VFR80025th Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Just wondering does it really matter what DOT 4 brake fluid you use Honda, Motul etc. Also will 1 bottle ( not sure what size they come in) handle both the brake and clutch fluid flush. Thxs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer bmart Posted January 11 Member Contributer Share Posted January 11 It can, but most folks I know "overbuy" instead of using a standard. I use Valvoline 3/4 in all of my bikes and cars, including for 100% track use without issue. IF your system is truly under extreme stress/heat, you may need a racing version, but that is nearly no one. The amount used will depend on how much flushing you do/need to do...and the size of the bottle. They come in many sizes. One 12 oz bottle would easily do one bike. unless you over do it! This is 32 oz of DOT 3/4 and it is CHEAP! https://www.walmart.com/ip/Valvoline-601458-Synthetic-DOT-3-and-DOT-4-Brake-Fluid-32-oz/19897941 I try to do all of my bikes every spring just before the season. The track bikes get a mid season flush in the fronts. The bigger bug is normally dirty caliper pistons and not bad fluid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz66 Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Yep, totally agree, flush with fresh Dot 4 at least every 12mths. Treat new Dot 4 like it's Nitroglycerin, never shake it, if u drop a bottle it'll be full of micro bubbles, so best not to use it for a few days. Brand is irrelevant, Dot 4 is Dot 4 ... nasty toxic shit, use nitrile gloves, avoid latex, Dot 4 rots latex in minutes. Dot 4 destroys paint work, so best to cover bike as much as poss with a plastic sheet of some kind too. Use with caution, any spills, wash it off with lots of cold water. Personally I flush my clutch every 6mths, brakes every year. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer fink Posted January 21 Member Contributer Share Posted January 21 On 1/18/2024 at 10:24 PM, Gaz66 said: Yep, totally agree, flush with fresh Dot 4 at least every 12mths. Treat new Dot 4 like it's Nitroglycerin, never shake it, if u drop it, u need to leave it to settle for a few days, it'll be full of micro bubbles. Brand is irrelevant, Dot 4 is Dot 4 ... nasty toxic shit, always wear nitrile gloves, it rots latex in minutes. Personally I flush my clutch every 6mths. Might be worth dropping clutch slave off to inspect & clean it & ensure pushrods not sticking or gummed up with crap. They can seize solid in sprocket cover, so that'll need to come off, no reall need to remove clutch slave from sprocket cover, good tome to degrease it all while its off & check sprocket condition & bolt is tight (torque wrench job). My brakes get flushed annually, you'd be surprised how much water gets absorbed by Dot 4, there's not much of it in a bike's system, so any moisture is bad news, Dot 4 is very Hygroscopic (Absorbs water). If you service your own car too, I find it's more cost effective to buy Dot 4 in 4 or 5ltr cans. Easily get thru 2-3 ltrs flushing a car's brakes & clutch. You'll need a good litre or more to flush VFR's brakes & clutch. How I do it! This way saves using excess fluid, no risk of air ingress. Turn bars to full left lock, cover bike in plastic sheeting, I use disposable plastic decorating dust sheet, its cheap as chips from most DIY stores. Empty master cylinder 1st, I have a pump up vac drainer, a disposable syringe will suffice, bulk buys are cheap as chips on eBay. Drop left front caliper off, clean pistons & push upper & lower pistons fully in, lube em 1st with silicone brake grease if u wish, before pushing centre piston in, ensure rear master reservoir is not brimmed or it'll overflow dumping Dot 4 everywhere, empty rear master cyl as per front is a good move at this point. Push all 3 pistons in, wedge pistons with wood or similar drain master cyls again, then wipe front master cyl clean with shop paper towel. Bars still on full left lock. 3/4 fill front brake master cyl with fresh Dot 4, flush old Dot 4 out with new fluid using upper front nipple "Only", bleed as normal, new fluid will force old fluid out, no risk of air ingress. Front brakes don't share any fluid with rear so treat fronts as a normal braking system. when you've a good solid lever, that caliper is done, before refitting caliper, grease all pivots while it's off, no copper slip, silicone grease on caliper slide pins, bearing grease on fork leg mounts, bottom is a needle bearing, push centre thru, clean & regrease, upper has a delicate plastic sleeve affair with a steel centre bush that can be tight to get out, corrosion build up between fork leg alloy & plastic sleeve, if tight it all needs to come out to file corrosion out of hole, the split plastic sleeve can be manipulated out to clean hole, I use a fine needle file, grease it up then wangle plastic sleeve back in, can be proper fiddly too, don't destroy sleeve, replacements aren't available. Grease up sleeve centre, refit steel centre bush, be careful refitting caliper, it's easy to damaged plastic bush flanges. Refit caliper then slide pads in from bottom, pump brake up, if lover's good & solid, repeat process on right front caliper. Wipe clean master cyl rubber bellows seal & plastic cap insert. 3/4 fill master cyl. Install rubber seal & plastic insert, install cap & front end's done. Don't attempt rear until you're 100% happy front brake flush is successful. I suggest u follow the manuals specific bleed sequence for the rest of the system, too involved to explain on here. No need to empty system of fluid as stated in manual, push old fluid out with new, or a simple brake flush can turn into a proper pain in the arse of a job. Done it this way for 40 plus yrs, worked for Honda for nearly 30yrs. Hope this way helps? Nice write up unfortunatly, 8th gen doesnt have the cbs system and is a different set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz66 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 On 1/21/2024 at 5:05 PM, fink said: Nice write up unfortunately, 8th gen doesn't have the cbs system and is a different set up. Same process applies regardless, I've edited my post to reflect this. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.