Little Bleeding Brake info

[DEMMYM]

I was talking with one of the mechanics at ( Metric Cycles in Tulsa Shameless plug. ) and we got to talking about bleeding the front brakes and what a pain it can be, He says they even have problems at times but one thing he has found is that if you crack the Banjo connection at the resevoir when you think your done you may find a little extra air there.

Also mentioned that even after your done maybe even do it the next day, He said air like to accumulate there.

Who knows, But I know I will try it next time.

 

[adamnflorida]

crack the banjo connection? really? never heard that before..i bought a brake bleeder vacuum pump kit from harbor freight and it has worked flawlessly..absolutly no air in the lines.

Brake Bleeder and Vacuum Pump Kit

 

[macon454]

Yes a vacum pump or brake bleeder is the way to go, only have to do it once and your done.

 

[teddypenn]

ive heard of air getting trapped in the banjo bolts before, but never had an issue with it myself. my mighty vac works like a champ. thats good info to have incase there are troubles down the road.

 

[craigntx]

yea, a "mechanic" bled my brakes with a vac. felt great for a couple days, suddenly the lever travel came close to my knuckles (i ride with 1 finger across the lever, others wrapped around the grip). evidently some air or bad fluid was trapped in the system that he didn't get.
a cert kaw tech re-did it and i got great brakes again

 

[fiend]

There was an article or something in a recent motorcycle mag about how this could happen even if you use the mightyvac system. It was in a review where it explained that even with the mightyvac that air bubbles naturally want to go up so then they get caught in the banjos.

 

[JDRiderCoach]

Not against brake bleeders, but my cheapo harbor freight one was not worth the money. The MightyVac one is much better. That being said, with a motorcycle and long, gangly arms like I have, bleeding them the old fashioned way of pumping the levers and releasing the air works just fine. If you don't have the extra 10 min of your life available for this method I geuss the vacuum bleeder is for you. A better application is when your doing a car by yourself and there's no way you can pump the pedal and crack open the caliper fitting single handed. Also note while not absolutely necessary, cracking the banjo bolt at the MC to burp out the air shaves about 7 mins off the 10 min time. It can be messy so cover it with rags as you crack it open. You can also purchase bleeder banjo bolts that have a fitting on the end for attaching a hose so there's no mess. Just my 2 cents. To each his own.

 

[Djxtrodinaire]

Big E helped me this morning with the rear brakes.

Just kept at it till all the bubbles are gone. not sure what kit he used but it worked.

 

[djsin]

i had no spare hose or brake bleeder but what i did have was some 16 gage 4 conductor speaker wire...i cut a 3 foot piece and removed the wire from the sheeth...it fit snuggly over the bleeder valve...with very little suction...I bleed the brakes down untill the hose was also full to the top with fluid...when i didnt see any more air bubbles coming from the speaker wire hose...I knew it was right...and by having the 2 feet of lenght i was confident there wasnt any air going back in through the bleeder when i released the brake lever for the next stroke

 

[kromdom]

Carlos (carlsbadbusa) did GALFER lines (front, rear and clutch) on my bike and the Mighty Vac was a huge help. One tip he told me was to zip tie both brake and clutch levers overnight to help whatever trapped over air bubbles to rise to the top.

 

[BigBadDodge]

Carlos (carlsbadbusa) did GALFER lines (front, rear and clutch) on my bike and the Mighty Vac was a huge help. One tip he told me was to zip tie both brake and clutch levers overnight to help whatever trapped over air bubbles to rise to the top.

Thats what i did and it seemed to work, was talking to my parts guy at the honda dealer today and he said tie it to the lever and ever so slightly crack the banjo at the master the next morning and it should solve it, mine are much better but at first you still have to pump, after the initial its great the rest of the day