Fresh fluid looks lighter than old fluid, so when you see the colour change and no more bubbles in the transparent pipe, tighten the nipple up, check the master cylinder level is where it should be and release the lever.Tip: Don’t move the brake lever too quickly or it could pop the bleed pipe off the nipple and spray fluid everywhere. Make sure you keep adding new brake fluid to the master cylinder reservoir as it drops. Repeat this until you see bubble-free fluid in the transparent part of the tube, then pump the fluid through, stopping to tighten the nipple each time.Re-tighten the nipple and let go of the lever. Crack the nipple loose and apply pressure to the brake lever, you should see fluid passing down the clear tubing into the bleed kit bottle.Fit the pipe from the bleed kit to the exposed nipple. Place your ring spanner on the nipple so that it can be loosened a few degrees without hitting anything. Down at the brake calliper, remove the rubber grommet protecting the bleed nipple.There will often be a rubber diaphragm underneath this - it can sometimes stick to the lid, or remain in the fluid - remove this too and have a cloth ready to catch any drips. Remove the brake reservoir lid this will either be screwed off by hand or held in place with two Phillips screws or Allen Bolts.Cover the tank and headstock area with an old towel or cloth, and pop on your protective gloves. Place the bike on its centre stand - or paddock stand - so it is upright and level, and make sure you have plenty of light and space to work in.Get your head round DOT ratings and what they mean in our Everything-You-Need-to-Know About Brake Fluid DOT ratings blog. Your bike’s manual should tell you which is recommended for your model. Each one has a different boiling point - so you need to use the right one - and should never be mixed. Latex / Workshop Gloves - to stop you getting fluid all over your hands - it’s not advisable to get it all over yourself as well as your paintwork įresh Brake Fluid - Brake fluid comes in different ‘DoT’ types and will either be Glycol or Silicone based. Brake fluid is extremely damaging to paintwork, so it’s also worth covering areas like your petrol tank just in case Paper Towels / Cloths - essential, for mopping up any spills. Spanners - usually 8mm, 9mm or 10mm - for loosening and tightening bleed nipples Ī Bleed Kit - these can be simply a plastic container with a couple of lengths of clear hose, or something much more sophisticated like our Vampire Vacuum Kit that does all the hard work for you Haynes) for guidance specific to your motorcycle. The following advice is general - you should consult your bike's owner manual or a recognised workshop manual (e.g. How to Bleed Your Motorcycle’s BrakesĬhanging your bike’s brake fluid is a relatively easy DIY job, providing you’re competent and have the right tools, but - and it’s a big but - if you’re not 100% confident in doing it 100% right, then don’t do it at all, take it to a professional. Bear in mind that annual mileage and the type of riding you do will also be factors, so if you’re cracking big distances every month or you’re addicted to track days, you might need to be changing fluid more often. Your bike’s manual (or the service book, as it’s usually done as part of a service at a given interval) should tell you how often it needs to be changed, but as a general rule it should be about every two years. How do we stop this happening? We can’t completely, but we can significantly minimise the risk by changing the fluid regularly. As we all know, vapour bubbles are something else we definitely don’t want in our braking system. The second is that when we apply the brakes the braking system heats up, which can cause any water in the fluid to boil, forming vapour bubbles. The first is the obvious one: corrosion - the last thing anyone wants inside their braking system. Fluid dynamics - why something seemingly simple could be massively affecting your braking performanceīrakes not what they used to be? Before you go spending thousands upgrading to a MotoGP-developed, six-pot radial calliper and wavy discs, you might want to change your fluid first, explains Phil Turner.įor a substance that’s designed to live inside metal componentry, brake fluid has an unfortunate quality: it's hydrophilic.
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