Hey guys, my rear brake line burst today so I'm in the market for a new one. I replaced my front line with an HEL stainless steel line last fall but since I hadn't ridden in a while I couldn't really compare it to a stock rubber hose. Looking at prices on an online fiche, the stock rear brake line looks to run about the same price as an HEL stainless if I was to buy it at a shop. Can anyone give their two cents on if they noticed a nice difference in their braking power with an HEL rear line? I rarely used my rear brake except on hills and in some low speed applications.
EDIT: Disregard, I just decided to go with a stainless so an owner down the line doesn't have to deal with the same situation.
Stock line is more than adequate for the rear of a GS, it has an excellent rear brake and I've used mine a lot at all speeds. If you still have a 90 GS your line probably died of old age. Doesn't hurt to replace them every decade or two regardless of mileage though. Only problem you'll have with a GS rear brake will be locking it up and lowsiding if you use it too hard.
If the price is the same, go stainless. Stainless lines don't rot and swell the way rubber lines tend to. Less maintenance.
Generally, stainless lines offer better feel and feedback, with less lever travel. You may find yourself over-applying the rear brake after switching to stainless. If so, adjusting the rear brake lever down will help.
Thanks for bringing this up, I just went on HEL's website and picked out my next set of sexy brake lines
I was on the HEL site earlier today and could not find rear lines listed. I have a 97 E.
Quote from: Zwerski on February 24, 2013, 10:08:11 PM
I was on the HEL site earlier today and could not find rear lines listed. I have a 97 E.
http://helusa.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5840