LONG TERMERS

Posted On 26 Mar 2024

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This entry is part 20 of 26 in the series AusMotorcyclist Issue#26

I am a massive fan of long termers, such as, braided brake lines. If you don’t have a set on your bike, what are you waiting for? Venhill braided brake lines are among the best in the world, I use them on my race bike and now we have fitted a set to our long term Yamaha MT-07. In fact our bike was used as the test unit to determine length and angles of the connections.

YAMAHA MT-07
VENHILL BRAIDED BRAKE LINES
Price – $129 (F), $69 (R) – $198 for the set.

I went to the Australian distributor, Kenma, and Peter showed me around the factory and how Venhill lines are organised, packaged and sent to you. It is a slick and effective process, one I am very impressed with. Basically an order for a bike comes in, the appropriate colour and length of line is taken from the storage tubes, the angles, copper washers and new stainless steel bolts, along with information and some stickers, are placed in a box and away they go. There are no pre-packaged brake lines in case an order needs something special.

All Venhill brake lines are pressure tested before being shipped to Australia from the UK factory. A good range of coloured lines is available and we chose Red for our Deep Armour MT-07 – a good match to the red stitching on our accessory seats and the soon to come, red rim stickers.

Fitting the lines is dead easy, just be sure to have a couple of rags in the appropriate spots to mop up brake fluid that comes out of the standard lines you are removing. Also, remember to wash around the master cylinders and calipers after you have completed the job with fresh water to stop any marks from brake fluid you may have missed.

Now comes the “fun” part – bleeding the brakes. Be sure to get a quality brake bleeder. I have a neat twin system unit that allows you to have both front calipers hooked up at the same time, or one caliper at a time if you prefer. And I must stress, if you are not confident in bleeding your own brakes, get a qualified motorcycle mechanic to do them for you, this is a job you don’t want to stuff up! Bleeding the rear is usually quite easy.

A few pumps, then a few more to double check you’ve got all the air out and it’s done. The front can be a pain. I enlisted Alana’s assistance to pump the front brake lever while I work down at the calipers. After ten minutes or so the air finally started to come out and a solid line of fluid started to appear. A few more bleeds per side and they were done, much to Alana’s delight. After a good wash down with fresh water I took the MT-07 around the block and (as expected) high levels of feel is what you instantly get. More consistent power through the entire heat range – from cold to super hard, high speed braking. All this for not a lot of money and ultimately, more safety across the board. Get to your local bike shop to grab a set of Venhill lines for your bike, or contact Kenma on 02 9484 0777 or visit the website www.kenma.com.au SW

Harley-Davidson XL1200V ‘72’
AWAY SHE GOES!

Our H-D 72 has gone to Iron Head Customs Motorcycles (www.ironheads.com.au) in Hoppers Crossing near Melbourne for its fitting of Kuryakyn goodies. In particular you will have seen the “Crusher” pipes we previewed in the last issue, which will be fitted to our 72. The Bear can’t wait to get it back and tell you about the subtle (and less subtle) ways in which this bike is becoming more and more personalised. This is only the start, there is plenty more customising to come for this beast. SW

Um? Are you sure my bike will be okay in there, Stuart?

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