Sourcing vacuum lines

[macthelost]

Sorry if this has been beat to death, but for the life of me I can’t find a recent post on it. Does anyone know where to find 3.5mm and 4.5mm vacuum line in bulk? I can’t even get it from Mother Honda anymore and the normal search methods only get me 3mm and 4mm. And just to nip it in the bud, yeah, I can still find the individual tiny tubes, but at $3-9 a piece I’d be looking at a few hundred bucks or more to replace every tube on my gl1500 interstate. Thanks in advance!

[Rambozo]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PYDR6G/?tag=goldwingdocs-20
A lot of suppliers play fast and loose with their metric conversions.
Silicone line is very forgiving about fitting, too.
1/8" is very close to 3.5mm and 3/16" is about 4.5mm, both are within .011" so they fit no problem.

Find This Item on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PYDR6G?tag=goldwingdocs-20

[Crusty1]

I was able to buy OEM Honda bulk for my 2000 gl1500se from Ron Ayers. Purchased in the last 12 months. It was listed on the parts fische on the web site.

[Rednaxs60]

My 1200 uses the same sizes. Got 3 and 4 mm from Amazon, work well.

[FM-USA]

After looking online for vacuum line and getting nowhere, simply cause there's SO MUCH to choose from and usually at premium price, I simply took a small cut-off to a local auto parts and they have spools of rubber vac lines.
Reputable auto parts stores will have metric size vac lines.

[Rednaxs60]

4 mm tube: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FYG ... UTF8&psc=1
3 mm tube: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FYG ... UTF8&psc=1

Your prices down south will be different

Find This Item on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FYGW8D4?tag=goldwingdocs-20

[Snowmoer]

I got all my metric hose on Amazon when I replaced all of them on my 88 1500. You will still need to get a couple of them from Honda because of the hard bends. The one under the carbs is the big one not to skimp on. Some of the hoses that have a bend in them will need a longer loop so they do not pinch. This takes more hose. You will need more than 10 feet of the larger one if you are going to replace all the hoses. I needed 20 feet and had a little left over. I think Honda took some things off the 90 and up models, so you might get away with 10 feet.

You will not find Metric at even the big auto parts stores. They are just selling you non metric and telling you it will fit. I looked at all of them when I replaced mine and none had Metric. They did not even show it in their computer systems to order. Amazon was the only place that I could get it at. Mabe it has changed some. I did mine 10 years ago.

[macthelost]

Thanks for all the replies. Some good info here. I worry about using 3 and 4mm because I’ve seen so many vacuum lines split at the end because it’s too stretched out. I also worry about the long term reliability of silicone lines as they haven’t been around long enough to have a track record for reliability. Also, I work in aviation where every part is the best available and I’ve never seen an aircraft with a single silicone hose and that kinda tells me all I need to know if aviation still only uses rubber.

[macthelost]

I got all my metric hose on Amazon when I replaced all of them on my 88 1500. You will still need to get a couple of them from Honda because of the hard bends. The one under the carbs is the big one not to skimp on. Some of the hoses that have a bend in them will need a longer loop so they do not pinch. This takes more hose. You will need more than 10 feet of the larger one if you are going to replace all the hoses. I needed 20 feet and had a little left over. I think Honda took some things off the 90 and up models, so you might get away with 10 feet.

You will not find Metric at even the big auto parts stores. They are just selling you non metric and telling you it will fit. I looked at all of them when I replaced mine and none had Metric. They did not even show it in their computer systems to order. Amazon was the only place that I could get it at. Mabe it has changed some. I did mine 10 years ago.

Yeah, no luck for me even on Amazon. One thing that did work (and I don’t know how I didn’t think of this) is looking up the bulk part number which is 95005-35008 for the 3.5mm and 95005-45001 for the 4.5mm. Typing that into my searches is the only way I’m able to find it, and it’s expensive, but I can at least find it now. Thanks for your help.

[macthelost]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PYDR6G/?tag=goldwingdocs-20
A lot of suppliers play fast and loose with their metric conversions.
Silicone line is very forgiving about fitting, too.
1/8" is very close to 3.5mm and 3/16" is about 4.5mm, both are within .011" so they fit no problem.

Thanks for the input. I am weary about silicone tube. I work on aircraft for a living and the fact that I’ve never seen a silicone hose on an aircraft tells me all I need to know, cause if it was actually “better” aircraft would have been the first to adopt them.

Find This Item on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PYDR6G?tag=goldwingdocs-20

[Rednaxs60]

If you are doing the vacuum hoses, sounds like you are going to take out the carbs and such. If so, I have a new set of the OEM water hoses, Randack's carb kits, new carb insulators - carb to engine and a few other items for a 1500 engine. Bought these when I had my '95 1500, but have since sold it to make room for a 2014 CanAm Spyder - still have my '85 Limited Edition Gold Wing.

The water hoses are:

Tube F 19516-MY4-000 1 Water Pipe
Tube J 19522-MY4-000 1 Water Pipe
Tube D 19514-MN5-000 1 Water Pipe
Tube E 19515-MY4-000 1 Water Pipe
Tube B 19512-MT8-000 1 Water Pipe
Hose Water G 19521-MY4-000 1 Water Pipe

There is one more water pipe that is a straight hose so I did not order it. PM me if you would like to discuss.

[WingAdmin]

Thanks for all the replies. Some good info here. I worry about using 3 and 4mm because I’ve seen so many vacuum lines split at the end because it’s too stretched out. I also worry about the long term reliability of silicone lines as they haven’t been around long enough to have a track record for reliability. Also, I work in aviation where every part is the best available and I’ve never seen an aircraft with a single silicone hose and that kinda tells me all I need to know if aviation still only uses rubber.

More likely it's because no manufacturer of silicone hoses wants to go through the onerous and incredibly expensive certification process, then pay the massive liability insurance required to continue selling them into the aviation industry!

Same reason GA airplanes are still flying behind 1930's engine technology with magnetos.

Silicone hoses are used extensively in the experimental aircraft side of the house, because they perform well, last a long time, and there is no certification required.

Silicone hoses are more flexible than rubber, last longer, have a higher temperature tolerance, and is more resistant to various chemicals.

[Rambozo]

More likely it's because no manufacturer of silicone hoses wants to go through the onerous and incredibly expensive certification process, then pay the massive liability insurance required to continue selling them into the aviation industry!

Same reason GA airplanes are still flying behind 1930's engine technology with magnetos.

Silicone hoses are used extensively in the experimental aircraft side of the house, because they perform well, last a long time, and there is no certification required.

Silicone hoses are more flexible than rubber, last longer, have a higher temperature tolerance, and is more resistant to various chemicals.

I was about to say the same things. Aviation doesn't use the best, just the most proven. Things where the failure modes are well known and can be predicted. Like those flakey magnetos, where they know they are so bad that they install dual units, just to cover the unpredictable failures.

Silicone hoses outlast rubber hands down. Not an issue if you preemptively change out your hoses regularly. But who wants to do that, when you can use a hose that will probably outlast you?
I probably won't live long enough to see the outcome of my tests with silicone hose on industrial equipment. So far the rubber hoses have been changed out for cracking or outright failures 5 or 6 times in the last 20 years, while the silicone hoses are at 20 years and still going strong.

[triwing]

Discovered a long time ago fuel hoses, could be used for cooling.
See no reason why they should not work for vacuum hoses as well.
The sizes seem to run pretty true to what they say, on the fuel hoses at least.

[FM-USA]

''You will not find Metric at even the big auto parts stores.''
ummm, yes you will, I asked an auto store to order a couple spools of metric vac lines. They never had anyone ask but once they got it in it sold faster than std size.

' ' The world's going sheepish, all I seem to hear these days is NAY NAY NAY. ' '

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