so i have a 2004 road king..... just swapped the front rim out and need to bleed the brakes. am i using dot-4 or dot 5 brake fluid. if i can use both, how do i tell what the bike has in it

 

Not sure about the brake fluid, but some of the best advice I've ever gotten on this forum was something like..."THE best money you will ever spend on your Harley is a Service Manual..." He was correct, by the way, and you NEVER have to wonder about stuff like that ever again.

 

It should be marked on the top of your brake master cylinder!
Look closely!
You can't use either DOT 4 or DOT 5!
Must be what is in the cylinder.
Two different animals!
They do not mix!
Put the wrong stuff in and you'll have big time trouble.
Most riders don't change brake fluid as often as they should so you probably have what came from the factory.

That info would be in your owners manual and on the cylinder cap.
If working on your bike with changes, get a service manual.
The price for a SM would be less than the cost of fixing the problem of mixing DOT 4 and DOT5.
They don't mix!

 

This. Read this one twice.

Especially the part of most riders not changing brake fluid. As I recall, it should be done every 2 yrs. Brake fluid does collect moisture over time, which leads to brake fade and failure.

 

Service manual for my 03 says DOT 5...Not sure about an 04 but it should be marked on the master. Do you have an owners manual?

 

http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...990277--1#tabs

 

I can't help either,my '06 uses dot 4.. I don't know when or why they changed from 5 to 4. You could use either one if you were to completely flush the old stuff out with alcohol.

 

just run whatever is cheap, transmission fluid works in a pinch. Geez .

My 2004 bikes use DOT 5 per the service manual and owners manual too.

Post up a pic of the new wheel ! what did you do ?

 

Your 04 came from the MOCO with Dot 5 in the brake system. It is a purple color and does not mix with any other brake fluid. Harley thought it was a good move but after a few years they found that Dot 5 has some bad things with it. The Internet is full of reports on Dot 5, do a search as I did.I decided to change my 04 RK to Dot4 which Harley went back to by the way. You should flush and clean all of your brake system when doing this. I changed my lines to the SS with PVC liners to get better brakes. The factory lines will wear after a few years and when you apply the brakes the line will expand instead of using all the pressure to the caliper. This results in less brake control. I think that all bikes should come with the stainless lines.You will improve your braking performance by leaps and bounds. Later Fairshake

 

man, i mean really, its listed on the top of the master... so i go out side and sure enough. hooked on phonics worked for me

dot 5 only

lol thanks