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After market brake lines, Melvin?

3K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  BecketMa 
#1 ·
I discovered why my front brake felt spongy--a leak.

I got on here, found a link to Spiegler and gave them a call; seems as if they are closed for the holiday?

I found local dealers listed, so I called the nearest one to have them order a set from Spiegler--the young man proudly proclaimed that they don't handle BMW.

While looking at the other dealers, I remembered that IronHorse Motorcycles, listed on the Spiegler web site, isn't a Harley Clone dealer!

They no longer do business with Spiegler, but suggest they order a set for me from the company they get their stainless brake lines from, Melvin. Since I trust IronHorse, they are the local BMW dealer, I overlooked my initial reaction of ordering brakes from Melvin?

IronHorse called back with the unfortunate news that Melvin needed the specs to make them, or my lines.

The LT is my only transportation, so I passed on removing the lines and bringing them to IronHorse so they could ship them to Melvin.

Anyone got an old set from a 2000 to send to Melvin? I believe the 99, 00 and 01 have the unlinked ABS.

SInce my 00's brakes aren't linked, I can still get around, and if necessary can jam on the fronts for a panic stop. Nothin much going on for me till the end of next week.

It might be quicker to hope Spiegler opens Monday and call them. But it might be nice to have a second supplier for SS bake lines.

thanks
Bob
 
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#2 ·
I ordered the Speigler brake lines complete set from my local BMW dealer for the same money as if I bought them direct from Speigler. If I had it to do over I would probably just order them from Speigler.

I also ordered a couple of brake bleeders from the local dealer (too expensive), and the dealer sold me the wrong size.

I ended up going to a local auto parts store and getting a generic metric brake bleeder.

The kit was easy to install. Had to grind some thickness off one of the 'splitter' blocks for the front brakes.

Be sure to get yourself a mity vac to aid in bleeding.
 
#3 ·
I had a similar situation on my RTP, and turned to Speigler for a quick replacement. I was on the phone with them at 9AM AZ time, and they'd made up and shipped a set by that afternoon. If UPS hadn't screwed up, they would've gotten here in time for me to install them over the weekend.

On Spiegler, the front splitter block is a little too large for the OEM bracket - this is a common problem, and Spiegler knows about it, but apparently cannot fix it (they say the part's the only one available for that application, and the manufacturer (not them) can't or won't change the dimension). It's pretty easy to fix, and you'd just have to grind or sand a bit off the offending surface.

The adjustment tool they send to rotate the fittings will give up on you after repeated use, but it's not a heavy-duty affair (made for a few uses only), and this shouldn't leave you stranded on the install.

Last, but not least, some people gripe about the Spiegler lines being too long (particularly, the ones from the splitter block to the front calipers.) They are actually the exact same length as the OEM lines, but a lot less flexible and compressible, due to the SS jacket. I discussed this with their rep, and they said they're also aware of the issue, but BMW is uber-strict about having the brake lines be the -exact- same length as OEM to avoid warranty and liability issues. This was not a show-stopper on the install, and can easily be avoided if you install the banjo fitting first, and -then- contort the splitter block into place (as opposed to vice-versa).

All in all, Spiegler makes a good product, and they're fast to get them to you (BMW kits are not kept on the shelf, and are made-to-order).
 
#4 ·
I called Spiegler today, and they answered their phone.
They will be sending one of their front and rear kits to me--estimated arrival is one week from today.

Thanks for the tips for the install.

Bob
 
#5 ·
BTW, if you've got a week to wait, this might be a good time to pick up some Speedbleeders, since you're going to be in the system anyways. On the pre-iABS bikes, this makes bleeding fairly easy (although it can be difficult to get things started at first, when there's mostly air in the system), especially with their little "IV bag" attachment. Once everything's installed, future bleeding becomes almost a trivial process.

I've usually gotten the Speedbleeder stuff within a few days of ordering it.

Good luck!
 
#6 ·
I replaced all of the front brake lines on my 2000 with stock stainless steel braided hose from a hydraulic line shop. The cost was 40.00 compared to the 250.00 from BMW. I could have paid more for the stainless braided or the clear braided from the shop but I just wanted oem factory looking lines. The cost for the upgraded version was minimal and could have been purchased for under 75.00. The fittings and the hoses were done for 40.00. Been working for the past 2500 miles just fine. :D

John
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the thought,
Thanks to this site, my first fluid change was done with speed bleaders.

I'm always amazed how quickly the fluid changes color.

Bob
 
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