Have any of you guys fitted a front brake piston / seals ( the one in the fluid reservoir , NOT in a caliper) on an ABS equipped model , and then gone on to successfully bleed the brake afterwards ?
I'm aware that the proper procedure necessitates the use of Digital Technician 2 , but I don't fancy shelling out another £100 after only having the job done last year by my local Harley dealership ,(they also replaced the fluid) , and I've read that using Digital Technician 2 is only to fully ensure 100% that no air remains.
I've heard or read that the job CAN be done without the Tech equipment but never been able to find out whether there's a technique !
Since the work involves only the highest point of the braking system , surely any air would rise into the fluid reservoir , in which I would hope to retain enough fluid to prevent air entering the system.
The piston / seals were replaced last year due to the brake light staying on after the lever was released. This totally cured the problem at the time.
Surely the problem shouldn't reoccur after such a short period of time !
My bike is a 2013 Fat Bob (ABS)
Regards 🙂

 

If I understand correctly, the problem arises when some air gets to the ABS unit. If no air gets there, I don't think it would be a problem. Now, can you do it without getting air in the system? I don't know but I think it is able to be done.

 

Since the ABS unit defaults to a "NO BRAKES AT ALL" situation, I'd take this opportunity to delete it. No, I'm NOT kidding. Many of us rode for decades without the ABS crutch. Some still do. If our brakes didn't work, it wasn't because some ABS unit went haywire...

 

I definitely need to do more research ! Thanks for your reply !

 

 

Had to disconnect the front lines on a friends street glide, when doing some work on the front end for her. I hooked everything back up and bled the system using a Mighty Vac to pull suction. Then took it for a test ride, using the brakes to trigger the abs several times... no issues.

If you haven't done much brake work, I wouldn't suggest it. We still rode up to the closest dealer ( 120 miles north, at the time ) and she paid another 85 for someone to jiggle the abs with the digital tech. ... meh... she mentioned she felt no difference before and after.

 

I ride a FXDLS. Bought new bars and brake lines. I couldn’t swing the 8 hours of labor HD was wanting to charge me. Of course you know, this bike has ABS. After the bar install and brake bleeding, it was at least 8 hours. So, yes I did bleed my ABS brakes in my garage. And yes, I did have to put them to the test. And yes, they did function properly and probably saved me.

 

Not exactly cheap but check out the Twin Scan 4 At about $375 retail it will do the ABS and much more. Turn features on/off, clear codes, program FOBS, on & on. One trip to the dealer would pay for half of it. I consider it a must have in my toolbox

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