front brake hose replacement

[Guest]

mark h in mesa az here. i just bought a braided hose kit from venco for my '86 GL1200
Interstate. My Honda shop manual states that I must remove the front fairing to install
the front hoses. Is this step REALLY necessary, or have some of you listers found
a way to do it without this very labor intensive part of the job? thanks for any advice.

[SIR tricky]

I haven't done mine yet but I think a few have, it is on my to do list this winter.
I think Vic has, he will chime up soon.

I have read that it isn't necessary to remove the fairing but it is a little awkward.

[admin]

Some guys have stated that they could do the brake hose replacement without removing the fairing but that's almost the same as changing your socks without removing your shoes, it can be done although it is very,very difficult. From my experience with changing brake hoses on a number of GL1200's I would strongly advise that you remove the fairing. It only entails about an extra 20 minutes work because the fairing comes off quite easily and it gives you the opportunity to place dielectric compound in all the electrical connectors in the fairing. Once the fairing is out of the way you can accurately position the brake hoses and properly tighten them and check them for leaks which you can't easily do with the fairing in place. Having a friend handy when you remove and reinstall the fairing makes the job much easier.

[Chas]

I second Vic's opinion. I also bought the lines from Venco. I'd never removed the fairing prior to doing my lines, but it is pretty simple. The 20 minutes you spend doing that will save you a lot of frustration and skin on your knuckles. You only need a second person just when you are pulling it off and setting it back on. I suggest you pull the fairing and look at where the lines are, then try to imagine how you would ever get to those with the fairing on. I still can't believe it's possible. Perhaps if you had done it before and knew where to reach and what you were reaching through, but I would never try it unless I was trying to win a fair amount of money on a bet! Also be sure to get the flare nut wrenches suggested by someone in another post, if you don't already have them, 8mm and 10mm if I remember right.

[Guest]

thanks vic and charlie. an extra 20 minutes to insure a proper installation is well worth it.
i don't have flair nut wrenches but i do have good quality box/open end ones. will they
be sufficient to do the job without screwing up the fittings? thanks again

[Chas]

I started out using the wrenches I had, but quickly ran into a fitting that was hard to access and I started doing damage to the nut. That's when I remembered the post on this page by silverfoxwing:

http://gl1200goldwings.com/viewtopic.php...1&start=15

I just went out and checked - the only wrench I bought was the 10mm flare nut wrench, as I had the others. Using this wrench will guarantee that you won't damage the corners on the nuts and will also make it very easy to get the nuts back on nice and tight without damaging them. It's well worth the few bucks you'll spend on it. I live about 3 blocks from an auto parts store, so it was a quick run for me to get one. If a parts store is a long way away for you, you could try going without it, but I would advise stopping if/when you start damaging the nuts.

[Guest]

I started out using the wrenches I had, but quickly ran into a fitting that was hard to access and I started doing damage to the nut. That's when I remembered the post on this page by silverfoxwing:

http://gl1200goldwings.com/viewtopic.php...1&start=15

I just went out and checked - the only wrench I bought was the 10mm flare nut wrench, as I had the others. Using this wrench will guarantee that you won't damage the corners on the nuts and will also make it very easy to get the nuts back on nice and tight without damaging them. It's well worth the few bucks you'll spend on it. I live about 3 blocks from an auto parts store, so it was a quick run for me to get one. If a parts store is a long way away for you, you could try going without it, but I would advise stopping if/when you start damaging the nuts.

And as with any tool quality counts.
The jaws on cheap wrenches can flex ruining your fittings.
I've been there and done that. :oops:
Most of the cheap tools come with a life time replacement warranty just like quality tools but that's of little value after it ruins the fitting on your $100+ hose.

Ken