shouldn't need to do any messing about to get the controls on.

The hope is that they get here early enough for me to be able to finish removing the fairing and installing the new bars/signals/mirrors/etc before the 3rd Annual Vintage Motorcycle Show at Heritage Square in Golden, CO on June 2nd. Not because I'm planning to show the bike, but because I'd like to ride it to the show looking the way I want

Here's some more info about the show if anyone else in the area is interested in coming along:
http://denver.craigslist.org/eve/3794214978.html

My father in law will be riding his 78 r100rs, and displaying it in the show if anyone is interested... it is still for sale

[nmalozzi]

Ordered those GS bars Wednesday around 10a MST and they were waiting on my porch this afternoon(Friday) when I came home from work. Can't really beat that!

$118 for the bars and shipping. Although its not listed on the site, they are Tomaselli bars. From what I can tell I got a decent price although I can't find these specific bars for sale anywhere else. Oh well they where within budget, look great, and are pretty much the exact size/bend I was after.

Looks like I've got a Memorial Day project!

[nmalozzi]

Well, here's the somewhat finished product on Sunday during my first "large-ish" ride into the Rockies. Rode about 140mi up to about 10k above sea level. She ran great at altitude, and out performed me all day. Still building my confidence in the twistys.



Anyway, the fairing removal went mostly well. The headlight ears i ordered from Dime City are a bit flimsy, and don't clamp on all that well. I also had to drill/file them out quite a bit to fit the ignition into the headlight bucket. So they are probably not the ideal solution, but will work for now while I find a reasonably priced replacement. Here's the lovely bit of Redneck engineering that went into the left headlight ear:



I didn't get to install my new bar end turn signals. The signals only have 1 wire coming out of them, and the wiring harness had 2 wires for the original signals. I assume the brown wire from the harness is the ground(earth) since both left and right signals have a brown wire. So I tried just connecting the new signals to the non ground wire, but got nothing. I'm a real electrical rookie, so that's about as far as I went. Any clue what I need to do to hook these up, or am I out of luck with these signals?

[chasbmw]

Aside from the existing brake lines being an eye sore, is there any reason I HAVE TO change the brake lines?

I know I read that new brake lines needed to be installed while I was researching, but at this point I can't seem to dig back up the resource that convinced me to change them. I know the RT lines will look a bit out of place and unfinished, but is there any reason I couldn't ride the bike with the old lines for a bit? I wasn't expecting the brake lines to cost as much, and wouldn't mind spreading the cost of the full fairing-less conversion a bit.

Looking at your latest photo, it looks to me that the metal brake pipes coming down from the splitter are unsupported at the point where thay join the stock rubber lines.

This is not good, I would guess that the extra loads on that metal line could all too easily cause the metal lines to fracture with the loss of your front brakes as you will lose pressure from both discs. Replace the top metal and rubber lines with a single SS line

[nmalozzi]

Looking at your latest photo, it looks to me that the metal brake pipes coming down from the splitter are unsupported at the point where thay join the stock rubber lines.

This is not good, I would guess that the extra loads on that metal line could all too easily cause the metal lines to fracture with the loss of your front brakes as you will lose pressure from both discs. Replace the top metal and rubber lines with a single SS line

You are correct about them not being supported. I'm not real happy with this, and will be replacing them soon.