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Bleeding brakes

B

Buzzard 059

Member
I am rebuilding my rear master . any in put on the best way to fill the lines.
besides the obvious.and rear caliber that was fun with no air. fresh piston
89 FLH
 
I usually use a device that sucks the fluid through the system, you can get a cheap mity vac from harbor freight and hook to the bleeder valve, fill the master cylinder and suck or there's also better systems if you have a air compressor.
If you put a small hose on the bleeder valve the old fashion way isn't bad either.
 
I had trouble getting the brakes fully bled on my bike. I ended up buying a cheap BIG syringe from a surgery supply store. (about $5)

Connect a piece of tubing over the end of the syringe, and the other end of the tubing over the brake bleeder.

Fill the master cylinder with fresh brake fluid.

Open the bleeder, and using the syringe, suck the fluid thru the line and into the syringe. It's a bit easier if you have two people as you have to make sure that you don't empty the master cylinder. Once you get nothing but fluid into the syringe,with no bubbles, tighten the bleeder.

Pull the hose off the bleeder, and push the plunger on the syringe, emptying the fluid into a catch container.

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The other thing this method does is makes sure that you have completely replaced all the old fluid and moisture in the system.

Just be careful, brake fluid screws up paint! Cover it up.

Worked like a champ for me.
 
If i have any problems getting the fluid through the brake system i tend to reverse bleed to fill the system
i use a large syringe and a bit of plastic pipe (car window washer pipe) and push the fluid in through the caliper end
once the system is full bleed as normal to get rid of any air bubbles
Be aware that the caliper bleeder seals at the cone shaped seat when its closed so if the bleeder is open then it can draw air through the threads unless they are sealed
so the old way of brake leaver down open bleeder close bleeder release brake leaver works best for me
if you kneel on the right side of bike right hand on brake pedal left hand on brake spanner and eyes moving between bleed pipe and resevoir this is a simple 1 man job

Brian
 
Works great, but really tough on the Sportster because the master cylinder and brake pedal are on opposite sides of the bike, so you feel like an "ape" doing it by yourself, or get smart and have a "helper" to press the pedal.
 
Word of caution for anyone with a 06 & later TC or 07 & later XL (I think), HD switched to dot 4 brake fluid, the best paint remover on the market, When bleeding brakes keep it clean, reverse, siphon or old school method, afterwards wash the master cylinder very good with soap & water, just a little residue on you're finger, touch the fuel tank and next morning you'll have a fingerprint embedded through the clear coat,
 
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