Right - we have an answer.
HEL seem to have assumed that their kit for ST1300ABS was suitable for all year models. I had told them when ordering that mine is a 2009 model. I assumed that they had done the checks to make sure the lines fitted all - so I thought no more about it. I do know that the calipers, pistons, brake pads, pad springs, caliper bracket, SMC, bracket for ABS sensor, master cylinder and lever had all changed design for 2008 models. But it is difficult to tell just by looking at them. One tell-tale sign is the calipers are one piece - not two pieces bolted together. This means that when popping them out with an air gun, they can hurtle across the garage without hitting the other side of the caliper).
The upshot of this is that 3 of the brake lines that attach by Banjo bolts to the front calipers will 'link up', but to say that they 'fit' would be stretching the meaning of the word - as well as the brake hose.
And I am pretty sure that the line emerging from the banjo union is not supposed to prevent access to the bleed valve. I've never seen it written, but I just sort of assumed.
HEL brake lines are manufactured so that you can pivot the Banjo Fitting inside the hose. But that hose that goes from the left fork leg to the SMC inlet and then on to the left hand centre piston. It's coupled with an extremely short hose. Well, It looked nothing like the OEM line that I took off. The hoses were branching off at different angles for a start. I rotated each fitting by 180 degrees within its hose and tried again. That is 8 different combinations and trials. None of them worked. So that is a year number issue - nothing to do with ABS.
Then there are the two blocks that attach hoses to metal brake pipes on the right hand side of the head stock.
See the 2nd closeup photo.
Those bolt heads are DELIBERATELY off centre in the OEM metal blocks.
The HEL nylon bolts have holes which are drilled centrally - which moves the nylon block to the left.
The point at which the two pipes mate in the OEM block is deeper inside the OEM block than it is in the HEL block.
This means that after joining the pipes together and fastening the gland nut finger tight, there is no hole available for the mounting bolt. The right hand edge of the hole can just be seen, but the hole needs to be about 4mm to the left.
This isn't a pre-2008 / post-2007 difference. This is an ABS/non-ABS thing.
The two Original lines involved are shown in the photos. The first shows the metal pipes connected to the ABS unit. You can just see the metal joining blocks in the top right corner. the second is a more detailed look at those two OEM blocks, metal brake lines to the ABS on the left, flexible hoses fitting emerging on the right.
Top Block: - the hose on the right is from the front right handlebar master cylinder. The pipe on the left goes to the front brake ABS channel.
Bottom Block: the pipe on the left comes from the ABS unit (providing pulsed pressure), and joins the hose down the fork leg to the front outer pistons in both front calipers.
That pipe work to/from the ABS and entering the two blocks is rigid. It is short, secured at the ABS end, and secured in the middle - you can see the clamp with its rubber sleeve. There is a small amount of flex - pulling gently away from the headstock, but no movement at all towards to the left or right. When the nylon HEL block is mated with the fixed metal pipes, it is impossible to secure the block to the headstock. The threaded hole is not in line with hole in the nylon block. M
So why didn't @billo have this problem ?
Well - I checked on his posts. He has a 2007 (probably an A6 model), non-ABS. So there is a simple linkage pipe that joins the brake lever at the top to the brake calipers at the bottom. The link pipe is not held in place by anything except the gland nut into the block. So for
@billo and non ABS bikes, the problem never occurred. That is
@billo 's photo with the blue sticky label.
I would have solved this by mounting a milling bit into a pillar drill and guiding the block along a pre-defined path to make a nice neat oval extending to the rear (left) of the existing hole. That is if I had such tools - which I don't. Instead, I put a 6mm HST drill bit in my hand-held drill and put it into the nylon hole with some sideways pressure so that it slowly shaved away the nylon to make a hole which can best be described as oval-ish.
This is a trial and error approach - one bit at a time. Take it back to the bike, get my massive hands into the small gap and mate the two parts together, and then with a third hand gently rotate the gland nut and hope that the threads meet up at some point before my fingers drop off with cramp.
Then check the holes. Do they line up. No they don't. Undo it all and repeat. And repeat. Eventually I can see the entire threaded hole in the headstock through the nylon oval hole with my superbright flashlight.
But anyone wanting to fit lines to any model ST1300 with ABS, will have this issue. Solvable, but not ideal.
There is also the issue of two of the blocks needing a backing plate to be manufactured. Again - solvable, but another hurdle to overcome.
Anyone wanting to use HEL lines with a model from 2008 onwards - well, they will probably have to send their original brake lines in. - but they have no solution for the mods required to the nylon blocks.
A diagram of the lines that needed attention when I tried to fit my ST1300 kit to my ST1300A9
The front of the bike is pointing to the bottom left corner. The two white pipes are the ones that go across the mudguard.
Basically, anything coloured Red needs some attention or doesn't fit.
Right hand (Brake lever side) lines
2 Front Brake lever to (R) Headstock. Nylon block needs hole elongating.
5 Delay Valve to (R) Centre Piston. Very tight. Restricts movement of caliper in and out.
11 (R) Headstock to Front Right Centre Piston. Fits on delay valve OK. Line is tight to the caliper and may interfere with access to the bleed valve.
4 From Rear Master Cylinder to Front Right Centre Piston. This fits OK.
Left hand (Clutch lever side) lines
8 SMC Outlet to R Headstock. Nylon bracket needs to be mounted on a backing plate. Nylon block bolted to backing plate. Backing plate bolted to headstock. Simple solution, but took a while to get right. (nb One rear brake line has the same issue. I didn't try to solve this, but
@billo had no problem devising a solution.
13 Front Outer calipers. I had this fitted OK, but it was tighter than I would have liked.
7 Rear Brake line (from right hand side delay valve mount) to SMC Inlet and Front Left Centre piston. This would not fit at all. No matter how I twisted the banjos round, they could not be made to fit - not even tightly. This is not surprising because it is joining one device that has changed shape (SMC) to another device that has changed size.
I am not saying that this is a bad kit to get. From what
@billo says in this very detailed description, it is pretty good, and offers good performcance and feel.
HEL will make lines if you provide them with the originals. I didn't want to do that.
For Any ABS bike the two red nylon blocks will need to have their mounting holes elongated.
For any bike, part 8 nylon block will need a mounting plate to be made. (Simple rectangle with two holes).
for any bike, one of the flexible hoses to join the pipe at the front right of the swinging arm will need to be secured. HEL suggested a P Clip and didn’t provide a nylon block.
For ST1300A8 and later, Parts 5, 7, 11 and 13 will need to be built by HEL from your old lines. Whether or not the bike has ABS. The nylon blocks on these worked very well, and were perfectly adequate substities for the OEM blocks.
I talked with HEL about all of this, this morning, and they offered a full refund, which I accepted. I've already ordered some new OEM lines - just the ones on this page and two rear lines. They should be here the second week of December.
I offered to send my old lines to HEL as a pattern later in the year, if they want them. But I have an MOT at the end of November, I think I might need some brake lines on it before then, so the original ones are going back on for now.
It's fun having a motorbike, isn't it ?
Oh - the red numbers. Lines shown with red numbers on my diagram have a different OEM part number for the 2008 models and later. These all end R11 at present, as opposed to the Pre-2008 models which have G01 or G02 at the end.
