Bleeding brakes, plus other stuff

[rapid van cleef]

well. i think i need to bleed me brakes.( 04 zx10r) ive done a mere 10 000 km since i bought it 2 years ago. trackdays and sunny day rides.

i ve replaced the pads with ebc sintered pads and reckon the fluid should be replaced. ive never done this before and have seen youtube clips showing what to do. seems quite easy. im not a mechanic, a basic level of technical bike knoweldge( more on cars)

is it as easy as it looks on the many you tube clips?. and is it worth me buying a bleeding kit or should i buy the improv bits n pieces as seen on many youtube clips?

what are your experiences?

seems like lots of people do it themselves

OR should i leave it the hell alone and get a pro to do it?

thanks guys

[DrunkenMistake]

I done it myself using a syringe and some hose off the bleed nipple, hose over the nipple, loose it off and gently suck fluid into the syringe, once its full tighten and repeat making sure that the res never gets empty, so refilling with new fluid,
its that or you squeeze in, loosen, release, tighten .. its easier with two people.

[rapid van cleef]

yeah, i understand the principle. like i said, ive seen a few youtube clips. so you reckon i just need a jar for the old fluid, some tubing and new fluid of course.?

[rapid van cleef]

oh, and a syringe?

[fokky]

I would do it myself,piece of piss.But I wouldnt attempt to base jump off the sky tower.Only you know if your skills are upto it.Big bike..fast..brakes..no brakes..death

[rapid van cleef]

haha, well thats just destroyed my confidence in doing it. ive changed wheel bearings on cars, suspension, replaced both drum type brake shoes and disc brakes, do my regular car servicing myself. so i thought id be ok on the bike, but never done the brake fluid before on a bike.

i dont know all the proper technical names for stuff, but can follow instructions fine

ive just read that coolant is usually ok for 5 years or so. should i do that while im on ? is there somehthing you can do to check if it needs replacing other than riding it and trying to get it to overheat?

[DrunkenMistake]

I think youll be sweet as man, the other way is to empty the res then push new fluid up, but I wouldnt recommend it, too much pressure and youll blow a seal, if you dont think you can do it 100% then dont do it at all, especially when it comes to brakes

[hayd3n]

haha, well thats just destroyed my confidence in doing it. ive changed wheel bearings on cars, suspension, replaced both drum type brake shoes and disc brakes, do my regular car servicing myself. so i thought id be ok on the bike, but never done the brake fluid before on a bike.

i dont know all the proper technical names for stuff, but can follow instructions fine

ive just read that coolant is usually ok for 5 years or so. should i do that while im on ? is there somehthing you can do to check if it needs replacing other than riding it and trying to get it to overheat?

its no different than bleeding a Hydraulic clutch on a car, if you are still unsure find a local mentor :P,

[fokky]

You should be sweet if you service your car,read past posts on here.If you do everything and still have trouble getting a firm lever,pump lever by hand and then tie it to bars over night and air will rise to top of system.


Probably avoid trying to make bike overheat as you mention above,just drain it out and replace it.Its mainly for its anti corrosive properties.

[jellywrestler]

use good quality spanners, last thing you want to do is burr over you nipples eh?

[HenryDorsetCase]

just be really careful about getting brake fluid on painted surfaces. and anodised one. and basically anywhere its not supposed to be. Arse of a stuff.

I always wear disposable gloves too. Hate the bloody stuff.

the good news is that if you are careful you will be fine. just gingerly try the brakes a few times before firing 'er into turn 10 at 11/10ths

[p.dath]

I'm not mechanically inclined at all, but after watching a you tube managed to bleed the brakes myself.

I got a bleeding kit (clearline + bottle) from Repco. It has a magnet on the bottle so you can stick the bottle to the disc. I have subsequently bought some ordinary clearline as well, as I needed a different radius pipe to make it fit better.

The brake fluid is hydrophobic and as it goes "off" it turns more and more yellow, and eventually brown. It is way overdue when it is brown. I do mine when the fluid starts to yellow (about every 12 months for me).


Just make sure when your bleeding the fluid out that you keep pressure on the brake lever, then air is not likely to get into the system. Also make sure you don't overfill the reservoir when you are done.

[The Singing Chef]

I'm not mechanically inclined at all, but after watching a you tube managed to bleed the brakes myself.

I got a bleeding kit (clearline + bottle) from Repco. It has a magnet on the bottle so you can stick the bottle to the disc. I have subsequently bought some ordinary clearline as well, as I needed a different radius pipe to make it fit better.

The brake fluid is hydrophobic and as it goes "off" it turns more and more yellow, and eventually brown. It is way overdue when it is brown. I do mine when the fluid starts to yellow (about every 12 months for me).


Just make sure when your bleeding the fluid out that you keep pressure on the brake lever, then air is not likely to get into the system. Also make sure you don't overfill the reservoir when you are done.

The clearline is also extremly usefull for draining diesel ...

[actungbaby]

your be right just remembr to cover the tank with towel as brake fulid will romove paint if left for awhile
i just remember using a clear plastic tube of the brake nipple the spanner under
just sweeze the brake lever while open bolt and close it and repeat till hose has no air bubbles and your got all new fuild through
and put the new fulid in the top
holder make sure no mositure in the air u dont want in with the new fuild and look make sure air bubles all clear through the hose at the bottom into you collecting container

also i think like with brake pads u have to make sure after locked the bleed
nipple to pump the brakes to make sure pistons are all way out to the pads

well. i think i need to bleed me brakes.( 04 zx10r) ive done a mere 10 000 km since i bought it 2 years ago. trackdays and sunny day rides.

i ve replaced the pads with ebc sintered pads and reckon the fluid should be replaced. ive never done this before and have seen youtube clips showing what to do. seems quite easy. im not a mechanic, a basic level of technical bike knoweldge( more on cars)

is it as easy as it looks on the many you tube clips?. and is it worth me buying a bleeding kit or should i buy the improv bits n pieces as seen on many youtube clips?

what are your experiences?

seems like lots of people do it themselves

OR should i leave it the hell alone and get a pro to do it?

thanks guys

[rapid van cleef]

well i set myself up and bled the brakes this afternoon. there was almost no bubbles in the fluid at all. slightly more on the left side. i bled off around 20-30 ml of fluid and topped it back up. no spillages etc. ive owned the bike for 2 years, during which time, the brake fluid has not been changed and ive done around 12 000 k. should i replace all of the fluid anyway? and can anyone recommend a particular type of fluid to use / brand. i went to repco and bought regular dot 4 fluid which i pressume is fine for for regular road riding and track days?

any 'useful' opinions?