Brake bleeders

[cbmotorsport]

Can anyone recommend a brake bleeder? Are they a waste of money, or do they make the job a doddle as they all seem to claim.

[Krikkit]

Not used one on a bike, but I have a Gunson Eezibleed and it's great if you can get a cap to fit the reservoir.

[underwhelmist]

I’ve got one of these, made bleeding an awkward rear brake a lot easier. About £15 off eBay.

[cmaguire]

The rear I just do it the old-fashioned way.

For the front I use a Gunson Eazibleed. I got a spare reservoir cap and diaphragm, then cut the diaphragm so it just acts as a sealing washer and drilled a hole in the cap so I could fit the Gunson connector. Most modern bikes all have the same style cylindrical reservoir, but this obviously isn't much help on older bikes.

[TwoStrokeNut]

A large syringe available for buttons, works as well as anything.

[fergus]

TwoStrokeNut said:

A large syringe available for buttons, works as well as anything.

+1. Also very easy to use when reverse bleeding (pushing fluid into the caliper and upstream)

[steveo3002]

id go with he syringe on a motorbike...cheap and easy to use

[Simes205]

Massive syringe.
I always forget I own one, spend about 20minutes trying to bleed the fronts, remember the syringe and it then takes about 25 seconds!

[dern]

I use normal tube connected to a non-return valve. As long as you use ptfe tape on the bleed nipple thread it's a trivial method of bleeding brakes.

[Maruchino]

Simes205 said:

Massive syringe.
I always forget I own one, spend about 20minutes trying to bleed the fronts, remember the syringe and it then takes about 25 seconds!

How big of a syringe do you need realistically? (to do it in one go)

[cmaguire]

Every time I have had to replace brake fluid on the front system from empty, there has always been an air pocket on the right hand caliper where the double banjo connections fit. Not an issue if merely changing the fluid by flushing through from the reservoir with new fluid, as there is no air in the system, but an empty system has always needed the calipers being free from the bike so they can be turned to get rid of the air pocket. This would make it a two man job if using a syringe on the bleed nipple of the last (left hand) caliper.

[CaptainSlow]

Not sure why it's so hard to do it the manual way. Just get a chair and straddle the front wheel and you can reach the caliper and brake lever.

[Simes205]

Maruchino said:

Simes205 said:

Massive syringe.
I always forget I own one, spend about 20minutes trying to bleed the fronts, remember the syringe and it then takes about 25 seconds!

How big of a syringe do you need realistically? (to do it in one go)

Small ones seem to seize up, the larger ones are easier to use, I think the one I’ve got is 250ml. It doesn’t all come out T once!

[R1 Dave]

I use a MityVac. It’s ace, it could even get the air out of the terrible 6-pot Tokicos on my old ZX7R which previously I’d had no end of trouble with.

[cmaguire]

CaptainSlow said:

Not sure why it's so hard to do it the manual way. Just get a chair and straddle the front wheel and you can reach the caliper and brake lever.

Have you tried that on a bike with ABS?

[CaptainSlow]

cmaguire said:

CaptainSlow said:

Not sure why it's so hard to do it the manual way. Just get a chair and straddle the front wheel and you can reach the caliper and brake lever.

Have you tried that on a bike with ABS?

ABS?

[cmaguire]

Anti-lock Braking System.

[CaptainSlow]

cmaguire said:

Anti-lock Braking System.

Oh, not seen this new tech.

[cbmotorsport]

Thanks all.

Have always done it the manual way before, but wanted to know if I was missing out on anything.

[TwoStrokeNut]

cmaguire said:

Every time I have had to replace brake fluid on the front system from empty, there has always been an air pocket on the right hand caliper where the double banjo connections fit. Not an issue if merely changing the fluid by flushing through from the reservoir with new fluid, as there is no air in the system, but an empty system has always needed the calipers being free from the bike so they can be turned to get rid of the air pocket. This would make it a two man job if using a syringe on the bleed nipple of the last (left hand) caliper.

You can operate the syringe with one hand, as I do mainly.

I don't usually have to take the calipers off, although some buggers do need this and also to be bled from the top banjo bolt and maybe the T, if there is one .