I just finished the brake and clutch fluid job By reverse bleeding and all three systems feel so much better. The front brakes are instant-on - I couldn’t believe how much more firm they used to be. The rear has no difference. The clutch just seems to have a less squishy feel.
I really wanted to take pictures and document the process but I didn’t have time, and I decided to do the clutch too since I had 3oz left and that’s what the spec calls for. In total, 12oz and an hour later, I finished everything.
The biggest PITA with the brakes was getting the front brake reservoir level. This isn’t really necessary since I don’t have fresh pads - I just made sure I put the fluid right back to the level it was at.
For the clutch system, taking the stupid f***ing side cover off was the biggest issue (per the manual):
Remove both saddlebags
Unbolt muffler hanger mounts from both mufflers
Unbolt crossover pipe hanger
Unbolt exhaust side hanger
Remove rear cylinder exhaust shield
Unbolt transmission side cover
Push, pull, twist the exhaust for 10 minutes trying to remove the cover per the manual
Loosen the rear cylinder exhaust flange
Pull the exhaust to the side, remove transmission side cover
Last edited by BrandonSmith; 01-07-2019 at 01:05 AM.
150ml+ Syringe with 8" clear tubing to push fluid into bleeders
25ml+ syringe to suck fluid out of reservoirs
12oz DOT4 brake fluid (3oz front left brake, 3oz front right brake, 3oz rear brake, 3oz clutch)
Plenty of shop towels
Socket wrench and 6" extension
1/2" deep socket for exhaust bolts
1/4" allen for transmission side cover bolts
Torque wrench (ranges from 15 in-lbs up to 50 ft-lbs)
Brakes
Position the bike and handlebars so the reservoir is level. This is a pain... Wrap the reservoir in towels and open it up. DO NOT flip the lid over as there's most likely fluid between the cap and the rubber gasket. Once away from the bike, take the gasket and lid apart and dry them off. REMEMBER where the level is - take a picture - this is where you want the level to be when you're done flushing.
Open your brake fluid bottle and suck in ~4oz (120ml) of fluid with the large syringe with tubing attached. Don't worry about air in the syringe. Once you've got about 120ml, take the syringe out of the bottle and hold it upside down to get the air out and push the plunger until the fluid is at the zero mark on the scale. Squirt out the excess until you have 120ml in there. You want more fluid in the syringe than you need so that you don't push air in the system. You're going to use 90ml.
Take the little rubber cap off the bleeder on the front LEFT caliper and put the tubing on. Don't worry too much about air. Hold the syringe vertical above the bleeder and work the air out of the line so it bubbles its way to the top of the syringe (you may need to squeeze the tubing or push/pull on the plunger a couple times, but once the fluid starts to move into the tubing the air will pop right up). Once you have the syringe and tubing on the bleeder, look at the volume of fluid in the syringe - what does it read? 105ml now? Whatever it reads, subtract 90 from it. This is the number you need to stop at - remember it.
Suck the fluid from the reservoir with the small syringe and deposit the fluid into an empty container.
While putting a SMALL amount of pressure on the syringe plunger, crack open the bleeder with the 3/8" wrench. Putting too much pressure on the plunger and then cracking the bleeder open will cause the fluid to squirt up out of the reservoir (ask me how I know!). If you're worried, just set the cap on top the reservoir.
Once you're pushing fluid in, push about 25ml in and close the bleeder. Don't let go of the syringe plunger until after you've closed the bleeder or else the fluid will start running back into the syringe.
Repeat steps 4, 5, 6 twice. By this time, you should have pushed 75ml through the brake line.
Finish pushing the remainder of the fluid from the syringe until you reach your stopping point identified in step 3. Don't worry about the level in the reservoir yet since you still have the right brake line to flush. Of course, keep an eye on it so it doesn't overfill.
Tighten the bleeder, let the syringe hang down so the fluid runs into the syringe, remove the tubing from the bleeder, torque the bleeder.
Squeeze the brake lever slowly and repeatedly. How does it feel? Do you see any bubbles? If it aint quite right, tie the lever down with enough pressure (about what you'd use to brake). This pressurizes the line and will help any bubbles work their way up to the reservoir. Leave it like this overnight for best results.
Put the level of fluid in the reservoir to the correct level as identified in step 1.
Put the gasket in the reservoir (the correct way) and put the cap on (the correct way). Torque the screws.
Repeat this process for the front RIGHT brake line.
Repeat this process for the REAR brake line, noting that you'll have to remove the right saddlebag to access the caliper.
Clutch
Remove the transmission side cover. You'll need to remove both saddlebags, remove the muffler hanger bolts from both sides, remove the crossover pipe hanger, remove the nut from the exhaust side mount bracket, and then LOOSEN (do not remove) the nuts on the rear cylinder exhaust flange (a couple turns should do).
Remove the two bolts from the transmission side cover.
Pry the exhaust away from the engine by pulling on the muffler for leverage. Once you've pulled it away, pull the transmission cover out and up (it seemed easier to rotate it clockwise a little bit after popping it off the transmission). If it doesn't fit and won't come out, loosen the exhaust flange a little bit more until it does come out.
Follow the brake fluid change instructions above to flush the fluid for the clutch (i.e. replace the word 'brake' with 'clutch' in the above instructions - use common sense).
If you're having trouble sucking out fluid from the bottle into the syringe, take the plunger out of the syringe and either bend or plug the tubing so fluid doesn't come out, and pour the fluid into the syringe. Once the plunger is pushed a little ways back in, flip the syringe over and push the plunger in, removing the air through the tubing.
The bleeder on the clutch system is wobbly and not a great tolerance. It WILL leak fluid - stuff towels under the bleeder and make sure to tighten the bleeder well whenever you need to close it.
Last edited by BrandonSmith; 01-07-2019 at 02:55 PM.
With the weather being pretty good the past few days I’ve had the opportunity to get some commuting in and MAN do the brakes feel so much better! It’s almost like squeezing a rock now. The clutch feels lighter and neutral is very easy to find.
Good catch, if I weren't wearing my readers when making that connection, no way I would have seen that, wouldn't have known until something either blew or started smoking...
Barneyboy, the polarity is NOT correct. The polarity on the bike's quick connect is a female (+) and male (-). The same is true on the battery tender quick connect that I purchased (as shown in your picture). That means, when you plug them in, it's a male (-) into a female (+) (as shown in my picture).
01-04-2019, 02:58 PM
