Joined Jun 2007
811 Posts | 0+
Nantwich
Hands up who has had or is having hydraulic clutch or rear brake problems.
OK hands down, I think that is all of you, so here goes a step by step guide to cure your woes
The problems on the clutch are caused by vertical layout and the small displacement of fluid by the master cylinder. On the rear brake the volume displaced is smaller still.
It is virtually impossible to properly bleed a motorcycle clutch or front brake using pump the lever and crack the banjo method. Vacuum systems are a much more capable method, but their cost outweighs the advantages for part time mechanics.
Here we have a method on a budget simply using a plastic medical syringe, of from 10 to 75 ml, you can use reverse fluid injection to effectively bleed any motorcycle brake or clutch in very little time.
Ensure your reservoir is clean and free from contaminates (pumping dirt into your lines is not good). Extract all the fluid out of the reservoir and clean. Take your clean syringe and fill it with new brake fluid. Attach it with a clear vinyl tube to the bleeder at the caliper or clutch slave. Open the bleeder and inject the fluid while watching the level in the reservoir. Stop when full. Close the bleeder. Suck out the reservoir and repeat as needed. Job done, how easy was that :O.
One last thing about bleeding clutches. There is not actually a bleeder on the slave cylinder itself. It is part of the banjo bolt. it is possible to bleed and still have a pocket of air within the slave cylinder. It is however easy to remove it.
After bleeding as above and filling the reservoir, remove the three screws securing the slave cylinder. Remove the cylinder and hold it in its normal attitude then tip it slightly to the right (as if you were leaning the bike to the right). Allow the internal spring to slowly push the piston out 5 or 6 millimeters and push it back in forcefully. Be careful not to spill any fluid on your paintwork. Repeat this several times. Reinstall the cylinder you may want to reverse inject just for good measure. (do not overfill your reservoir, when hot it expands and can cause a slipping clutch)
Tada
Article kindly used with permission from KZmille (Author)
OK hands down, I think that is all of you, so here goes a step by step guide to cure your woes
The problems on the clutch are caused by vertical layout and the small displacement of fluid by the master cylinder. On the rear brake the volume displaced is smaller still.
It is virtually impossible to properly bleed a motorcycle clutch or front brake using pump the lever and crack the banjo method. Vacuum systems are a much more capable method, but their cost outweighs the advantages for part time mechanics.
Here we have a method on a budget simply using a plastic medical syringe, of from 10 to 75 ml, you can use reverse fluid injection to effectively bleed any motorcycle brake or clutch in very little time.
Ensure your reservoir is clean and free from contaminates (pumping dirt into your lines is not good). Extract all the fluid out of the reservoir and clean. Take your clean syringe and fill it with new brake fluid. Attach it with a clear vinyl tube to the bleeder at the caliper or clutch slave. Open the bleeder and inject the fluid while watching the level in the reservoir. Stop when full. Close the bleeder. Suck out the reservoir and repeat as needed. Job done, how easy was that :O.
One last thing about bleeding clutches. There is not actually a bleeder on the slave cylinder itself. It is part of the banjo bolt. it is possible to bleed and still have a pocket of air within the slave cylinder. It is however easy to remove it.
After bleeding as above and filling the reservoir, remove the three screws securing the slave cylinder. Remove the cylinder and hold it in its normal attitude then tip it slightly to the right (as if you were leaning the bike to the right). Allow the internal spring to slowly push the piston out 5 or 6 millimeters and push it back in forcefully. Be careful not to spill any fluid on your paintwork. Repeat this several times. Reinstall the cylinder you may want to reverse inject just for good measure. (do not overfill your reservoir, when hot it expands and can cause a slipping clutch)
Tada
Article kindly used with permission from KZmille (Author)
Last edited:
irate
