Its crap like this that makes me loath the dealerships......."impossable" to make a line. Do they think they have the corner on the market for line manufacturing....seriously
And being told OMG you'll kill yourself if the dealer doesnt do the brake bleeding....

Gotta remember THESE are the same dealers that tell you that ANYTHING other than a factory Harley part will cause your bike totally crap it's self...IE PCIII etc......
I understand people want to be causious since after all its two wheels not four.....
But many of these dealer svc writers, techs and parts people are not God's gift to the maint world......

 

I will try to keep this short as I can.

You can bleed ABS brakes the old fashioned way. There are a couple of things to keep in mind. DO NOT turn the ignition on. All ABS systems do a test when they are powered up. Some involve cycling the ABS pump and activating the solenoids. You can commonly hear this on GM cars and trucks. They cycle and test the system when the vehicle reaches 5 mph. If there is air in the line at the solenoid valves, and it cycles, there is a chance the air will get trapped inside the ABS pump. The thing is.... The next time the system tests itself it could release the air into a working, assumed to be air free, system and cause a safety hazard. Likely to happen? Not usually.

Now if you want to do a total system flush (should be done every 24 months) you will need the digital tech. The ABS module would need to be cycled to get all the old fluid out of the ABS module. If you don't get all the fluid changed the new fluid will be just like the old fluid in a month. Seen it, had it happen to me on a Honda Van...... Got my money back.... (They are just as bad doing things right as some Harley dealers).



I say if you are a compendent person, go for it..... Worst to happen is you have to take your bike in to have it done if you have any problems.

 

You can start from bone dry, doesn't matter. Speed bleeders help a lot, makes it easy for one person. You don't gotta have this and you don't gotta do that. Just bleed them properly same as always. If it gives someone peace of mind to take it to the dealer then take it to the dealer, but it is not necessary. I've replaced the fluid a couple time now, once I tore into everything, even opened up the calipers just to see what was in there. I was expecting the worst when I put it back together, but it twernt nothin. If you bleed them properly there is no air in them. If you are not comfortable doing that then you probably shouldn't, the dealer will always be happy to take your money.

 

Not necessarily. See post #6.

 

You can certainly bleed the brakes without the DT. I do it once a year with no problems.

This is from the ’08 Touring Service Manual:

 

This will work also:
Centurion
http://www.technoresearch.com/index.php?pid=2

or
Diag4bikes
http://www.diag4bike.eu/data/sw/d4b-...spectus-en.pdf

 

And another thing with longer lines. The magnum shielding set I purchased basically comes with 3 lines. One main run from front caliper connection (where it splits into two for each of the front calipers) to abs modual. The other is a two piece line that runs from the abs modual to the master cylinder. The first runs from the abs modual under the tank to right behind the headlight bezel. From there it connects to anoter line that runs to the master cylinder. In the future if I want to change bars and either extend or reduce the brake line then I only have to replace the length from the master cylinder to the connection behind the bezel. A very neat, clean set-up that makes future modifications much easier.

 

1/2 of the dealers who change the brake light switch under warranty, don't even bother bleeding the rear brakes at all after changing the switch....Thats why I did my own and I did not need a DT. And Hey, no scratches or other damage. The DT is probably a good idea if you completely drain the ABS module and lines but even then, you don't need to use the DT if you have enough patience.

 

I was informed by the dealer that i can bleed the brakes normally and if the light goes out, all is good. If your not mechanical enough to know that you've got all the air out, don't touch it!

 

When I put apes on my bike I bled my ABS brakes myself and everything went fine. Two years late, my brakes still work fine, and I am still alive and apparently $80 richer.