Brake Lines Rubber or Steel? Harley Brake Issues Discuss Brake Lines Rubber or Steel? in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; Curious how many people prefer stainless steel brake lines vs rubber ones and why?...

[Buzz Kanter]

Curious how many people prefer stainless steel brake lines vs rubber ones and why?

[hdnt1550]

Stainless all the way I don't know if it has any mechanical advantage on a harley but they do look cool.

[JCourneyaP]

I run braided to dress the bike up a bit. Come in all lengths and cost just a bit more than rubber. No other reason then that.

[PeterV]

Braided on all the bikes I've owned. Hose expansion eliminated, lever feel increased

[BaggerDad]

Buzz, are you asking about the actual stainless steel lines or the cosmetic covers that can be slid over the stock rubber brake lines?

[JOECAPY]

Stainless All The Way ,they Look Great And Work Great For Just A Few Buck's More Then Rubber !!!!!!!!

[hotrodsporty]

Ok time for me to be different.
Black is what I like, getting too old to spend all day polishing to ride down the street and everything is dirty.

[EZE RIDER]

Rubber lines work just fine but no one will argue they look like crap.
So for looks, Stainless hands down.

[crashfaster]

Actually, in theory, there is no performance difference between rubber and stainless covers, just cosmetics (and the steel braid offers abrasion resistance). What matters is the inner tube that actually carries the brake fluid: stiffer is better in that a stiff tube gives more positive feedback. Generally speaking, stainless braided lines are more expensive, and tend to have stiffer tubes. I'm sure there are premium rubber covered lines available that have premium liners. If you can find construction details, look for "Teflon" inners.

[BaggerDad]

What's involved in changing over your brake lines from the stock rubber to stainless steel?