A few weeks back and 1300 miles ago, I installed this Harley Trike oil filter relocation kit from DKCustom Products and chose NOT to use the standard hose that was shipped with the kit...instead, I also ordered the optional black braided hose as I thought it just looked better.
.....let me say now this oil filter relocation kit as provided by DKCustom Products is a very solid and well built kit. The black reinforced neoprene rubber hose that comes standard with the kit appears more than heavy enough to do the job! (wish I had used this, but I didn't)
............my growling issues are with the black "braided" hose that I had shipped with the kit as optional.
.....to start off with: This braided (interior hose sheathed by an exterior wire mesh and a cloth like outside material) was an absolute "BEAR" to press on to the brass hose fittings.......even after all instructions were followed including swabbing the inside of the hose ends with lite oil and wrapping outside of the hose ends with masking tape) - I also heated the hose ends with a hairdrier and it was still a damn tuff job! ....but, I got it done!..... And it looked very nice, after I used some black colored liquid electrical tape to cover the portions of the brass fittings that remained visually exposed.
...now lets fast forward to 1300 miles later which was 2 days ago when the wife and I suited up and got ready for a ride....I went to inspect the trike and noticed a few drops of oil on the floor just under the oil filter......after inspection, I found the lower hose fitting was leaking a little and could easily be twisted by hand on the fitting so I tightened it accordingly. (I thought it odd as the hoses have never been fooled with since the install, but I'd be watching closely for a while anyway)
...fifty miles later we stopped for a pit stop, I checked the lower hose fitting again and found it was leaking again. So, I broke out the tools and tightened it again, this time I tightened the top fitting a little more as well.
....Then, I cranked up the trike and noticed it was actually blowing oil at the lower hose fitting now! .........So I killed engine, backed off the worm drive clamp and pulled the hose off.
I found the inside part of the braided hose actually broke off on the brass fitting! ....I made the messy field repair, and decided to end the ride and return home for a much closer look at this issue.(while watching my oil pressure gauge constantly).....all went well with no further leaks.....until:
.....I pulled into our driveway and stopped the trike to put it in reverse and back it into the garage as I always do....just as I did, I looked down at the oil filter hoses and saw the top hose fitting suddenly starting to spay oil every where!!! >>>I darted the trike into the garage and killed the motor immediately!
....after close inspection of the top fitting I found that the inside part of the braided line had also cracked almost completely in half.............it did what the lower hose fitting had done 50 miles ago.
.....So, that evening I removed the kit entirely and returned the filter to its standard location at the front of the engine as this whole ordeal kind of "FREAKED me out!" .....If things hadn't have happened exactly as they did - "I could have shelled my engine!!!!!" ....After all was said and done, (though it certainly looked like more) I actually only lost about 2/3 to 1/2 qt. of oil..............oil pressure gauge never showed low .........no evident engine damage....no noises, nothing damaged as I caught the top oil line rupturing as I watched).
.....The next day (yesterday) I drove another 200 miles with oil filter in the standard factory location = engine purring as always and all is just fine...........seems my "Good Luck Gremlin Bell" is working!
.........In the picture below you can see the chunk of the interior hose portion that broke off inside the braided hose at the fitting....I noticed that even though the metal mesh and braided part of the hose gives great exterior protection....the actual inner hose tube (which carries the oil) is much thinner than the standard oil hose that normally comes with the kit!
..........I know, I know,...a zillion of you guys will likely say you've never had any problems with this braided oil line....and maybe I just got it too tight or something....I say "Yeah whatever!"
.......I'm just telling ya'll what happened to me! ......So, would I personally recommend the optional braided oil line? I can only reply, "Would you?"
....In the below pic you can see the broke interior section of the top hose which was put back on the fitting just to show what I'm talking about:
Ride Safe!