Most motorcycles are fitted from the factory with rubber brake hoses, primarily as a cost saving measure. Although rubber hoses move brake fluid well enough to work the brakes, they suffer from a tendency to expand under pressure and they deteriorate over time.

Rubber brake hose expansion reduces the effectiveness and accuracy of your braking. Hose expansion affects the "feel" of the brake system, making it more difficult to sense what the brakes and the bike are doing. Braided stainless steel brake hoses do not expand, ensuring that every ounce of pressure you apply to the controls makes it to the braking surfaces. This "direct connection" from your controls to the brakes optimizes braking force and feedback.

Rubber brake hoses also dry out and crack over time. Older rubber hoses expand even more than when they were new, further reducing performance and potentially allowing moisture into the brake fluid. A high quality stainless steel hose will work as new for the lifetime of your bike.

Stainless steel hoses are also more resistant to damage, either from impact with another bike, with debris, or from a fall. If you race, stainless hoses will reduce your chance of a DNF and give you one less thing to worry about.

Braided stainless steel brake hoses improve the performance and durability of your motorcycle. They also look great, and are available in many colors to match or accent your bike.

Most motorcycles are fitted from the factory with a rubber clutch hose, primarily as a cost saving measure. Although clutch hose construction is not as critical to motorcycle performance as on a brake system, braided stainless steel hoses still offer faster, more consistent clutch operation, especially on a bike with a stiff clutch or that has upgraded clutch plate springs. Rubber hoses also degrade over time, swelling under pressure and increasing the possibilty of water absorption.

Stainless steel hoses are also more resistant to damage, either from impact with another bike, with debris, or from a fall. If you race, stainless hoses will reduce your chance of a DNF and give you one less thing to worry about.

If fast, consistent, highly accurate shifts are important to you, a braided stainless steel clutch hose will be a welcome enhancement. They also look great, and are available in many colors to match or accent your bike.

You'll have many choices when you shop for stainless steel braided hose. Venhill has earned a reputation for having a very high quality product with extra attention being paid to design, fitment, and finish. Venhill hoses are some of the few that use swivel fittings to ensure a simple, exact, twist-free fitment. The main advantages of a Venhill hose are:

• Extreme attention to the details of hose design. Venhill machine their own banjo fittings and dome-headed banjo bolts to ensure proper fitment and to add that extra touch to the finished look.
• Exhaustive testing. Every hose that leaves the Venhill factory has been pressure tested to 1500psi. In addition, every 30 days random hoses are pressure tested up to 10,000psi, a stress test of our own manufacturing quality. The DOT and TÜV seals of approval indicate that the Venhill design has been subjected to the "whip test" a test under which the hose is held at one end, whipped for 35 hours, then checked for any failure at the crimp connection. Any sign of damage and the hose doesn't pass.
• Ease and accuracy of installation. Venhill hoses make it easy to eliminate twist or stress in the hose. That's why there's typically a line printed on the hose casing. Venhill hoses use threaded swivel fittings so you can position the entire hose assembly for zero twist before tightening everything up. That means the first time is the only time you'll need to adjust the hose position. Many other lines offer no banjo adjustment at all, or require you to remove the hose and use a special tool to rotate the banjo before you can try the installation again.
• Every hose DOT approved. It's one thing to be able to build a hose to meet DOT requirements. It's another to build every hose to meet the requirements. Every Venhill hose is built to meet DOT requirements. There's no need to make a special request or pay extra. As a matter of fact, Venhill hoses are also built to meet TÜV requirements, the German equivalent to the stringent standards of the United States Department of Transportation.
• Options, options, options. Not only can you choose from 11 color options, you can also choose polished stainless banjos and bolts, or high-quality chrome plated steel, for a less expensive but attractive option.
• Comprehensive hose kits. Venhill hose kits include all of the basic items you'll need for your bike, including the hoses, banjos, bolts, and washers, and go the extra mile to include bracket isolators on the hose (the rubber mounts that go inside the factory hose brackets). Off-road hoses also include the protective roost guard tube surrounding the fork leg portion of the hose as well as the rubber guard on the master cylinder end.

For a visual explanation of Venhill advantages, visit the Why Venhill page.

Yes. Venhill submitted their hose specifications for DOT approval and received DOT authorization to claim that Venhill hoses meet the requirements as set forth by the DOT in accordance with the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 106, "Brake Hoses".

We feel it's important to point out that the DOT does not "certify"products. Compliance with DOT requirements is "self-policed" by the manufacturer. Manufacturers submit product specifications to the DOT and receive permission to claim that the product meets DOT requirements. Whether or not the actual product you receive meets those requirements is up to the manufacturer. Every Venhill hose is built to the same specifications that were sent to the DOT, thus every hose legitimately meets (or exceeds) DOT standards.

Venhill hoses have also complied with TÜV requirements, which are more stringent in that the manufacturer is required to send a product example to be subjected to actual testing by the German government or an authorized TÜV testing agent.

Yes. Every hose that leaves the Venhill factory has been pressure tested to 1500psi. In addition, every 30 days random hoses are pressure tested up to 10,000psi, a stress test of our own manufacturing quality. The DOT and TÜV seals of approval indicate that the Venhill design has been subjected to the "whip test" a test under which the hose is held at one end, whipped for 35 hours, then checked for any failure at the crimp connection. Any sign of damage and the hose doesn't pass.

"Race" front brake lines run in a pair directly from the master cylinder to the calipers. Both lines connect to the master cylinder using a special extended banjo bolt, then run down the fork to each caliper.

"Crossover" front brake line designs use one long line running from the master cylinder to the caliper directly below it and then a "piggyback" line that runs from that first caliper to the second.

"Three-line" front brake hose designs are more like factory hose layouts where a hose runs from the master cylinder to a distribution block and then two lines run from the block, one to each caliper. The block can be located in the typical factory location, at the lower triple clamp, or on one leg of the fork, with one line continuing down the fork tube and the other jumping across to the other caliper.

For Venhill fittings, bolts, and sealing washers we recommend a banjo bolt torque range from 14ft/lbs to 18ft/lbs.

Absolutely. Venhill hoses are built in a variety of lengths and colors. We are happy to assemble a kit for your custom application or build a hose for your specific needs. The most critical dimension to get right is the length of the hose. The easiest way to get the hose length is to subtract 4 cm from the overall distance the hose needs to cover and specify that as your hose length. The banjos will cover the rest of the distance.

We are proud of our history of covering custom needs. Please contact us if you need a special hose built for your bike.