The International CBX Owners Association

Like many I had been trying to locate a source for replacement OEM rubber brake hoses which look as close as possible to the originals that were installed at the factory over 40 years ago. Well, I had a firm here in the UK replicate the 4 that I removed from my stock 1979 USA Z. I did not want to have the braided stainless or black new looking modern hoses as I wish to retain the original look. The firm reproduced the hoses for me - one rear and three front, tewo of which are the same as they go from the splitter to the calipers. One then goes from the splitter to the reservoir. They were able to add the rubber sleeves to the hoses but they did not have the gromets which hold the hose to the bracket on the bike so I will remove those and re-use them. Similarly, the rubber boot from the reservoir will also be re-used.

Great news though, for all 8 hoses (I have two bikes) was £110 all in including postage, what a bargain. And, the company now have masters so if anyone else wishes to order these they can easily reproduce a set for them - remember the USA Z has higher handlebars (clip ons) so if you have a European version with lower bars you will need to send them the top hose to reproduce that. Similarly, if you have a 'sport kit' in the USA you will need the shorter top hose.

I have also managed to source new stainless M10 1.25 31mm banjo bolts and new aluminium crush washers from eBay.

Compromising safety for aesthetics.

Too bad. I can see that the fittings aren't "clocked" to the original orientation and the fitting itself is longer than the stock one anyway. Good luck trying to fit them without getting them all in a twist.

What was good 40 years ago with the technology/materials of the day, doesn't even come close to what's available to everyone today.

Spiegler brand brake lines (of which I'm very familiar with) are DOT approved, have "fat" line grommets to fit into the existing clips and the fittings can be rotated to achieve desired fitment. All the while, providing ALL the pressure to the calipers that you input. More accurate braking, without any delay.
Rubber lines are weak and you can feel the pulse. Even your new ones.

No compromise it's simply a case of replcing like for like, I am happy with the (lack of) performance from my existing brakes but wht I was not hppy with was running around with 40 year old rubber hoses.

Whenever replacing or repairing safety critical components great caution should always exercised. Like many, my original rubber hoses were 44 years old and yes these did pulse when pressure was applied on the lever. They did still operate and worked well enough to pass our yearly inspection (MOT) which has a brake efficiency test for both the front and rear. And, the bike still has the single piston calipers.

I'm sure I am not alone in thinking about installing the newer set up from later bikes with dual pistons and braided brake lines but as I don't use the bike in anger and ride around with others on similar bikes of that ear, I believed that the brakes are good enough for what I need. New hoses will perform better than 40 year old units.

The company that manufactured the hoses are well know and perform rigerous brake testing to SAE J1401. Every hose assembly produced by Nelson Stokes is 100% pressure tested to 3,500 psi and inspected to ensure it meets international standards and is fit for purpose.

They are one of many companies producing hoses for our classic bikes.

scottish, why aren’t the banjo ends clocked correctly?

Hi Jeff, a great deal of care was taken to ensure that the manufacturer replicated the angles of the banjos and also made sure that the angle the ends make with each other is a close as possible to the originals, it may not look like that when laid out on the floor.

The best way to see it will be once they are installed on the bike which should be this weekend - we have -10oC (14oF) right now outside and a foot of snow between the house and the garage. Plus, as you will no doubt be aware, working with cold steel tools is not much fun at this time of year, my fingers just freeze. But over the weekend it is supposed to be back at 10oC (50oF) which is acceptable, pictures to follow soon.

I also plan to re-use the rubber grommets too. Hot water will soften them up sufficiently to allow them to pass over the banjos, similarly, the boot for the reservoir should be able to be used again, fingers crossed.

Hey Chris, no heat in the garage ? Even at 50f you've got to be
a real trooper but I guess you're used to it. I would have to soak
the mechanic in hot water to be flexible enough I admire your
determination.

scottish CBX wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 18, 2023 3:33 am

I also plan to re-use the rubber grommets too. Hot water will soften them up sufficiently to allow them to pass over the banjos, similarly, the boot for the reservoir should be able to be used again, fingers crossed.

You could just cut the old hose for removal.

True, I will use hot water to get them back on the new hose - the one from the reservoir to the splitter needs sliced anyway because it is a rubber sleeve and grommet in one piece so I'll need to cut off the grommet part and just use that again on the new hose.

Pictures of the new hoses installed with relative ease. New stainless banjo bolts were fitted with new crush washers in totaal 15 new washers are required to replace all 4 hoses. The banjo bolts are 31mm long whereas the originaal ones were 34 mm or so but the 3mm difference does not matter as there is more thn enough thread to grip the bolt. The grommets fit easily over the new hose but the older hoses were 11mm OD, the new ones ar 10mm OD but so long as the metal holder on the bike is pinched a little these will be just fine. One grommet had to be positioned just below the rubber sleeve behind the headlight. All in all an easy thing to tackle and it is best to remove the hron for ease of access to the splitter.

The sharp eyed amongst us will notice that the new banjo crimps are slightly longer than the originals and are not stainless as I would have liked. You may also note that the thin red rubber ring at one end of the crimp is also not there, I am trying to source a length of rubber hose that I can cut down and install. The banjo bolts I sourced have a flange, the original Honda bolts were not but you can hardly notice it.

If you are after originality, the banjo bolts are still available or you can get your originals re-plated. The 'thin red rubber rings' had a date code on them. Not much point in trying to copy them if you didn't save the originals. For what else you are giving up in originality (ie-the washers under the front brake caliper hanger bolts are not correct, I'd have just gone with a quality aftermarket line in black. But you can drive yourself crazy getting things back to original, you just have to decide how far you want to go.

Dave

Nice to have another source of good replica parts, more is always better in the marketplace. Thanks for sharing the info and posting the pics.

N.

Hi Dave,

Yes I could have re-plated the originals but then I would still have 44 year old rubber in between. I also looked at buying banjos, OEM hose and then of course, a crimping machine. The machine would cost £2-300 and I would olnly use it a few times, but, I could have also bought crimps for the oil cooler hoses and made those myself too.

I think, although I am not certain, that the red rubber ring on one end of the brake hose was there to aid the workers in the factory because at the front end all 3 red ring ends go together so it speeds assembly. It's like that on my red bike anyway.

My old rubber hoses had dates stamped on the black rubber portion and in my case that was DOT HCRN 7/78 1/8 HL, NICHIRIN RUBBER JAPAN SAE J1401 so July 1978 I am guessing.

I was referring to the banjo bolts being replated - not the hose ends. My original '79 still has the original hoses and red (more pink actually) rings. And yes, the rings have the date printed on them, as well as do the black hoses. I was saying that you couldn't reproduce the red rings with the date code anyway, so why bother?

Dave