Draining brake fluid - Braided hoses.

Hi all,

Just purchased some Goodrich braided hoses off ebay.

Im planning on having a go at fitting these myself. Can you please advise me:

- Should I fit front and rear? Ive heard bad things about rear.
- how to drain the brake fluid (and not make a real mess?)
- What brake fluid should I replace it with?
- How do I bleed the brakes?
- Any other useful tips?

My mate will be on hand to help but i thought i would try and sort it myself and show him what a clever boy i can be

Thanks in advance


Dan

[jambo]

1) Make sure you have a manual and you've read through it properly. Try here http://www.sv650.org/sv_manuals.htm
2) Have a bucket of water on standby to wash off any spillage
3) These are your brakes. They're pretty important, if you're not sure of the procedure, having someone along that is can be well worth it.

[yorkie_chris]

IMO;

Fitting one on the rear is a waste of time, the rear brake as standard is strong enough to cause problems if stomped on.

You need DOT 4 fluid, buy a fresh bottle and don't leave it uncapped as it absorbs water.

The brake fluid will pretty much drain itself when you take the old lines off, but its hard to avoid a mess, have lots of rags on hand. Or you could loosen the master cylinder reservoir cap, put a bit of tube on the bleed nipple and loosen it off, that would let most of it run out (into a suitable container helps )

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by jambo

3) These are your brakes. They're pretty important, if you're not sure of the procedure, having someone along that is can be well worth it.

+1

Double check everything, test them fully for bite and fluid leakage before going on the road.

You can test for leaks by cleaning fluid off the calipers (there'll be some there from bleeding them usually) then holding the brakes on for a fair while, any leakage will be visible. I use this method, I'm not sure if it works well, but its better than doing nowt and going straight out on the road IMO.

Just done mine yesterday, well the rear anyway, was straight forward enough. Put braided lines on, got the front to do. I took the caliper off to do mine, but I changed the pads as well. If you can get a bowl underneath it helps, and don't get the fluid on the paintwork.

Originally Posted by jumjum_0214

- Should I fit front and rear? Ive heard bad things about rear.
- how to drain the brake fluid (and not make a real mess?)
- What brake fluid should I replace it with?
- How do I bleed the brakes?
- Any other useful tips?

Hi Dan,

Changed from rubber to HEL braided myself, front and rear.

- Regarding fitting the rear, I think it's down to personal preference. I think a braided rear is fine and like the bite it has, but some think they are too powerful and don't give enough feel.

- Not sure of the recommended method of draining fluid. I usually crack off the calliper banjo so it's loose but still sealed, unbolt the calliper in question from the bike and put in/over a drain tray or similar, remove the pads to avoid contaminating them with the old fluid as it drains, then last of all open up the fluid reservior and remove the calliper banjo and watch the juice drain out. Pumping the lever or pedal will help to empty the reservior. Don't get the brake fluid on brake pads, paint or plastic as it can be corrosive, knacker the pads, damage paint or cause the plastics to weaken.

- The recommended brake fluid is DOT4, any decent bike brand would do.

- To bleed, you need the help of a friend, a length of clear plastic pipe to fit on the bleed nipple, a ring spanner to fit the bleed nipple, a jam jar and lots of patience. When you have drained the old fluid and connected the new hoses, re-mount the calliper (complete with pads) on the bike. Check everything is tightened up before you start putting in the fluid. Check the hose is routed correctly so that it doesn't get trapped, nipped or foul anything going from lock to lock. Connect the plastic pipe to the bleed nipple and pop the other end in the jam jar with a bit of new fluid in it that covers the end of the pipe. Fill up the fluid reservior. Then pump the lever or pedal. Then pump some more. Then pump it again. I've also found it helps to tap the brake lines lightly with something to help and trapped air in the brake system to move. You might see some bubbles popping out in the reservior as the air starts to work it's way out of the system. Also turning the bars to one side or the other and pumping can sometimes help trapped air to move. Eventually you will feel some resistance in the lever or pedal. Pump it up and hold pressure on the lever, then slacken of the bleed nipple to allow air out, but close it again before you release pressure on the lever or pedal or air is sucked back in. Repeat until all the air is gone, nothing but fluid comes out and you have good pressure on the lever or pedal.

- Other tips:
1. If possible enlist the help of someone who's done this before to help you the first time.
2. Do not go out and ride the bike after changing the fluid without you do a brake test first just walking the bike along, and then at very low speed to make sure you have good pressure and power in the system.
3. Do not try to bleed more than one calliper at a time.
4. Be patient, it can take a long time to bleed all of the air out. I seem to spend an hour at least on it every time I do it.
5. Check carefully on the hose routing before you fill up and start bleeding. Make sure that the hose does not get trapped, nipped or otherwise foul anything going from lock to lock. It helps to take a few pictures of the old front and rear hoses as they are before you start fitting the new ones.
6. If in doubt, ask an experienced someone to check the bike over for you when you're done.

[northwind]

I combined the rear braided hose with rubbish EBC Organic pads with no bite, which works pretty well IMO, still got enough power after all.

I hate bleeding brakes, it's honestly one of the most frustrating and annoying jobs there is on a bike IMO. It's not hard, but I've found myself basically doing the same thing over and over for ages without any results, then suddenly, without doing anything different it works. I hate that...

Originally Posted by charlie13

- Not sure of the recommended method of draining fluid. I usually crack off the calliper banjo so it's loose but still sealed, unbolt the calliper in question from the bike and put in/over a drain tray or similar, remove the pads to avoid contaminating them with the old fluid as it drains, then last of all open up the fluid reservior and remove the calliper banjo and watch the juice drain out. Pumping the lever or pedal will help to empty the reservior.

No need to drain the resevoir / master cylinder. In fact, I'd bet if it takes you an hour to bleed your brakes this is one of the reasons it takes so long. This is because as soon as air gets into the master cylinder when you come to squeeze the lever to pump fluid through, you're pumping against air which is a compressable fluid, instead of incompressable brake fluid.

Therefore, I'd recomend that your first step when changing brake lines is to crack open one of the bleed nipples (doesn't matter which one) which will allow you to pull the brake lever right back to the bar. Now tie the lever back to the bar with some string. This will essentially shut the master cylinder, preventing brake fluid from the resevoir draining through the master cylinder when you come to detach the lines.

A £5 speed bleeder from halfords will make life much easier when it comes to bleed the new lines too.

[northwind]

If you're going to spend £5 on a brake bleeding tool, I'd make it a big syringe off ebay... I love mine, makes horrible brake bleeding so easy. Better than a Mityvac IMO.

How do you use the syringe kit?