I had my rotor carriers and Brembos powder coated black. When I drained my brake fluid into a white cup the oil was very dark and there was droplets of water in the oil. I did not take pictures but you are going to have to take my word on it.

I have read that brake fluid oil retains moisture and after one year (that I had these calipers on) I can positively tell you that it does.

Do what you like.

 

I have always changed brake fluid annually. It's just something I do in the winter.

I even change the brake fluid in my vehicles occasionally.

 

I wish all to think about this for this riding season. It is cheap and you can do it yourself. You will be surprised what you will find in your calipers & brake lines.

 

Howard,

DOT3 and 4 both absorb some water so it disappears, while DOT5 shouldn't. But condensation in the reservoir can cause water build up, which will be obvious in DOT5. If you have DOT3 or 4 and can see water, the fluid is saturated!

As it happens I have already flushed my rear brake and am about to rebuild the front (took calipers off to clean and service them properly) with new fluid. I will get this darned bike on the road before long!

 

My owners manual says change it every two years. I was skeptical, since I had never changed brake fluid in any car or previous cycle and never had any perceived problems. But I decided to do it anyway. It made the brakes much more positive handling. It's now on my list of regular scheduled maintenance, right there with regular fork oil changes.

 

we are only talking under $5! WTF? For under $5 you could possibly have better brakes and there is no such thing as having too much brake (unless lock up occurs).

Copied & Pasted info:
OT ratings So, what exactly is the DOT rating telling us? More importantly, what is the DOT rating NOT telling us? A quick look at FMVSS116 – the US Government’s Specification for brake fluids – will tell us all we need to know…

DOT 3 fluids are usually glycol ether based, but that is not because they are required to be. In fact, FMVSS116 makes no mention whatsoever about the chemical compounding of brake fluids – it simply dictates the fluid physical properties. However, the brake fluid industry has by consensus decreed that glycol ether fluids are the most economical way to meet the requirements, so there you are.

These glycol ether fluids are typically a by-product of the process used to make certain paints and varnishes. By definition, DOT 3 fluids must have a minimum dry boiling point (measured with 0% water by volume) of 401F and a minimum wet boiling point (measured with 3.7% water by volume) of 284F. That’s really about all the specification says as far as the performance enthusiast is concerned.

DOT 4 fluids are also glycol ether based, but have a measure of borate esters thrown in for improved properties including increased dry and wet boiling points. A seldom talked about characteristic though is that because of this chemistry, the DOT 4 fluid will have a more stable and higher boiling point during the early portion of its life, but ironically once the fluid does actually begin to absorb water its boiling point will typically fall off more rapidly than a typical DOT 3. By FMVSS116 standards, DOT 4 fluids must have a minimum dry boiling point of 446F and a minimum wet boiling point of 311F.

Does this make DOT 4 fluids better than DOT 3 fluids? Not always. Remember, the boiling points listed are minimums and there are DOT 3 fluids out there with higher boiling points than some DOT 4 fluids. The real differentiating factor should be that if you run a DOT 4 fluid you really should change the fluid more often than if you use a DOT 3, if for no other reason than the rapid fall off in boiling point with time.
We won’t even discuss DOT 5 fluids as they are completely unacceptable to the high-performance enthusiast, but we’ll include them in the following table for completeness.

PROPERTY: ********* DOT 3,********* - DOT 4,**************** - DOT 5
Dry BP (F)@ 0.0% H2O: 401,*********** - 446,****************** - 509
Wet BP (F)@ 3.7% H2O: 284,*********** - 311,****************** - 356
Chemical Composition: Glycol Ether Based,** - Glycol Ether /Borate Ester,** - Silicone Based

 

Crappy deal on mine is that it is ABS which means I need the digital technician hooked up to it after changing and bleeding to check the system (which the dealer has to do). Therefore, I might as well have them do the whole shabang each time.....which would obviously be a cost associated event.

 

whats the best way,take off the bleeder and let it go and refill? will it all drain out or do you flush?oh,howard,thanks for the shocks,they work just as you said,even in 30' weather

 

Flush them through with new fluid, until clean stuff comes out. The old fashioned way works perfectly well. If you drain them first it can be a PIA to refill them and restore pressure.

 

Not to plug HF as they do not support our form, but you can get one of these (pre-ABS) for $25.

Keep on vacuuming until the fluid turns clear than go onto the next side. The 90* rubber over the bleeder sucks so get a handful at NAPA or some sort as they use them on windshield wipers. Of course you keep on adding brake fluid.

ABS, I will find out today.