I finally bought the HD service manual for my bike. I plan to bleed the brake fluid in my 2014 bike as it is due.

My question is that the manual says that I need some type of electronic tester because of the ABS to ensure that there is no air in the system. Have you used such a tool and is it necessary?

I've bled countless brake systems with ABS in cars and I have never needed such a tool.

By the way, the manual would be half the size it is if they didn't have countless warning paragraphs in every page. There is a section where both facing pages are nothing but warnings. What has this world come to?

 

This thread may help you.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...the-cheat.html

 

The manual says to bleed the brakes like normal, then use the Digital Tech to perform an "ABS Service", which apparently cycles the fluid from the ABS reservoir into the main line and pulls fresh fluid into the reservoir.

I want to find out if several cycles of the ignition switch would do the same thing as the "ABS Service".
If so I could flush the fluid, and a week's worth of riding would finish the job.
If not, maybe I'll flush the fluid and see if they'll let me bring it in just to have them run the service.

So far they haven't charged me for hooking up the DT for small changes like passing lamps on with brights, and I can't think of a liability problem with running a simple service, but I'll ask next time I'm in...

 

The service procedure for replacement of the brake fluid is not the same as bleeding the brakes. You bleed the brakes because you got air in the system. Look again in your service manuals.

 

Bleed them as normal, ride and activate the ABS system a few times and bleed again.

 

Thank you all for your response. The link that was provided by Bone Doc had very useful information.

 

It has become a litigious society, where common sense appears to be uncommon.

In my class, I have to teach young adults how to address a letter so they can get their certificate of completion in the BRC. I have to draw a pic of an envelope on the chalkboard, with an example addressee on it...

EDIT~ And still, some don't understand...

 

The flip side to that is that I routinely have to teach 60 year-old men how to update their operating system on their iPad so that they won't crash the jet into a mountain. If my family is flying, I'd rather be pilot know how to work and iPad than be able to address a letter. Skill sets change. LMAO!

 

Hate to go way out to left field but there are warnings on firearms about causing injury or death. Yes we have gone nutso.

 

No responsibility nowadays... just trophies.

Third degree burns don't even trump common sense. Here's a warning for a clothes iron. See the highlight...