Just a tube as brake fluid reservoir ?

[Benni]

Hello BikerBanterz,

I am thinking of getting rid of the external brake fluid reservoir tank on my Nissin front brake master cylinder,

mostly for cosmetic reasons.

Has anyone here ever replaced the tank with a tube ?

This will have to be transparent, of course, for watching the fluid level fall as brake pads wear,

and maybe be topped with a tiny one-way valve to suck air in and keep water / moisture out ?

[SAS Tom]

Plenty of people do it with rear brakes including race teams. Never seen it done on front brakes.

[Krikkit]

Maybe just swap the lever/reservoir for one with an integrated tank?

[trickywoo]

Never seen a front one but all the rear ones have looked gash to me.

[TT1138]

Not sure there’s any point is there?

A tube is going as bad, if not worse than a reservoir. The rear brake actually moves a fairly small amount of fluid, usually one piston through a short section of hose, a twin disc front would move significantly more fluid I’d imagine, and needs a bigger reservoir.

[bimsb6]

TT1138 said:

Not sure there’s any point is there?

A tube is going as bad, if not worse than a reservoir. The rear brake actually moves a fairly small amount of fluid, usually one piston through a short section of hose, a twin disc front would move significantly more fluid I’d imagine, and needs a bigger reservoir.

Length of hose is irrelevant, the size of the pistons is however .

[TT1138]

bimsb6 said:

Length of hose is irrelevant, the size of the pistons is however .

Longer hose, more physical space between calliper and reservoir, hence more fluid surely?

[bimsb6]

TT1138 said:

Longer hose, more physical space between calliper and reservoir, hence more fluid surely?

Only when filling it up , as fluids don’t compress the amount it moves to operate the piston doesn’t vary with a long or a short hose .

[Prof Prolapse]

You may already know this, but just to say be sure to buy the right sort of tubing. I'm sorry I can't remember exactly what the required specification type is, but many kinds of tubing go opaque when used with brake fluid (horrible stuff that it is).

I had a go years ago ("because chav") and kept making a hash of the tubing spec... Although to be fair I blame cheaping out on eBay for that one. Who'd have thought so many sellers from China would be deceitful about the product specification?

[Wildfire]

Prof Prolapse said:

You may already know this, but just to say be sure to buy the right sort of tubing. I'm sorry I can't remember exactly what the required specification type is, but many kinds of tubing go opaque when used with brake fluid (horrible stuff that it is).

I had a go years ago ("because chav") and kept making a hash of the tubing spec... Although to be fair I blame cheaping out on eBay for that one. Who'd have thought so many sellers from China would be deceitful about the product specification?

If you want to go down the tubing route, Tygon is the one you need. It's not cheap, but doesn't melt or go milky. F-4040 or Versilon SE200.

I used the F-4040 for reservoir to MC.

Personally I wouldn't on a road bike. On the race bikes we bleed the brakes after every two meets or so.

Edited by Wildfire on Monday 9th March 10:19

[Olas]

Function over form for safety equipment such as brakes.

Form is for interior decorators.

[Baldchap]

bimsb6 said:

TT1138 said:

Longer hose, more physical space between calliper and reservoir, hence more fluid surely?

Only when filling it up , as fluids don’t compress the amount it moves to operate the piston doesn’t vary with a long or a short hose .

He'd only need enough fluid in the tube to cover pad and disc wear.

An alternative could be a decent cover instead.

[Wildfire]

Wildfire said:

If you want to go down the tubing route, Tygon is the one you need. It's not cheap, but doesn't melt or go milky. F-4040 or Versilon SE200.

I used the F-4040 for reservoir to MC.

Personally I wouldn't on a road bike. On the race bikes we bleed the brakes after every two meets or so with a little bung in the tubing. So any water absorption is minimal.

Edited by Wildfire on Monday 9th March 10:19

[patchb]

I have the HRC setup on the rear brake of my track bike mainly due to rearsets and struggling to mount the reservoir.
As said, the tubing needs to be Tygon otherwise it goes cloudy, the genuine HRC one that I have doesn’t come with tygon tubing for some reason.

I wouldn’t want one on the front as I think for one it would look terrible and I wouldn’t be happy with only having a very small capacity of extra fluid.

[Benni]

Thanks for the info, will look for a dealer that sells TYGON SE-200 in short cut lengths,
as the price obviuously matches the quality and I only need about 10 inches.
I know it is a bit silly, but I build a CustomBike where even a small tank would stick out like a sore thumb,
and I need an external reservoir because on the "Bunny Ears" handlebars the pump sits almost vertical.
The tube could be routed nicely upwards along the bar or mirror stalk.
Of course, form before function has it´s price and I know I have to look after fluid levels more often,
and top up if neccessary.

[rodericb]

Oh dear - I just looked up what bunny ears handlebars are. If you're doing that sort of thing you could remote the hydraulics and run a cable off the brake through the handlebars.

[Benni]

Hello Roderick,
Yes, those handlebars are "a bit special" but so is my project ( 212cc Crotch Rocket )

The BMW / Magura cable to hydraulic converter is nice, but a bit too bulky, cannot hide it.

Plans for a 22mm internal throttle from Guzzi Falcone are coming forward, though,

so that cable might be routed through the bar anyway.

[Benni]

I have looked around the market for tiny reservoirs, all the plastic ones are a bit bulky,

and the anodized stuff from far east does not really appeal to me.

Then I saw what a friend had done and I quite like that :



small alu machined part, topped by a 12 gauge cartridge case on a snug fit,

as the plastic is transparent I could watch the level, 0,5mm hole in brass for breathing.

Wonder what my TÜV man will say....8-P

[Jazoli]

So the cap is just a push fit? and it has a 0.5mm hole drilled in it to let water and dirt in? it seems bloody stupid to me, there is a reason caps have locking tabs on them and rubber boots that expand when the level drops, why bother pissing around with brakes for vanity? They are the single most important safety critical item on a bike.

Edit, that master cylinder and lever is a quality Adelin lever, made from chinesium, looks like the guy wants to die

I don't understand why you wouldn't just fit something with an integrated reservoir like this

Edited by Jazoli on Monday 16th March 10:16

[MrGman]

I’m always a each to their own and enjoy seeing different custom bikes but I’m struggling here.