Champion Brake Line

[Judge Judy]

My brake line has a crack in it. The part is pictured below. It's a Champion kit for a VTX 1800. The bike is a 2004; the kit was put on a few years later. I see three choices here: 1. Build a new part. 2. Buy an OEM from Champion. 3. Buy whatever the equivalent car part is. Any information or experience anyone has with this issue would be appreciated.

[cavie]

Any good independent mechanic can make one for you cheaper than you can buy it from Champion. A refridgeration mechanic can do it also. There is no equivalent car part.

[Marc H]

Thats a bubble flare and most likely metric.Used on asian cars and trucks.A good auto parts store will have it.

[Judge Judy]

Purchasing the parts and tool to bend the line will run around $30.00 total. Not too bad. I will call Champion tomorrow and see what an OEM part costs, and then decide what to do. Was hoping there was an equivalent car part already made, but it seems not. So my choices are narrowed to two!

[0pini0nated]

Auto part stores stock straight tubes. Someone with tube benders (and experience) will cut off one flared end, bend the new tube to look like your old tube, then fashion a new flare at the correct length. Besides the length, you have to tell the parts store counterman the correct flare connector fitting size and threads (take the old one with you.)

If Champion will sell you a pre-bent tube + shipping, you'll have to compare it to the cost of a straight tube, and labor to have it bent and flared "in the field."

You still have to pay to have someone install the finished tube, and bleed the brake lines.

I see the old one laying on the ground ~ did you remove it?

[Judge Judy]

Yes, I removed it. And, it was a knuckle buster because the fitting was above and in-between the two mufflers. I suspect, no, I should say, I hope, that I will be able to get the new one back in! The auto parts guy suggested cutting the too short line they sell and adding a coupler, which will make it the correct length. Then I will use my Mytvac to bleed the line. Never had experience bending a brake line, but how hard can it be? Anyone have experience doing this?

[0pini0nated]

Then I will use my Mytvac to bleed the line.

Wow! A woman with their own Mytvac tool, and you removed your brake line to boot! Impressive

Cobbling brake lines together isn't the best way to go ~ it MAY leak later (either fluid out, or will allow air in.) Also, a brake flaring tool has to have double-flare capacity, which is more expensive than an ordinary single-flare tool. Since your counterperson doesn't have a long-enough length, Champion is your best solution. If it's pre-formed, and pre-flared, all the better.

At your experience level, if you're going to bend-your-own brake line, work slowly and use large radius bends at first. If you kink it, you'll have start over with a new one. The sharp bend at the right side of your photo looks tough to reproduce. Maybe Cavie had a better idea ~ someone with experience who could bend and double-flare the line IF Champion doesn't have the one you need.

And yes, I've got experience. And yes, I've kinked (and threw away) more steel brake lines then I'd like to admit.

Good luck.

[pcombe]

My brake line has a crack in it. The part is pictured below. It's a Champion kit for a VTX 1800. The bike is a 2004; the kit was put on a few years later. I see three choices here: 1. Build a new part. 2. Buy an OEM from Champion. 3. Buy whatever the equivalent car part is. Any information or experience anyone has with this issue would be appreciated.

The brake system on my champion is Volkswagen

Bending tubing isn't all that hard with a tubing bender, flaring tools are always handy to have around, I will warn you that even with a bleeder it isn't the easiest thing to accomplish when I installed my champion kit. it took two of us,one pumping and keeping the reservoir full and I thought it would never take. patience persistence and more patience and persistence. Make sure you look to see if it has a one way valve in it or just a tee splitter
It just may be that you will become exasperated and swear you are doing something wrong?

Heck if it was me I would unplug a few wires and drop the six body mounting bolts and take the whole back end out of way old son and as long as I had it down I would check alignment, torque values, wiring clips and find out what cracked your line to begin with?
This type of work isn't nearly as scary as it sounds. Download an instruction manual from Champion, open your shop manual and enjoy yourself!

[Judge Judy]

Anyone have a phone number for Champion? Their "contact us" on their web site is an email form only... Thanks.

[cavie]

Anyone have a phone number for Champion? Their "contact us" on their web site is an email form only... Thanks.

11841 Monarch Street, Garden Grove, CA 92841
(800) 875-0949
(714) 847-1539

[Judge Judy]

Well, I guess I am now down to only one option. Spoke with Champion, and they stated that the part cannot be purchased. It is only sold as part of the original equipment when you first purchase the kit from the manufacturer. And they verified it does not come from any particular automobile, so you cannot replace it with an automotive equivalent. So my only option is to have one made. I'll report back on how it works out. As an aside, I think if I had known "this policy" of non-sale or non-availability of replacement parts, I might have stayed away from Champion. Not sure about most of the other trike manufacturers, but have not (yet) encountered this issue with my other trike, which is a MotorTrike.

[Rosy]

Judge Judy,
Do you have a local garage you do business with and trust. I am sure if you take the old line to them they will build you a new one. They had to do this for my 1999 F-150 when my line broke.
Is sad to hear a company will not have replacement parts for their product. I could see it if the trike was old, but not a fairly new.
Good luck. Let us know how you make out.

Rosy

[cavie]

Their prices are 3x's the market price on the replacement parts that they do have. You can bet I won't buy another champion.

[0pini0nated]

I (sorta') feel your pain.

I think Cavie's (esp. comment# 2) had a good suggestion ~ "Any good independent mechanic can make one..." but it's not about the costs. Instead, you've unwittingly fallen into the "Do-It-Yourself" project trap. You can't just drive the trike to a shop and say "Fix this please."

I don't think the parts counterperson was helpful ~ it's not good advice to cobble a couple of shorter brake lines together. Instead, you need to approach an independent mechanic, and ask for help. The mechanic should be able to find a long-enough steel brake line, and the experience & tools to bend it and double-flare it.

The hardest part of this whole exercise, IMHO, is to find a talented experienced mechanic that will tackle your brake line do-it-yourself project.

[Marc H]

I (sorta') feel your pain.

I think Cavie's (esp. comment# 2) had a good suggestion ~ "Any good independent mechanic can make one..." but it's not about the costs. Instead, you've unwittingly fallen into the "Do-It-Yourself" project trap. You can't just drive the trike to a shop and say "Fix this please."

I don't think the parts counterperson was helpful ~ it's not good advice to cobble a couple of shorter brake lines together. Instead, you need to approach an independent mechanic, and ask for help. The mechanic should be able to find a long-enough steel brake line, and the experience & tools to bend it and double-flare it.

The hardest part of this whole exercise, IMHO, is to find a talented experienced mechanic that will tackle your brake line do-it-yourself project.

Agreed.One problem she has is its not an inverted flare but a bubble.I haven't seen many with a tool to do those.We have a selection of various lengths at the parts store I work at.We also have fittings to change the bubble to allow use of a standard inverted flare.Using compression fittings and reusing the end sections of the old line is not an adviseable method.Not that it hasn't been done but safety becomes a serious concern.Polyarmor is much easier to work with than the plain steel lines we've been selling them for 5 yrs or better with no problems.

[Marc H]

This looks very close.Can't really id it better by pics(atleast I can't). http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...652_0424505772

[0pini0nated]

Agreed.One problem she has is its not an inverted flare but a bubble.I haven't seen many with a tool to do those.We have a selection of various lengths at the parts store I work at.We also have fittings to change the bubble to allow use of a standard inverted flare.Using compression fittings and reusing the end sections of the old line is not an adviseable method.Not that it hasn't been done but safety becomes a serious concern.Polyarmor is much easier to work with than the plain steel lines we've been selling them for 5 yrs or better with no problems.

[Judge Judy]

Agreed.One problem she has is its not an inverted flare but a bubble.I haven't seen many with a tool to do those.We have a selection of various lengths at the parts store I work at.We also have fittings to change the bubble to allow use of a standard inverted flare.Using compression fittings and reusing the end sections of the old line is not an adviseable method.Not that it hasn't been done but safety becomes a serious concern.Polyarmor is much easier to work with than the plain steel lines we've been selling them for 5 yrs or better with no problems.

So Marc H - where do you work? The polyarmor looks like a great option. If I have the sizes I need, can you sell me the parts or suggest a dealer who might? I am in Miami.

[Rosy]

Judge Judy,
Call AutoZone or Carquest to see if they will help you with your brake lines. They may even make it for you.
Do you have garage you do business with for your cages, they may also do your lines in Polyarmor. Call.
Good luck.

Rosy

[Marc H]

So Marc H - where do you work? The polyarmor looks like a great option. If I have the sizes I need, can you sell me the parts or suggest a dealer who might? I am in Miami.

Judy unfortunately i'm not close enough to be much more help.If you take that line with you to a good auto parts store you should be able to be helped.I would think a Carquest or Napa but truthfully there are good and bad parts people everywhere and I don't know the ones in your area.It just frustrates me cause I feel in my heart I could have you fixed up with a line with no problems.We get people putting auto brakes on their horse drawn buggies going from that type fitting to an invert and stuff like that.Its a challenge at times but we get there.This just can't be that hard.