How To Bleed Motorcycle Clutch – HYDRAULIC brake setups are perfectly reliable systems these days and generally work without doing much regular maintenance. But over time, the hydraulic fluid inside the lines and calipers absorbs water from the atmosphere and needs to be refreshed. Bleeding the lines with fresh fluid every six months can restore feel and strength—and if you do anything to your brakes, like changing lines or seals, you’ll need to bleed trapped air after the job.
To be blunt, you don’t need anything more than a wrench to open the bleed nipple and a screwdriver to open the chamber cover. And when I started riding horses in the 1980s, that’s all we had. Pump the brake lever, hold it against the pressure bar, release the nozzle, let the old fluid/air out, squeeze the nozzle, release the lever and repeat until (not) empty. nonsense.
How To Bleed Motorcycle Clutch
Today, however, there are several tools available to help speed up the process. This white bleeder bottle from BikeIt has a one-way valve on the bleeder hose so you simply open the spout and pump out the fluid – the valve prevents air from being sucked back into the caliper when you release the brake lever.
Don’t Forget To Check & Fill Your Hydraulic Clutch Fluid: Here’s How
Another option is a vacuum pump setup like this one from Venhill. This sucks new fluid through the lines instead of pumping it through the master cylinder, thus drawing in air and old fluid very quickly. A cheap replacement option is a big old syringe: connect it with a clean hose to the bleed nipple, open the nozzle and draw out the air and old fluid. It’s a messier and less slippery option, but very inexpensive.
Plenty of fresh brake fluid is essential. They’re cheap stuff, so don’t skimp on reusing old liquids – and remember that once a bottle is opened, its shelf life is short. Normal brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water vapor from the air. So if you have dirty brake fluid, the water turns into tiny bubbles of steam as it heats up. And since vapor is compressible (not liquid), your brakes will become spongy and may eventually stop working altogether. New, dry fluid will take a lot more heat before problems arise.
Small 250 ml bottles like this Liqui-Moly liquid make more sense than larger liter bottles, especially if you use a little every now and then.
Remove the reservoir cap and make sure the liquid is completely full before starting. If you forget to watch the level and the reservoir runs dry, air gets into the lines and you have to start all over again (but we would never do that, oh no, not us…)
Car Brake Bleeding Brake Fluid Clutch, Air Pressure Bar, Car, Motorcycle Png
Connect your bleeder to the nipple and loosen it with a quality, tight-fitting wrench. Then pump the handle or crank the vacuum pump until cool liquid comes out and even no bubbles. The new fluid will be a lighter yellow color than the old one – it gets darker over time, like whiskey (but not as tasty… it’s a miserable thing to fix), remove the hose, reinstall the spout and reservoir and ready.
Brake fluid is bad for your skin and paint. Wear gloves and be sure to rinse off any spills from fuel tanks or wheels as soon as possible. The good thing is that, unlike engine oil, it can be easily rinsed off with plenty of water.
For road use, glycol fluid with DOT4 is good enough. Riders can use DOT5.1, which has a higher boiling point but also absorbs water faster and needs to be replaced more often – but race bike brakes usually need to be replaced every race (sometimes every session…).
DOT3 is an older standard with a lower boiling point – often used in hydraulic clutch systems that don’t have to deal with a lot of heat.
Amazon.com: Jifetor Hand Vacuum Pump Turner Tester And Brake Clutch Bleeder Tool 2 In 1 Kit, One Man Handheld Automotive Brake Fluid Bleeding Set, With Gauge Jar Adapters For Bike Motorcycle Car Truck Diagnosis :
DOT5 fluid is a silicone based fluid and cannot be mixed with other fluids (DOT3, DOT4, DOT5.1). Used in very cold climates and by some industrial and military users. Best avoided for 99.9% of drivers. I have a 2019 KTM 300 TPI. I have a brother in the motorcycle industry, but I’m afraid to ask him for help. He could be a real Richard. Here’s what happened: I drilled my thread all the way to the clutch master cylinder. I bought a new one and tried bleeding it by filling, pumping and venting the master cylinder vent. I couldn’t even get the right feeling that there was air. Can you give me the best way to do this? Also, which oil should I use? I’m pretty sure it’s brake fluid. Anyway thank you.
Hello “Angsty Dude”, you can pump and fuck until the cows come home and you’ll never get all the air in the system when replacing the entire brake line. It must be pushed from the slave cylinder to the master cylinder. While the clutch fluid is manufactured by Brembo, Magura makes a syringe, hose and adapter kit (don’t use the included Magura Blood) that makes this task simple. Use DOT 4 brake fluid. My friend Jeff Slavens sent me the link to the tool and proper technique needed to get the job done. See https://slavensracing.com/shop/hydraulic-clutch-bleeder-kit-for-ktmhusaberg-by-magura/ or https://youtu.be/f_5z0d0hgae.
FYI: When replacing just the master cylinder, you can easily bleed it by removing the slave cylinder and pushing the piston inwards. This forces the air bubbles up and out.
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Hydraulic Clutch Bleeding
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Cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the operation of the website and are used specifically to collect user personal data through analytics, advertisements and other embedded content are called non-essential cookies. It is mandatory to obtain user consent before running these cookies on your website. Following this helpful advice from the ZGGTR.org website below, I tried the clutch one more time yesterday. I should have assumed multiple bleeding nipples on this very complex and over-engineered motorcycle.
This poster recommends using an electric bleeder over the hand pump type. My hand pump has been used extensively over the last five years. The gauge glass fell off and the rubber hoses became brittle and don’t connect well. Also, the pump is starting to seize up on me so I bought an air line vacuum bleeder a few weeks ago and it’s a re-evaluation. If you’re bleeding in your own garage and you’ve got an air compressor, this thing isn’t too expensive, it looks well made, and dammit it’s bleeding!
Zochlon Brake Bleed Adapter Hose Motorcycle Car Clutch Brake Bleeder Kit Easy To Use Valve Tube Bleeding Tool Kit Essential Tool For Increased Safety Helpful
At about thirty dollars (CAD), this thing makes bleeding a much less tedious experience. The included rubber tube is flexible and grippy and forms a secure connection with the bleed nipples. The vacuum control (red handle) provides even, powerful suction that makes bleeding much easier.
Terrible picture, but I’m pointing to the lower clutch bleed nipple, which is down when shifting gears.
Bleeding the complex pneumatic clutch system on the C14 is described as “very difficult” and the hand pump made that a reality. The air compressor driven bleed made it much easier to generate even and consistent pressure, but I couldn’t get the clutch to attach until I read the following part and noticed that there was a second bleed nipple near the reservoir on the handlebars. The GTR1400 is a complex beast, but once you start to understand how they designed it, it all starts to make sense to Connie.
Be sure to fill the reservoir with DOT4 brake fluid and bleed the top nozzle. Once you get a consistent fluid, squeeze it all out, then move down the lower nipple with gear shifting. To get to the bottom, you need to remove the overlay. Oddly, the top nozzle is 8mm and the bottom nozzle is 10mm, so you’ll need two wrenches to get the job done.
Priming Rebuilt Systems, Fluid Removal And Reverse Bleeding Your Brake
When you have one that produces a liquid without bubbles at the bottom
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