Hey guys.. I'm in the process of breaking down my whole bike and during that fun little journey, I see the front brakes are linked with a small pipe going over the front fender.

Would it be better, or even possible, to have one line for each brake caliper..?

so two brake lines going into the front MC..?

good idea..?
bad idea..?

best way to pull it off..?

thanks!

Kaz

 

I'm not sure why you would want two separate front brake lines. If you're thinking about a leak in a one line system and the other not working the same thing would happen with two lines. Even if you somehow had two lines coming from the MC. A drop in pressure because of a leak would be the same whether it is one or two lines. Only way I can see having two separate lines working would be if you had two MC's with one lever.

 

i agree with gr8scape. i think the only way that would work would be with a second MC. besides it seems that the likelyhood of something going wrong would double with doubling the amount of parts. im sure if it was better with one per caliper honda wouldve done it to begin with. its nice to be creative but i wouldnt do it with such a crucial part.

 

I don't know about upping the risk of failure... if your equipment is in good shape I'd say blowing a brake line is one of the less likely things that will happen.

Also, most (all?) aftermarket SS kits use two separate lines coming from the MC.

 

Uh, don't we already have two lines? On my bike pretty much immediatly after the master cylinder the line splits into two...

 

Two lines coming from the one MC will work or not work the same as one line split into two. If one leaks, the other will not work.

 

Exactly.

And then leaking issues aren't even from lines themselves usually but from the banjo bolt/crush washer assembly and that setup is the same regardless of what lines you have.

Don't know if there's any performance difference from the dual lines versus the stock ones that split halfway down. I'd guess not, though SS Braided lines >>>>>>> Stock rubbers.

 

im just curious of what the up side to doing it would be. and what would be the mechanics of 2 seperate MC be. how would u get them to operate at the same time off one lever?

 

u would have to have a second master cylinder and as far as performance i really doubt u will gain anything

 

Well here is my understanding, i hope everyone understands this.

As explained in my Engine article, i dont know about engines but i DO about brakes. Follow along:

2 seperate lines from MC: The only advantage i see from using these, is more fluid (will explain below) and if one of your pistons is acting up or sticking, or your pad is worn and not grabbing the pressure will be applied to the other one with dual lines to atleast give you some stopping power. Factory riders use this setup more often than not. Trackday guys use split lines or SS.


Split lines 2-1 from MC aka SS lines:

They have a split that occurs 1/2 way down the 1st line to create the 2nd. That means less fluid is in the 1 1/2 lines as compared to 2 seperate lines. Less fluid means less "work" at the MC needed to slow you down. Work (physics) is the amount of amount of energy transferred by a force acting through a distance. So in this equation, for the average joe. Distance = stopping time Force = Pressure at MC, Energy = Hydraulics in brakes transferring through the line to the caliper.

The downside: Less fluid means the "temperature to boil time" is shorter than that with more fluid. Simply put, boil 2 pots of water, one quater full the other 3/4 full. Which one will boil the quickest.


One of the main reasons we use brake fluid is because when its used right and lines are bled correctly, it wont compress under heavy use.
However brake fluid is "hygroscopic" meaning the fluid is able to attract water molecules from the air. When you are changing your fluid, you should do it wherever it is less humid, to help prevent water getting in your lines. The more water molecules in your lines, the quicker it boils. The quicker it boils, the more "spongy" your brakes feel, when you need them.




Now my opinion: I prefer SS lines, goodrich offers a -2'' lines which are narrower in diameter than OEM lines, meaning less fluid needed to move through the line "hydraulic" to initiate the stopping power.

Hope this helps everyone out