How it works and why bleedinthen release
the brake leverg is neccessary sometimes.
| The braking system is quite siple, as you pull on the brake, the piston
(in red) forces the brake fluid (in yellow) through the tube, this pushes
the piston(s) in the caliper onto the brake pad against the disc.
If air & or water gets into the system the air or water in the tube
gets compressed instead of pushing the piston, this leads to either poor
brakes or worse, total loss of brakes
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Bleeding
| Bleeding, the basics..... |
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Note:
Here is one of the most complicated braking systems you will come across,
comprising of 6 bleed nipples!
It has a twin disc set up, and anti dave system.
For twin brake systems always start with the shortest hose first
On this machine (Kawasaki GPZ 1000RX) it would be right fork, splitter
bleed nipple where there are three hoses joining into a single banjo
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then anti-dive nipple
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then caliper nipple.
Then the same on the front left side of the system
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1. Locate the master cylinder, on the front brake, usually found on
the right handlebar, for the rear, it's usually found near, under the side
panel, or the swinging arm. Wrap a cloth under the cylinder to stop spilt
fluid getting onto any paint work, as brake fluid is a very good paint
stripper. Then undo the top of the cylinder, this will have a screw top
(e.g.. old Honda cb750s), or a few screws.
Remove the rubber, then top up with the recommended brake fluid (usually
DOT4)
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Note, do not let the resevoir
run out of fluid, if this happens, you will have to start again as air
will be sucked into the system
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2. Place the spanner onto the bleed nipple. Then place a clear
tube over the nipple and place the other end of it into a bottle. This
will show any air bubbles that might have got into the system, as well
as stopping any splis of brake fluid or air getting back into the system
during bleeding. |
| 3. Undo the Bleed nipple a quarter turn. |
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4. Then pull the brake lever, to push fluid through the system, and
keep it full on.
Note:
Releasing the lever before
closing the bleed nipple will allow air to get into your system! |
5. Do up the bleed nipple.
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6 Release the brake lever. Repeat this steps 3 to 6, topping up the
cylinder with fluid as necessary. When you can see no air bubbles coming
through the tube. the system is bled. |
7. When the fluid is between the levels marked, replace the top, then
clean all spilt fluid, from both the cylinder and the caliper.
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8. Hold the brake lever on and try to move the bike, just to make sure
that the brake is working BEFORE RIDING! |
Note. Bleed nipples are notorious for seizing, It is a good idea
to use a penetrating oil before trying to undo them. In severe cases you
might even have to heat the caliper and nipple using a blowtorch. If this
is the case, make sure not to burn any of the rubbers. If the nipple snaps,
then if you are very careful you might be able to drill it out, taking
care not to damage the thread, if you damage the thread then you might
be able to re-tap it and use a over-sized nipple, as a last resort.....
replace the caliper!
I reccommend replacing all bleed nipples after 5-7yrs or sooner.
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