Is a brake bleed neccessary after a pad replacement?

I bled my clutch last season but am still too afraid to touch the brakes. I have no local Honda dealer.

Would a dummy like me benefit from a set of speedbleeders?

 

My mom told me not to lie. I have a local Honda deal but wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.

 

Go to part source spend 6 bucks and get a cheap bleeder kit... OR spend 120 bucks and an air compressor,
or a hose bout 1 foot long and a 500m pop bottle
it is way easier with a friend to help
Take your time and follow the steps in manual, it has all the pretty pics to let your know what system u r doing
Follow SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY!!!! dont rush if it takes ya 4 hrs thats what it takes
Other then that it is like doing the clutch, or bleeding a regular bikes brakes EXCEPT there r a few repeats of the exact same procedure

this is a pretty simple procedure that requires more patience and time then real skill. My advice it have a printed copy of the procedure next ta ya and a pencil to check off steps, a friend to pump brakes for ya, and At least 1 L of fluid for the rear system... manual says 500ml i used 750-900ml on the rear and bout 500ml on the front, but thats a flush and replace. Think of it like having 4 separate calipers in the front and 2 in thr rear, is the best i can do to describe the system...LOOK @ the pics in the service manual it pretty much explains all...

After all this......u still r concerned bout procedure...... find a friend that can help........but its pretty easy.... IF YOU TAKE YOUR TIME.

P.S the first procedure and the second in the manual is the same, EXCEPT the second u have to pump the brakes to bleed as apposed to the vacuum doing it

Hope this helps

 

Sorry Dude, not true.

 

Watch this it explained the cheap procedure. STILL FOLLOW MANUAL PROCEDURE BUT this will give ya the just of it

YouTube - Motorcycle Brake Bleeding Procedure from Sportbiketrackgear.com

 

Your man boosh doesn't know what's in there now.

I just got the bike last year and the fluid is a crappy amber colour. I know I outta do something and SOON.

 

it will b dot 4 as long as last owner followed manufacture or any common sense.

I was in the same boat not knowing what the last owner did too...... so i went and got 5.1 and ran a shit load thru and " flushed " the system with the new pushing out the old, until it was Crystal clear in color then bout another " piece of mind " 100 ml. then Bleed system topped up 3 times for the front and 5 for the rear..(this is the majoirity of the LBS system".. i over did it but who cares it's your brakes, and i ride with the piece of mind that there is no hope in hell that there is any old fluid in it or air in the system

 

So...when did you say you're heading to Ontario?!??

 

There are dot3 fluids with dry boiling points of 575 degress, so the whole idea that the higher dot numbers have higher boiling points is not applicable with todays fluids. You need to check the manufacturers rated wet and dry boiling points to actually know.

 

u have a service manual? or a plane ticket, hotel and hot half naked woman, and beer i'm on my way.

 

i did 5.1 is the best shit on the market under 20.00 cdn/ 500ml

 

your other option is either come to calgary with your bike....or i hear a honda dealership near ya is on fire

 

Thanks to Dave Zeckhausen :

Lets look at what the DOT ratings mean. The table below shows the MINIMUM wet and dry boiling points for DOT 2, 3, 4, and 5 brake fluid in degrees fahrenheit.

DOT 2 DOT 3 DOT 4 DOT 5
Dry Boiling point 374 401 446 500
Wet boiling point 284 311 356

The DOT 2 spec is for drum brakes and is obsolete. If you have any DOT 2 in your garage, throw it away! DOT 5 is for silicone brake fluid. Silicone brake fluid (DOT 5) should be avoided because it is not compatible with regular brake fluid, it is hard to pour without introducing bubbles and thus results in soft pedal feel, and moisture still gets into your system and will pool in low areas like your calipers and encourage rapid corrosion. STAY AWAY!

That leaves DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids. These fluids are compatible with each other and may be interchanged or mixed with no ill effects.

Let's look at some popular brake fluids and their boiling points:


Fluid DRY WET
Castrol LMA DOT 3/4 446 311
Ford Heavy Duty DOT 3 550 290
ATE Super Blue Racing 536 392
ATE TYP 200 536 392
Motul Racing 600 585 421
Castrol SRF 590 518
Performance Friction 550 284

Castrol LMA is very good at rejecting moisture and may be kept in your brake system for a couple years. The LMA stands for "Low Moisture Activity". This is the minimum quality stuff that I would use in my Impala. It comes in plastic containers which do not have a long shelf life. Don't buy lots of this stuff at a time because moisture can make its way through the plastic containers.

Ford Heavy Duty DOT 3 is VERY inexpensive and is popular among racers because of its excellent dry boiling point. It absorbs moisture quickly, but the racers don't care since they change their fluid frequently. Comes in metal cans so it may be stored. I would not use this in my Impala for the street.

ATE Super Blue Racing and ATE TYP 200 are the same brake fluid in two different colors (blue and amber, respectively). BMW recommends this brake fluid for their street cars because it, like Castrol LMA, absorbs moisture very slowly. The advantage over LMA is that ATE has a much better wet boiling point. You can put this stuff in your car and forget about it for a long time. An excellent choice for a weekend track car which also sees regular street duty. Comes in metal cans. This is what I use in all my street cars.

Motul Racing 600 is a very exotic and expensive synthetic fluid with high wet and dry boiling points. I use this exclusively in my race cars. Too expensive for the street and requires frequent changing due to its hygroscopic nature. Sold in plastic bottles. It is not suitable for the street because it absorbs moisture quickly.

Castrol SRF is a hyper-exotic and hyper-expensive brake fluid that is generally used by wealthy Porsche owners at track events. I've seen prices of $78 per liter for this stuff. Sold in metal cans. I can't afford this stuff!

Performance Friction High Performance DOT 3 has a good dry boiling point but a crummy wet boiling point. It comes in metal cans which is good for shelf life and sells for $7.87 per 16 ounce container. If you are even considering this fluid, I would go with the cheaper Ford Heavy Duty DOT 3. In either case, change this fluid frequently due to the poor wet boiling point.


The amount of moisture in brake fluid definitely affects its performance. The big problem is it is absorbs moisture quickly. Over a relatively short period of time brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air. SAE field tests have shown that the average one year old car has 2% moisture in the fluid. A random test of vehicles in the U.S. showed an average water content of 2.6% for vehicles with an average age of 8 years. And 25% of these vehicles had water content greater than 4%.

As water content in brake fluid increases over time, the boiling point decreases. Fluid with a reduced boiling point (or high water content) can create vapor by boiling in the caliper, or wheel cylinder. The result is sudden brake failure. And water in the brake fluid can contribute to corrosion of parts such as steel pistons and ABS modulators.

The end result is even though DOT 3 fluid is "rated" at greater than 401oF, in the typical 3 to 4 year old car with 3 to 4% moisture content, it could boil under 300oF. And if it has got more than 4% moisture, you may as well be running straight water!

Moral: Flush your brake fluid every year or so. But only if you would like it to work well scarcely an inch away from those toasty 500oF rotors on your SHO during a couple of hard stops! Or would you rather have a squishy pedal?


Dot 5.1

Brake fluid is often one of the most overlooked fluids in today's modern vehicles. Consumers will lubricate and change their engines with high performance oils, however the brake and clutch hydraulic systems are often neglected and ignored. With you and your vehicle's safety in mind, your brake fluids are an integral part of regular maintenance. Motul has been in the forefront of synthetic brake fluid design for years, and their constant pursuit of high performance race fluids has enabled them to offer vastly superior brake fluids for your street and race cars.

DOT 5.1 BRAKE FLUID

This polyglycol based brake fluid vastly exceeds the highest DOT specs. For use in all systems that require a DOT 3, DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid. With its very low viscosity, this brake fluid is specially designed for today's newer ABS systems where a very thin fluid is needed to circulate in modern complex ABS systems with microvalves and anti-locking systems. Also for older, first generation ABS systems more sensitive to a brake fluid's viscosity. A full synthetic based fluid that has unreal 509 degree dry boiling point, and similar 365 degree wet boiling point, it will outlast all normal Dot 3 and Dot 4 fluids easily. PDM has been testing this fluid and find it vastly superior to any other street fluid on the market. Each container is filled with nitrogen to increase the shelf life and eliminate contamination while factory sealed.


Minimal boiling points for these specifications are as follows:
Boiling point ranges Dry boiling point Wet boiling point
DOT 3 205°C (401°F) 140°C (284°F)
DOT 4 230°C (446°F) 155°C (311°F)
DOT 5 260°C (500°F) 180°C (356°F)
DOT 5.1 270°C (518°F) 191°C (375°F)



ENJOY

 

Hey Honey!! I'm off to Calgary for a Stampeders game...and a brake job...see ya in 10 days!!!

 

Brake bleeding is not usually necessary after pad replacement. Reservoir level should be checked as it will be potentially overfilled with new thicker pads.

Brake bleeding should be done ANYTIME pedal or lever feel soft. And of course the system should be checked for leakage.

Bleeding LBS brakes isn't any different than anything else EXCEPT. As Norcal noted...there's a specific sequence to follow, more bleeders and they're not always where you would expect to find them. A look in the shop manual is necessary.

Most motorcycle brakes are very powerful in relationship to the weight they must stop. I don't think boiling brake fluid is really an issue unless something is happening WAY out of the parameters of anything resembling normal use. I've always had good luck using the DOT 4 stuff Honda packages in their 8oz bottles. Change it out every couple years and you'll be fine.

 

LOL If ya r coming to calgary in 7-10 days, i am doing work on a buddies VFR that need fluid change. I am doing it next weekend, or as soon as i put another friends bike back together and install all the new Plastic and brackets, and Finnish repairing the front end.