OK well today i figured id replace my front pads on my 96 road king since they were squeaky and didnt stop so good. So i replace both pads on both sides seemed simple enough , put it all together and the brake lever goes basically all the way to the grip without much resistance. So now i start to panic try to bleed the brakes , get nice steady squirts of fluid out of both bleeder screws BUT the DAMN LEVER is still soft and the brakes barely work. If you watch the piston in the caliper while you squeeze the lever you can see it barely moves

HELP

 

Got the bleeder valves tight? Got the brake lines tight into the caliper? Try pumping the brake up a little.

 

i tried pumping up the lever after initial pad change , same as described above, everythings tight no leaks

 

Bleeding brakes can be a lottery - sometimes they work with you, other times they don't! There are some useful Stickies in the Tech Brakes forum well worth reading. Take a deep breath, count to ten, pray to your gods......

 

If you leave the cap off and tape the brake lever back about 1/2 way it should be good by tomorrow.

 

i zip tied the lever to the grip to let it sit over night , do i have to leave the master cylinder cap open / or the brake bleeders broken loose?

 

leave the breed valves closed and master cyl. on the top handle bars turned to the left. good luck it work over night when the brake gods come and help

 

master cyl cover closed as well??? what do i do in morning crack bleeders open with the zip ties still on or just cut zip ties and thats it

 

Just cut the zip ties.
Don't mess with the bleeders.


The purpose of having the lever 1/2 way open is to let all the tiny air bubbles float to the top.


Sometimes tiny air bubbles get suspended in the brake fluid and that causes problems when you go try to bleed your brakes. By leaving the leaver 1/2 way down you give the air a place to escape.

 

Every time I work on those front breaks, I go through the same thing. I've learned I need to pump that lever WAY MORE than I would ever think it needed. Just keep at it, 5 minutes maybe.