Sharpie66 wrote:At first I thought I would buy used lines on Ebay but have decided against that believing I would just experience problems again in the future with 30+ year old lines.
I agree. You want new lines.
I like the idea of making my own lines but wonder if I am limited by my skillset.
That's for you to decide. :) I paid someone else to do mine, which is partly about my skillset and partly about my lack of a workspace.
Phil, in your last pics posted I see you used the original fittings. Could you let me know what I need to transition from new lines to the stock fittings? Will I need to weld anything or is that a crimp fitting on the new line to an NPT fitting and then to the original fitting? I don't know how to weld which is why I ask and also I assume I would need to purchase the proper crimping tool if that is a crimp fitting.
To be clear, I didn't do the work, but I can tell you what I had done, and what I see as the options from my own research.
What was done was: The stock fittings were rescued from the stock lines by cutting the crimp ends off the stock lines. Then the fittings had the nipple on the end cut off, and were welded to one end of an NPT-AN adapter. Then the lines were fit with straight hose ends which spin onto the NPT-AN adapter. That's at the engine side. At the cooler side, it's all AN fittings.
Another approach you can take is just jam the stock fitting into an appropriate hose (I think AN-10) and use a hose clamp. No welding or other fabrication required.
Perhaps I should just have these made for me but I really like the process of learning and doing things myself. Plus, I think I might install new lines on X1 at the same time. Yes, I am a little neurotic but in good company here.
If you want to buy 2 3' lengths of AN-10 hose plus an assortment of hose ends & fittings, I can make you a good deal. I bought that stuff then ended up having to switch to AN-6 so that all of the plumbing for the thermostat would work and fit under my tank. If you're not using a thermostat, you can probably make it work.
One last question....X2, when completed, will be run hard by myself and others. I wonder if I should consider the 10 row Earls oil cooler at this time. Does it make that big a difference over the stock cooler?
When you look at the stock one side-by-side with a 10 row or 13 row, it's hard to imagine that the upgrade isn't worth it. Of course, it's not just about how hard you run the bike, it's about the conditions. Sitting in stop & go traffic for long enough even on a cool day will eventually run those temps very high on most bikes. Sustained high-speed running shouldn't cause overheating on most bikes, even in hot weather.