front brake bleed for an airhead

[newride]

Hello all again,
yes, I am catching up on years of no maintence on my R90/6. I did a search and could not find if there is a step by step on bleeding the front brake on such a bike. I have never done the fluid in brakes before.

[Mista Vern]

Just Google "how to bleed brakes" and you will get lots of info. It's nice to have a helper on hand, but you can do it yourself. Brake fluid is hard on surfaces, so if you spill any clean it up real well.

Eidt: cars and bikes are generally thesame process, only the brake lever is pumped instead of a pedal. Also, be very careful trying to loosen the bleeder; if it hasn't been opened in a long while it may be tough to get it to turn. Make sure the wrench fits tight or you will round off the bleeder.

[datchew]

how long has it been? It might looks like this (notice the chunks):

[rain]

Originally Posted by newride

Hello all again,
yes, I am catching up on years of no maintence on my R90/6. I did a search and could not find if there is a step by step on bleeding the front brake on such a bike. I have never done the fluid in brakes before.

When I did the brake fluid on my old RS () I used SpeedBleeders ... they're kinda hokey but they make doing the job yourself much easier. If you want someone to come and help with the loosen-squeeze-tighten procedure let me know...

[kz1]

Just a word of caution, do not overtighen the bleeder. They will snap off and they are a bitch to get out. Just tighten then until snug. After your first ride, if they are leaking, snug them up again.

[kbasa]

Also, do not squeeze the lever all the way in against the bar. You're liable to do some bad things to the piston seal in the master cylinder by moving it out of it's little comfort zone.

It's easy to bleed brakes.

Clean and remove cap on master cylinder.
Get an old beer bottle or something and run a tube of clear hose from the bleed nipple to the bottle. Make sure the tube fits tightly over the bleed nipple.
Apply pressure to the brake lever and hold it.
Loosen the bleed nipple a bit and allow the lever to travel a bit, forcing brake fluid up into the hose.
Tighten the bleed nipple.
Release the brake lever.
Repeat until the lever feels firm and no more air bubbles are coming out of the nipple.

Do not let the master cylinder run low and admit air into the system.
Only use brake fluid of the type specified for the bike and from a sealed container - in short, buy some new stuff.

If you're changing the brake fluid, keep pumping it through until clean stuff comes out the bleed nipple.

And yes, it's easier with a helper. Have the guy doing the bleed nipple tell the other guy when to squeeze and when to release the handle.

[kbasa]

Originally Posted by kz1

Just a word of caution, do not overtighen the bleeder. They will snap off and they are a bitch to get out. Just tighten then until snug. After your first ride, if they are leaking, snug them up again.

If they start to corrode, I just replace them and make sure the little rubber cap is available. BMW carries the little rubber caps and they're only a couple bucks. The new ones have a ring on them and they're retained by the nipple so you can't lose them.

[kz1]

+1 on the Speed Bleeder. The Speed Bleeder number for your bike is: SB1010S.

[crazydrummerdude]

Originally Posted by kz1

Just a word of caution, do not overtighen the bleeder. They will snap off and they are a bitch to get out. Just tighten then until snug. After your first ride, if they are leaking, snug them up again.

In my case, it snapped when I was taking it off. Then the EZ-out snapped (what else do they EVER do?). Then, I had to Dremel the bleeder valve out, around the tip of the EZ-out, but not into the threads of the caliper. Then, it all fell out.

Cleaned it up, and installed a new valve with the little rubber bit on the end.

[Mista Vern]

Originally Posted by crazydrummerdude

In my case, it snapped when I was taking it off. Then the EZ-out snapped (what else do they EVER do?). Then, I had to Dremel the bleeder valve out, around the tip of the EZ-out, but not into the threads of the caliper. Then, it all fell out.

Cleaned it up, and installed a new valve with the little rubber bit on the end.

Nice save!

[jtwind]

Though they work fine, you don't need to buy speed bleeders for each bike. The tool in Datchew's photo above is by Motion Pro and it's piece of tubing with a check valve in it. Works the same as a speed bleeder yet you can use it on all your bikes. Just put it on, crack the bleed nipple and pump away, just don't run the reservoir dry.

I gave up on speed bleeders after I discovered it.

[newride]

Originally Posted by rain

When I did the brake fluid on my old RS () I used SpeedBleeders ... they're kinda hokey but they make doing the job yourself much easier. If you want someone to come and help with the loosen-squeeze-tighten procedure let me know...

Thanksfor the offer man,
I am going to tackle that maybe in 2 or 3 weeks, I will let you know.
J

[gasolinePony]

Is there a particular brand anyone recommends for Dot 4 brake fluid?

[patanga]

Hi gasolinePony. Welcome to the forum. As you can see, there's more than one way. I've tried most methods and below is a link to the method I use. Scroll down the thread link below until you find the picture of the syringe. There you will see a cheap tool to make bleeding an easy one man job. Just top up the reservoir, connect syringe to caliper nipple via clear pvc tubing and draw the fluid through. The suction from the syringe should be plenty to bleed your brakes. Avoid pumping the brake lever when bleeding as that can stir up junk at the bottom of the M/C and wreck the seals.

Read the info in the posts and you'll come across a small safety mod also. You'll see that there are a number of variations in syringe tip design that might make tube fitment easier for you. I usually draw the fluid through from the filled reservoir with the syringe, but one inmate mentions that he fills the syringe with fluid and back pressure fills/bleeds the brake system from the bottom up. Never tired it that way, but that method also sounds plausible.

Most brake fluid brands are pretty good. Stick to the name brands is your best bet. Cheers. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...169507&page=45

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[gasolinePony]

Originally Posted by patanga

Hi gasolinePony. Welcome to the forum. As you can see, there's more than one way. I've tried most methods and below is a link to the method I use.

Thanks for the advice! I ended up doing it the tried and true way, because I'm new at it. I did however, use the syringe to pull the fluid down, while my buddy pumped the brake--nice method to get the draw going. So far it's working out, save a little leakage at the nipple, despite snugness.