Shortening the brake line.

Has anyone had experience shortening the brake line for the front brakes?

I just put clubman bars on my 750 seca, and it puts the brake line at an angle where it pulls up on the brake and locks up the front wheel.

I was sort of looking at the configuration, and I was wondering if anyone had done this before. Should I just cut the casing, pull it off, re-lengthen the cable and solder the cable back onto the brass part that locks it into the handle?

Is solder strong enough? I wouldn't know how else to attach it. Any advice, please!

 

Find a place that makes-up cables, or step up to an R-6 master cylinder.

 

Step up is the best way to go, don't waste your time and money trying to get a shorter cable, I tried, it's hard to find somebody that will do it for a decent price, and you can get a MC for less than $80 brand new.

Solder is not strong enough and you jeopardize your life if you use solder.

I had tucked my brake line behind the headlight bucket for a while but it made the lever stiff as heck. Went with a brembo unit. R6 units are easier to find.

You want custom? you gotta $pay$

That's just how it is.

 

Actually, all factory cable ends are soldered. So it is strong enough - but you have to know what you're doing if you do it at home.

Anyway, you're doing a cafe? Go with a bar mounted master cylinder and new brake hoses. Lighter, less complicated and better stopping power than that cable M/C POS.

FZR600 and (early) 1000 M/C's work well too.

 

Actually, all factory cable ends are soldered. So it is strong enough - but you have to know what you're doing if you do it at home.

Anyway, you're doing a cafe? Go with a bar mounted master cylinder and new brake hoses. Lighter, less complicated and better stopping power than that cable M/C POS.

FZR600 and (early) 1000 M/C's work well too.

 

Well, that's what I meant. Unless he has an actual solder torch and knows what he is doing (I am by no means implying that you don't know, pipedreams) he can't do it with a little hot tip solder gun you get at radio shack.

But hey, just cause i couldn't make it happen, doesn't mean you can't either.

Then again, I don't think it's worth it. I would opt out for the bar mounted MC.

 

Roger, Thanks fellas. I'm not doing a "cafe", I just couldn't stand those stock handle bars and I wanted to be over the bike more. I feel more controlled like that. I'm kind of a cafe racer purist, I don't really like them unless they are made out of 70s bikes that were actually raced in the era.

If I get a bar mounted MC and do it that way, that means I'm going to have a new handle mounting place, right? What do you think I should do with the old one, since it will look kind of silly with that mounting location protruding out and a hole for the handle there. Should I get a new switch? Which ones were compatable?

 

Get a maxim switch. of around the same year, there will be some rewiring that will need to be done thought. but nothing too hard to figure out.