Doesn't seem right!

[Lowrider]

Psy,

I ordered new parts to rebuild the front brakes and have requested a price on stainless lines but haven't gotten a response. Does anyone have a suggested source on front bake lines??

My wife and I took a very pleasant trip thru NB into NS and PEI a few years back...really miss the seafood up there, but the it's hard to find elk stew there. Anyone who hasn't been there should take the trip!!

 

[julimike54]

Several recommend Randakk's
https://randakks.com/

 

[bronko37]

Lowrider » Fri May 01, 2015 10:06 am[/url]":jqmqauih]
Psy,

I ordered new parts to rebuild the front brakes and have requested a price on stainless lines but haven't gotten a response. Does anyone have a suggested source on front bake lines??

My wife and I took a very pleasant trip thru NB into NS and PEI a few years back...really miss the seafood up there, but the it's hard to find elk stew there. Anyone who hasn't been there should take the trip!!

I have purchased 4 sets of lines from Randakk. I highly recommend them.

https://randakks.com/products/stainless- ... rake-lines

 

[Lowrider]

Thanks guys! Looks like they are a good source for a bunch of stuff for old Wings.

I did 140 miles this morning and the engine is running fine above 2K rpm but still stumbles below that. I'll give it a little more time to see if it will smooth out.

I found a pool table smooth parking lot and rode at almost falling over speed and could not feel anything unusual on the front tire. I discovered it is just fine on smooth roads but still does the head shake thing between 30 and 40 or so on rough or bumpy roads...leading me to believe it may be a torque issue and not the front tire. Not sure I have that correct but I'll try to check it and see where we are with something loose up front.

I couldn't be happier with the bike so far and if I can get the stumble out of slow engine speed it will be a wonderful bike.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions you folks have provided...it makes owning the old girl just that much better!!

 

[Denver]

Raise front of bike off the floor, grab fork tubes & try to move them forward & aft if they move at the joints of steering head you can feel & see the movement, ANY is too much. While forks are up wiggle wheel the same way if they move on tubes check internal wear parts inside of forks. About easiest way I know to check front end quickly, could be other ways, if so others will jump in. Hope this helps

 

[Lowrider]

Good idea Denver.

Has anyone used nylon brake lines?

 

[slabghost]

Lowrider » Fri May 01, 2015 8:38 pm[/url]":4f1xf91c]
Good idea Denver.

Has anyone used nylon brake lines?

Didn't even know that was an option. Got any links?

 

[zman]

I think steel braided are nylon. Just covered with braiding. Could be wrong I suppose but thats what I thought.

 

[Lowrider]

I never trusted the idea of nylon brake lines but I did a lot of research on using it for airplane brake lines and found nylon is very common, even in 18 wheelers. Bendix uses them and they expect a million miles of service...it's not your grandma's nylon.

 

[Lowrider]

Oh yeah...and you can use ATF instead of brake fluid.

 

[bronko37]

Well that's interesting!

 

[Denver]

Didn't know one could use A T F for brake fluid, :headscratch: but pumping pistons out with old pads still in till both pistons stop, will expose all dirty parts & clean parts of pistons are easily seen. Pull pins & soak everything in A T F, if your reusing brake pads remove them, if not leave in to keep the other piston from being expelled when pushing the first one back in. An old tooth brush & a strip of a green pad both soaking in the A T F with parts will clean pistons up so they can be pushed in with your fingers if everything is clean & smooth to the touch. The green strip of Scotch pad, soaked in the A T F, gets nice & soft, & around pistons like a shoe shine rag, will get the rear parts clean & ready to push in. Will work & release like new, if calipers seals are in good shape, if not easy enough to replace & then grease moving parts, pins with silicone grease, & reassemble. :yes:

 

[Lowrider]

I have a rebuild kit for the front calipers and master cylinder enroute. I figured I might as well do it all while I have it apart. My Speedometer is lagging a bit too so it needs some cleaning and lube.

ATF is a wonderful thing!! I use it in bike, car, truck brakes, airplanes, (except my Cessna 170 cause it's under FAA scrutiny) tractor hydraulics, diesel fuel, crankcases, AR-15's, chain saws, weed whackers, ATV's, snow machines, dirt bikes, outboard motors, you name it...it would help world hunger if used in gasoline in place of corn.

 

[tom foreman]

I worked for b- k Chevrolet.in Chicago land somewhere.and they took a 80,s model impala and put a-t-f.in the motor,ran it 100,000 miles and tore it all down .the inside of motor ,looked new.them 80,s... :heat: :beer: :BigGrin:

 

[Denver]

Not saying your wrong, but A T F won't hurt your paint, & nobody has made note of such a great piece of news, seems odd to me. Down side it wouldn't absorb moisture, so it might need changed every year. If so rear brakes on faired bikes would be a bit of a problem, but no paint damage would be a huge plus.

 

[Lowrider]

Correct Sir...and it's a great lubricant and cleaner plus you can see it really easily when you have a leak.

 

[Denver]

Have used it for various things virtually unknown to many for years, soaking calipers, & hardware, to clean when doing pads has been one of my favorite uses of it. What about the moisture factor as far as brake fluid, & is boiling point of A T F any type of issue like moisture is???

 

[Lowrider]

Gosh Denver, I'm not an expert here so I'm copying something I found that I think explains why ATF is a good thing:

"ATF is hygroscopic, even the full synthetic version is hygroscopic... its designed to pull moisture away from the control valves / pistons, which have tight tolerances within the valve body of the transmission... as the fluid comes up to engine working temperature, the moisture encapsulated in the ATF fluid is boiled off and the moisture is driven out through the breather... moisture forms inside the transmission through the process of condensation as the transmission goes through the various temperature cycles as it heats and then cools... if the ATF didn't have hygroscopic properties, moisture would collect over time and the control valves in the valve body would corrode and then stick, or seize in the valve body.

The reason I use it as an after run oil is, as with all combustion engines, during the combustion process moisture condenses in the crankcase and mixes with the combustion blow-by gasses and forms acids that can corrode (rust) the ball bearings that support the crankshaft... with a 50/50 mix of ATF and Engine Oil, the AFT pulls the moisture, as well as the acids carried in the moisture into suspension, and the engine oil (with its anti-corrosive additives) coats the metal parts to stop any condensation that may form, as well as the air which contain oxygen (that drives oxidation) from coming into contact with the metal parts."

I think this works for me and over the years has provided me with good service. In a brake system, ATF is essentially sealed from the atmosphere except maybe from the reseviour (french spelling) where it could gain access to moisture. I have never had any problems from moisture in brake systems where I have used ATF.

I'm just trying to give you guys some food for thought (I know it hurts) and my experiences with ATF...beyond that, no endorsements.

 

[zman]

Well apparently ATF will swell rubber parts in your brake system, not allot but the brake cylinder pistons have a tight tolerance between sealing and being able to move the piston so you might find your pistons not retracting after stopping.

 

[dan filipi]

zman » less than a minute ago[/url]":2uxuywsn]
Well apparently ATF will swell rubber parts in your brake system, not allot but the brake cylinder pistons have a tight tolerance between sealing and being able to move the piston so you might find your pistons not retracting after stopping.

Good point.
I'd be up to trying atf if I needed to rebuild the one front but the real question is is there any improvement to be had with it over brake fluid.
Stopping power, lever feel?