How To Flush and Bleed Your Motorcycle Brakes | The Shop Manual

How To Flush and Bleed Your Motorcycle Brakes | The Shop Manual

If you've got spongy brakes, odds are that lever can be firmed up by bleeding the brake system. Plus, replacing your brake fluid is regular maintenance that oughta be done every two years. So in this episode of The Shop Manual, we’ll show you how to do it.

[JVass-oqmp]

A tip from a grumpy old mechanic. Don't pump the brake handle. This can cause any air bubbles in the system to brak into tiny bubbles, think foam. This can lead to your brakes feeling nice and firm until those teeny tiny bubbles get back together into one big bubble. Then you have soft brakes again. Instead of pumping, simply squeeze the break lever, open your bleeder to let fluid and air out, close your bleeder, and repeat. Once no more air is coming out, then you can pump the lever to get a final pressurization in the system. No pumping = no foaming, and this means not risking having to do it again.

[Plntls]

Just an extra tip, when you’ve reached the step to refill your reservoir after bleeding the calipers, take a quick look at your brakepads. If they are worn, but not completely worn out, don’t fill your reservoir all the way. When you replace the pads, the pistons in the calipers will push back the brake fluid into the reservoir. The fluid needs somewhere to go.

[JMartinsATV]

Wow, you actually made me feel capable of doing this...

[markkulyas]

One thing I learned is the dot next to the screw to identify the style of fastener, thanks. I always take a black plastic trash bag and cover up the tank along with paper towels, cheep insurance. I'm glad RevZilla picked up this guy, great addition to the team.

[alan]

I have bled many brake systems on bikes and this introduction to bleeding brakes is one of the best I have seen . Thanks for putting this up, there will be many watching this who have more confidence in doing the job for the first time . Well done .

[pilkjaer]

Great guide. 2 important things to add:
1. Always use fresh bottle of brake fluid. You can't store it after you have opened it.
2. Use gloves AND eye protection. When you remove the hose there is a risk to get some splashes on you. Without eye protection this might not end well. Ask me how I know.

[willjohnson]

This is a great video explaining how to bleed your motorcycle brakes. If you have an air compressor you might want to consider investing in a mityvac pneumatic operated fluid evacuator. The motorcycle shop I worked at had one and it worked so good I had to buy one myself. They will run you $100 but they are well worth it. When connected to compressed air they build a vacuum. You can use it to clean the reservoir and put fresh fluid in it to avoid sending any more old brake fluid through the brake system. They are also great for when the brake system has lots of air, like when you have changed out brake lines or calipers. It is one of the best tools I own for motorcycle work. They come with a nipple attachment that holds onto the bleeder for you, so once its connected to the bleeder you just loosen the bleeder and keep adding brake fluid at the reservoir until it has been fully bled.

[Bikernewscanada]

I've known this procedure for a life time, (I'm 63). Used it on cars also. Only thing different is that we put the end of the hose into a jar with a little fluid in it already. That way we didn't have to keep opening and closing the bleeder because each pump stroke would only draw fluid back and not air. We just kept pumping until no more air bubbles in the line. BTW. Harley just did an unauthorised fluid change on my bike. Cost me $160 !!!! Thanks for your excellent video.

[wraithRR]

one thing he didnt mention, if you have a bleeder on your master cylinder start with that. i couldnt figure out what i did wrong since i followed the directions but still had a spongy lever that pulled allt the way into the bar until i noticed i had a bleeder valve at my master cylinder. run 2 full reservoirs of fluid through it, now it will be completely clean for when you do the lines. do the lines as normal then finish off again with bleeding the master cylinder before topping off. my lever now only has a perfect 1/2inch of play, are now STIFF with no sponginess and finally dont pull in all the way to the bars!

[stijnvankuilenburg]

love the addition of ari and zack to the channel!

[ChrisZBrwn]

One tip, one suggestion
Suggestion, buy a pair of large syringes from a vet for like $10. You can use them a ton in bikes, but suck the fluid from the master. Then use the syringe on the bleeder, push the fluid UP to the master. Never have a bubble doing it this way

That JIS brand that was shown is Vessel. They also make other awesome screwdrivers, a $12 ball handle with bits, including JIS, and the Impacta! A JIS screwdriver and impact driver in one. Also pretty inexpensive, but it’ll pop off any stuck JIS fastener.

[LongPondNH]

I bought a five year old KLR650 with 1000 miles and now I'm realizing that there are a ton of PM items that I need to do simply because of the age of the bike. Thanks for this video and all of the other videos that show how easy most of those tasks can be.

[jarlballin]

started using a capri tools vacuum brake bleeder this year, cost like $85 bucks but is the most convenient thing ever when doing brakes. if you have one bike and do brakes every 2 years like in the manual this method is great, but if you have a few bikes and do brakes often you gotta get a vacuum bleeder. great video!

[nealsteik]

Like the tip on punching holes in the new brake fluid container, but Instead of cutting an X on the side of the milk bottle, what about cutting it into the lid? That way you can use another lid and it's totally sealed when done, no tape required.

[Mauryz]

You just made my day, your video is so detail oriented that I was able to flush the brake system myself. Great video!!

[TheBaconVanMan]

POV is absolutely the move. This makes it so much easier to understand and follow. Great video! Going to do mine tomorrow

[PratikBabar]

I actually did this on my dad's Honda which had really spongy brakes and I pulled it off without any problems. Thanks for the assist man.

[jothain]

Very good tips. I especially the JIS mentioned. As kid I always F'd my moped carburator screw heads. It remained mystery for a very long time. Just few years ago one machine mechanic mentioned me the difference as he was teching me to work with one japanese machine. Indeed there is very slight difference in the profile which makes a huge difference. I immediately ordered myself a kit of JIS screw drivers. They're essential on even a bit older japanese bikes. But on that regard, someone told me that many latest japanese bikes don't have them anymore. I can't confirm this is as I ride older bikes, but just keep out eye for that dot. It's simple as that.

[aaronevans]

Just wanted to say that Ari is the reason I just spent my first $110.10 on RevZilla! This dude is amazing. Huge respect! (Yeah Zack is cool too...)

[Ofmyownvolition]

Nice straightforward procedure, sprinkled with a few tips of the trade that really make the difference in your daily wrenching. The aluminum seal trick did it for me.