Brake Lines

[RoyBatty]

Yeh the original Yamaha 'ends seem lovely and heavy.  I wonder if I wreck the Renthals trying to tap them will some aftermarket 'expanding' type still fit..? 
I've got a cheap pillar drill in the garage which will hopefully do the switchgear holes, if I can manage to mark the right spot.  I'm just putting it off really!

[b1k3rdude]

Wish Id thought to look on the forum before I ordered a full set of HEL for my Gen 1 earlier this year, at full cost.

And on a related note, I wish I had spoken to Suzuki before buying a full set of lines from Hel. Arseholes would only sell me a full 7x hose kit (Was £170, now £230) when all I needed was a 3 hose kit (was £70, now £98). Their pointless full kit replaced 3x combined hard/soft lines going to and from the ABS unit and under the bottom yoke on my bandit 1250. Never again will I buy a kit direct or otherwise from them.

[RoyBatty]

Similar story for my Blackbird, -11 lines -~£290  :eek  -'Dual CBS Brakes'.
I'd like to do it one day, but still running the originals.

[PieEater]

Yeh the original Yamaha 'ends seem lovely and heavy.  I wonder if I wreck the Renthals trying to tap them will some aftermarket 'expanding' type still fit..? 
I've got a cheap pillar drill in the garage which will hopefully do the switchgear holes, if I can manage to mark the right spot.  I'm just putting it off really!

I haven't done it myself but I have had 2 lots of renthals tapped out by a local workshop without issue so shouldn't be a problem. I would try mounting the switchgear without drilling holes I never had to as I beleive that the locating pin is plastic and will just compress down onto the bar either that or I took a bit off the end, either way I've not had any issue with the unit slipping. It will take you a while to find the bar position and switch position that suits you so drilling a hole 'on spec' will envitably not be where you end up wanting it.

/EDIT: ***** auto format. In addition to what I already posted when I originally installed the bars and had them where I thought I'd want them after 10 minutes riding I got really bad wrist ache and it did take a number of attempts to get everything set up so it was comfortable so I'd definately advise against drilling the bars for the switchgear mount.

[robbo]

On the Renthal tapping subject, Flooky of this parish, tapped his without a problem. Whereas I took mine to an engineering place who pre-drilled the ends before tapping them and charged me about the same price as the bars. Gutted. Providing you can get them in a vice without marking them you should be fine.

[coffee]

Yeh the original Yamaha 'ends seem lovely and heavy.  I wonder if I wreck the Renthals trying to tap them will some aftermarket 'expanding' type still fit..? 
I've got a cheap pillar drill in the garage which will hopefully do the switchgear holes, if I can manage to mark the right spot.  I'm just putting it off really!

Don't know if the gen1 bars are the same but the I.D. of the gen2 bars are bigger than the renthals and the renthal bar ends I've got don't fit the std bars,they're to small,the expanding part even on full is to small and you can just pull them out.

[robbo]

The inside diameter of the 758's is 14mm, and the thread for the screw in bar end weights on a Gen 1 is 16mm @16tpi. The weights on that model are nice and heavy at 308 grams and would be quite expensive to get after market of the same weight. Threading the bar ends is the stumbling block that puts some owners off using the stock weights.

[b1k3rdude]

Similar story for my Blackbird, -11 lines -~£290  :eek  -'Dual CBS Brakes'.I'd like to do it one day, but still running the originals.

Check with Honda which hoses actually need replacing, don't be pressured into replacing all of them if you don't need to.

[teecee90]

I drilled and tapped mine no problem. Used a workmate to hold them firm. The 'drilling' was done by hand (masonry drill bit held in mole grips) - more of a reaming process really than drilling. Very little material has to be removed - I think some have managed to tap them without drilling at all, but I found it easier to ream them a bit first.

[RoyBatty]

So the tapping went well 
Lots of oil, and just wound it in, bars mounted on the bike, backing off a bit every half turn or so, and checking left/right up/down alignment regularly.  The aluminium is surprising soft and easy to work with.
Bar ends fitted lovely!
I marked the positions for the switchgear holes, covered them in a few layers of sellotape, drilled a small pilot hole, followed by the actual drill size I wanted.
Again no problem at all, no slipping, don't know what I was worried about!


PS don't pick up the oily ally swarf with the Mrs' mini-Dyson.  Looks like I may be buying a new one of those,  Doh!