Topic: Old dream coming back: oil hoses?

[Don R]

 I think the Andrews fittings are designed to use our engines in a mini sprint car.

[willbird]

I think the Andrews fittings are designed to use our engines in a mini sprint car.

OK, seems that is what they seem to focus on. Could be good for an engine test stand though to allow running the engine prior to putting in frame and maybe re torque head gasket.

Bill

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

So, Hondaman, are you going to become our source for oil and brake hoses? At the very least, we know you will not abandon it and can count on you.

[HondaMan]

So, Hondaman, are you going to become our source for oil and brake hoses? At the very least, we know you will not abandon it and can count on you.

When I can find the right hose, I plan on making a 'refurb' sort of operation where I can copy the ones sent to me. I would like to come up with a hose-bend-former, too, because this would, like Honda's own hoses, provide extended life for them. While the outer one isn't much stressed with its gently radius, they seem to always leak at the tank, just like the inner ones do, from being bent a bit right there.

At this moment I'm fighting a 2-front battle: my wife is about to go into surgery that we hope will solve a 3-year-long serious trouble, which is limiting my research time. The other "front" is in finding the right hose for this, with the black lace covering. I don't want to make some cheap Chinese crap hoses that will die in 2-3 years - I've already found Chinese and Vietnamese (same thing) hose that looks correct, but won't be, long term. While Gates Hose is one of my favorites for long-lasting hose, so far I haven't located any form of those with the weave covering except hydraulic hoses, which won't work. They are too stiff from their embedded steel mesh, which over time will cause the collars to distort and then lose their grip on the hose itself - because of the bends we have. Without those bends, they would last a lifetime, if they would fit through the passages: on the K0 and early (Old Factory) K1 bikes they (thicker hoses) don't fit very well. The last time I tried some aftermarket hose with the chrome cover on a K1 (Old Factory) bike, it was very difficult to get the lower front connector into the engine: the bolts also would not align without adding another bend in the hose at the connector: this will all cause it to fail in the hose, at the connector. I (we) don't need that kind of garbage. That particular bike was a show-custom-cafe' bike, destined more for storage than use, so I think it will be OK.

For example: I haven't been able to continue searching since last week Monday because of this medical thing. It will happen, just not on my schedule (which was almost 8 years ago, when I bought the expensive crimping tools for it...).

[86FJNJ]

My build is still in process so I've not run the engine with them yet but I ordered these and plan to use 8AN lines, the old o rings from my stock lines slide right on.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/173853326795?_skw=honda+cb750+oil+fittings&itmmeta=01KFE8GNBFGN2JXGB859CJJS6W&hash=item287a773dcb:g:qPwAAOSwAYtWJ4Wc&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAABAO7PUuNWmJ%2B%2BUShgI9tQz%2FpCGcOHp1H1CVkkB5XMzTCNFDAawM5mpzewUgF2AotYY%2BgMnte3T4%2B%2F647Dajw9QugVl0nwUgRL4fIOEbrRvP%2B4ZcGF5xqIRUQBG9O3923IXo9o%2BxO5iCya41lJA4REFJiCVYCOZHh6BqjvtRk5IrQE6RI06oeur6PVOm7DLlR8aXiYic2dW6pwL4QCnxChPrfl7TGH6vLaZAfHfa7%2B7Yxv8u80NrOqzfQtAZQoljgQimeWukChLzSZsqRlHIQyACGcfpYmxdwGHzqwllGn0x4v0eFfrXKZY6TRjlfYfMvQb62GZk8rH2VzclOlfXQ63Zk%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_jVwsj7Zg

[MauiK3]

All the best with both "fronts" to you. Thank you for your hard work and expertise.

[HondaMan]

Well, I think I have a usable hose: it still has a slight weave of steel fibers in it, but the dimensions are very close to the OEM version (1969-1973) that lacks the plastic liner (which always cracks right next to the tank on the supply hose). Here's a pic of the $300 (!) crimper I got for them, with the parts and a chunk of the AN-10 size "lightweight" hose (aircraft fuel line hose in this case). I have some crimp rings, will try to copy a hose set for the pre-plastic-lined K bikes' hoses this weekend.

What I've discovered on this journey is: while the "AN" hose sizes were created circa WWII and conformed to the dimensions as they are named, this all stopped when DIN/ISO was adopted in the world manufacturing convention(s) circa 1996 - at least, as far as "AN hose size" is concerned. This seems to be why their has been so much confusion about them for so long. As one example: the pretty chrome-covered ones we see so often for sale have an ID that is OK (close to 10/16", the AN convention) but the OD is slightly oversize for the hose body. This makes them come up slightly shorter upon installation, which I've noticed on several bikes I've worked on that had those: the outer (return) hose was a tight stretch on those bikes. It should have been made a few mm longer to make up for the way it contracts when bent with the rigid inner steel weave, and the supply hose doesn't like to make the bends for the same reason. Japan used the international AN hose sizes and construction rules for making the hoses (at least the early ones before the inner-lined versions after 1973), which were essentially (1/16" x [AN number]) ID, and the OD was irrelevant so long as the layers of the hose being constructed suited the task at hand.

So, the one big difference today seems to be that all the makers of this sort of "AN" hose ALL have at least one layer of steel weave in the hose stack, regardless of the hose's purpose. In the end this means these new hoses will be slightly longer in order to fit well (on the order of 3mm for the supply hose and 4-5mm for the return hose) so that the connectors will fit straight into their holes like Honda's versions always did: no pulling or stretching required.

Next: finding the best way to cut this stuff...

Then come the later supply hose, and see if the lack of the inner lining that cracks at the supply line's fitting crimp (because it has to be pulled forward to install) will solve that little weepy problem long-term. That one is longer.