lshark Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 changed my front brake fluid and now can't get any pressure at the lever....i've done brakes before, but this is weird....they worked fine before i started, was working on the other bikes so i decided to do the VFR too....brake lever pulls all the way back to the bar....i've been bleeding it for hours...both myti vac and the old manual method.....any ideas??? there's no leaks...only able to get a slight amount of resistance in the lever...i'm stumped.. i have the service manual...doing everything be the letter....arrrrrrrgh !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFRBert Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Go to a local vet and buy the biggest syringe you can get. Put a line on it, suck all the brakefluid out of the reservoir. Put fresh brakefluid in the syringe and put the line on the bleeding nipple. Now slowly fill the brake system with brake fluid from below. All air will be pushed upwards to the brakefluid reservoir. The sealings of a brake system are designed to keep fluid inside, as soon as you start to suck on the system with a vacuum bleeding system, air will be sucked inside the system, past the sealings. When this does not work, put new sealings into the mastercilinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volfy Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Just pumped fresh brake fluid in both my street bikes this morning, and the VFR bled just fine. On the clutch side, the pin did pop out when I cranked the ASV lever adjuster almost all the way out to get more stroke. Scared me for a second when the lever went limp all of a sudden, till I realized what happened. Put the pin back in and everything went just fine. The front brake lever is now stiff as a 17 yr old thumbing through Victoria's Secrets catalog. I always pump manually with the lever, which is far more reliable and less problematic than with mityvac. On a bike, it's a simple one-man job. WIth cars, it does require a helper to pump the pedal, but still easy enough to do. One thing I was curious though... With my Speed Triple R, Triumph calls for forcing the ABS modulator's solenoid valve to be opened (either by OEM software tool, or as most shadetrees RAT riders do, with an aftermarket SW tool). This supposedly allows the brake fluid trapped inside the valve to be flushed out as well. I studied the VFR1200 factory service manual and it doesn't mention anything of the sort. I'm not gonna worry too much about it, but it does make me wonder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zedXmick Posted April 25, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted April 25, 2014 I'm going to attempt my first brake bleeding on the 1200 very soon....found this post about the 1200 brakes on the other board (UK)...some very good info in it. The rear linked brake is bled by the left caliper top nipple. It tells you which caliper to start on first for the front brakes. I liked the detailed pictures too. FYI looks like you got one pad in backwards.....other than that great job...;) I am very delighted to say I have done it:)-rebuilding the callipers and bleeding the brakes.This is my first time I am doing this and was scared a bit,to be honest:blush:.Its about the brakes not fitting a hugger:d:.Well it all started with the routine cleaning of the front callipers and replacing the pads,whe the middle piston on the left popped out.Disaster was the first think in my mind:B:.I was always scared of working on the brakes and you can imagine how I felt when I saw the brake fluid running down.I had no time to waste and decided to open and rebuild the callipers.Took off both front just to realised I need some tools for the job.Ordered plies and non-returning valve bleeding system .Got all the pistons out,of course spent hours on youtube to see how is done and even so I had to call a friend for instructions to complete the bleeding.You have to start with the left hand side caliper first,front brakes and this is the nipple on the bottom.The top one is linked to the rear brake and is done with the rear brake.Next one is the right hand side one,which has only one nipple.Am I right Dave:sofa:.I didn't had much of fluid in my system left so it was quite a work to get all the air out:blush:.Had to ask the mrs to help me:sofa:.Only think I was listening was-how long now,in every 5 mins and it took me about 1h:}.here are some pictures from the night and day: the front right caliper and the left one as you can see,they are different. The middle piston on the left is slightly biger than the rest and here are the sills ,perfectly square,not like on the video.After 26k I can tell they looked like new.There was a little sand and dirt on the dust sill,but the other one was perfect clean.Used clean paper and it come out clean with brake fluid only on it.This makes me thinking that the insight of the caliper and the pistons are very well protected.What I found amaizing is that Honda has build the lip that holds the fluid from metal,not like is part of the inside rubber.Its easier for us and safer too .Maybe is unique,maybe not.As I said before is my first time.This make methinking how it can reflect on the brakes.Is this the key that Honda has to work on to improve the performance of the brakes:dunno:. here is a close shot and you can see the sand were the dust sill is,and the back is spotless The ready calipers and the tools I had for the job Lets hope they will be faultless tommorow:d::d: WTSR here I come:d::vroam: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Yep i found the Honda a bit of a pig to bleed as well, do it the old fashioned way then pull your brake leaver right back, secure it back with a rubber band or similar and leave it over night, then in the morning pump it really slowly to let the air that has risen escape, also going for a ride can help as it shakes the bubbles up the line ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DucatiTerminator Posted May 1, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 1, 2014 Bleeding brakes can be very frustrating if you don't first have pressure at the MC. One of the things I find to be helpful is to crack the MC banjo bolt first to release any possibly trapped air there and making certain that you have slight pressure at the MC before proceeding with the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 1, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 1, 2014 Go to a local vet and buy the biggest syringe you can get. Put a line on it, suck all the brakefluid out of the reservoir. Put fresh brakefluid in the syringe and put the line on the bleeding nipple. Now slowly fill the brake system with brake fluid from below. All air will be pushed upwards to the brakefluid reservoir. The sealings of a brake system are designed to keep fluid inside, as soon as you start to suck on the system with a vacuum bleeding system, air will be sucked inside the system, past the sealings. When this does not work, put new sealings into the mastercilinder. +1 it's all I have ever used . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 parts just arrived to rebuild calipers and MC....new seals, going back to OEM pads too...good tip on the overnight trick i'll try that after rebuild if i need to ...thnx bike has been laid up since i started this post....should have sent the forks out.....and ECU...oh well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 holy crap, those oil seals in the calipers are tricky to get in !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 master cylinder rebuilt, both calipers rebuilt...brake pulls back to within an inch of the bars before pressure is felt...no bubbles in fluid when bleeding.....i'm stumped...i guess it's time to take it to Honda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 finally got some useable pressure at the lever...got it back to what it was that i was trying to fix....too much lever travel.....measured disc thickness and it is at spec....going for a ride...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volfy Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 What did the trick, finally? Unlike some other MCs, VFR1200's does not have a brake nipple up top. So I had to be very careful not to let the fluid level in the reservoir go too low and suck in air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 IDK changed the caliper seals and cleaned the pistons...thoroughly cleaned everything (wasn't very dirty) replaced master cylinder piston and seals...new OEM pads....it still took a lot of trying to get some kind of pressure...rode 1/8 mile down block and back...a two finger stop would pinch other fingers....left it overnight without pressure on it...bled it some more and got it to about mid travel....took it up to the twisties and the brakes worked fine except for the excessive lever travel...i'll try bleeding it again when i get home around midnite....it worked for Dracula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 www.ezebleeder.net If your local veterinarian fails to cooperate. Pumped in at the caliper or slave cylinder, quick easy and effective. A second person armed with a turkey baster watching over the master cylinder resevour is a big help. Street bikes and do it yourself mechanics have the luxury of working results in over a few days of riding and fiddling. Roadracers and professional mechanics require an immediate result. The syringe wins the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 www.ezebleeder.net If your local veterinarian fails to cooperate. Pumped in at the caliper or slave cylinder, quick easy and effective. A second person armed with a turkey baster watching over the master cylinder resevour is a big help. Street bikes and do it yourself mechanics have the luxury of working results in over a few days of riding and fiddling. Roadracers and professional mechanics require an immediate result. The syringe wins the day. just bought one !! thnx for the tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 i tied the lever back to the bar overnight, we'll see what happens...i normally do this anyway to check for leaks after i've had brake lines apart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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