It needs to be stiff.! Why will you not go stiff god-dammitt

[Nick_Giles]

Pump and release. pump and release, pump and release. .......... Will it go stiff.? ...... Oh no.!

No matter how hard and fast I pump and release. It stays soft and spongey.


Nick
____________________
Peter Cook: "I have learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly".

[doggone]

Could you get anything to squirt out?

[Nick_Giles]

[james1988]

Are you drawing air in through the bleed nipple?

James

[Nick_Giles]

[janner_10]

Could be the master cylinder seals also.
____________________
Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[Nick_Giles]

[Pete.]

[steven_191]

Squeeze the pistons back into the calipers and watch the bubbles pour up from the master cylinder. Careful not to over flow the master cylinder though. I did this after a while trying to bleed that way. Took seconds and the lever was amazing

[temeluchus]

A syringe is a useful tool to get it hard.
____________________
Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[Rogerborg]

Did you have the banjo bolts off? In the past, I have managed to mislay a little copper washer on the banjo, and although everything looked fine, it was sucking harder than a smutty in-your-endo.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[cb1rocket]

reverse bleed, the traditional method is a pain in the a***

[jjdugen]

Hmmm.... Having the same problem at the mo. The caliper bleed through is fine, its the disc / rotor alignment thats the problem.
Work the brake lever whilst watching the rotor nearest the caliper. If you see the disc flexing thats your problem. Something has become distorted on the one I'm dealing with and its not the disc itself. Could be the fork/spinle/wheel alignment that is slightly out. to eliminate all the possibles would be too expensive so, I'll be taking the easy way out and making the errant disc fully floating. A bit jangly but it solves all the problems.
____________________
The CBR900RR has been sold. Aprilia Falco worms its way into my heart.
Try Soi 23 on Amazon for a good read.... Self promotion? Moi?

[janner_10]

[Robby]

You don't need to pull the handle all the way back. In fact, this is a poor way to bleed brakes.

When you drain down the system or install new lines don't think of it trying to get fluid in, think of it as trying to get air out.

The internal core of a brake line is a very small bore pipe. A brake line is contructed of an out rubber or braided mesh cover, then a plastic pipe. Each of these is at least 1mm thick, so the internal bore is 4mm smaller than the external line. So small that air bubbles get in the way of the fluid, and rise up the line very slowly.

When you squeeze the handle, you are forcing in some fluid and compressing the air in the line, shoving the whole lot away from the master cylinder. The correct thing to do is just pull the level back a fraction - about 5% of its total travel. This uncovers the small hole and allows the air bubbles out, without forcing more fluid in. Some fluid will trickle in naturally as the air is displaced.

So, my ten minute method to bleed new line is just to jiggle the lever a few times, wait 20 seconds, jiggle it again, and so on. Watch lots of tiny bubbles coming up into the resevoir. When no more clusters of bubbles are coming up, give the lever a few full stroke, wait, and start jiggling again.

Eventually the lever will go firm, then you can bleed the the calipers in the normal way. Any residual air bubbles will float up the master cylinder when it is standing, and be passed up into the resevoir when you use the brakes normally.

Less is more with brake bleeding. Let the air bubbles rise at their own speed.

[Nick_Giles]

Happy days. Sorted.!

The leaving the lever tied back overnight with a cable tie seems to have let natural physics take their course.

A big thanks to all those that took the time and effort to contribute to this thread.


Cheers, Nick
____________________
Peter Cook: "I have learned from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly".

[thomp1983]

ok stupid question time, when you tie the lever back over night i assume it's with the master cylinder lid off and the bleed nipple closed?

chris

[Fizzer Thou]

The bleed nipple does need to be closed and the master cylinder cap does not need to be removed.But if you leave the bike on the side stand with the master cylinder pointing down slightly,this will aid the bubbles to escape through the two holes.

It is a good idea to wrap some PTFE tape around the thread of the bleed nipple.This will help to prevent air getting past the thread when bleeding the caliper or even if you have one on the master cylinder as well.
____________________
Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[Rogerborg]

[hellbound]

I stuck a tube on the brake nipple and sucked fluid through (it was a really long tube!)

then bled them as normal after sucking alot!
____________________
May you always see the road rising up to meet you and your enemies defeated in the mirror behind.