Brakes- first time help

[Sean_C]

I've put a gsxr front end on my SV, with some 4 pots, new sintered pads and new brake discs. The front brake system is completely dry, and the most I've ever done to brakes is change the pads. I gather I need some tube and a syringe to bleed the brakes, has the mighty org got any pearls of wisdom for me? I won't be doing this til tuesday at the earliest, so I have time to get whatever I need.

Ideally I'd have someone show me what to do, but there's nobody around here that can do that, and it'll be good to learn anyway :)

Thanks!

[dirtydog]

You don't actually need a syringe to bleed the brakes but it can make it easier. Filling a dry system can be a right PITA! What I normally do is leave the banjos on the calipers, fill the resevoir with brake fluid and let gravity do it's thing.

[dirtydog]

Motrax sell a "little bleeder" which is basicaly a 1 way valve, it may make the process slightly easier

[petevtwin650]

Yep you could fill the reservoir with fluid, open the bleed nipples and leave. Make sure you have pipes over the nipples in to containers though. Don't want that nasty stuff on your wheels at all. Problem is if you leave it long enough all the fluid will drain through and you'll be back to square one. Or maybe it won't. :confused:

[Sean_C]

sounds like I'll be muttering a few swear words then.. Thanks for the tips :-)

[the_lone_wolf]

you won't find a syringe in the high street, i tried, got told they don't sell them because you can fit a lot of drugs in a big syringe:rolleyes:

got one from a mate's 1st aid kit in the end, but was told a paint supplier might be able to help...

syringe on the calliper bleed nipple was the easiest way to do it for me on the KTM...

[svtomo]

surely you could pump the lever and catch any spray from the nipple in an old bottle,think that would be quickest and easiest

[svdemon]

I put a tube going from the bleed nipple to a jar of brake fluid and keep pumping the lever until there are no air bubbles coming through the tube, filling the reservoir when necessary.

Tighten the bleed nipple pump a few times and let the air out again. Tapping the calipers while bleeding will help too.

[Red Herring]

Fill the reservoir up, open the bleed nipples, then blow up a condom and put it over the top of the reservoir. The extra pressure makes the whole process so much faster.....

Once you have fluid coming out the top of the calipers (bleed nipples) close them off and wait about 15 minutes. Whilst waiting make sure all the pipes are as near vertical as possible to stop air getting trapped in the middle (the crossover between the forks is favorite on some bikes). Hopefully any air still in the system has now worked it's way up the pipes and is now in the master cylinder. Work the lever slightly so that the plunger moves and this air should work it's way out, but you might need to unbolt the cylinder from the handlebars so the banjo end is lowest. You should have some pressure now so you can finish off by fitting a length of transparent pipe to one of the caliper bleed nipples and holding the end of the tube up bleed out some fluid so you have some in about 8" of pipe. Any air that comes out the nipple will work it's way up the pipe. Then still with the nipple open put your mouth over the end of the pipe and blow the fluid back into the system, but stop about an inch from the nipple. This saves waste and also tends to force any air still in the middle of the system up towards the master cylinder. Shut off bleed nipple and repeat for other caliper, then tap the master cylinder a bit, check the pressure is nice and firm, then re bolt it to the handlebar.
Good luck.

[Sean_C]

Better to resurrect this than start another-

I've been doing these tonight- I got the one way valve thing from a local auto store that you recommended DD, thanks.
I've got plenty of feel from the lever, and there are no bubbles coming from the reservoir end of things. However, from the Haynes, the tube was supposed to fill with fluid and I should have been able to see the bubbles go through it.. This never happened. They certainly stop the bike with me pushing it forward and grabbing the brake, but I have no idea if they're fully bled or not :(
Has anybody got any ideas?
Thanks :)

[charlie13]

there should be quite a few good bits of advice in this section if you have a search on "bleeding brakes", and here's one we made earlier http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=102431&highlight=bleeding

[yorkie_chris]

If the lever is firm, they're bled. If it goes all the way back to the bars with little resistance, they're not bled.

[Sean_C]

It sounds like they're bled then. First timers anxiousness? :p