Bleeding rear brakes...
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Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 602
Likes: 12
From: Ma.
Bleeding rear brakes...
Looking to get some advice or help of any kind on bleeding the rear brakes on my 06" Fatboy. I finally got the front ones to work but no luck in the rear at all. I take the bleeder screw almost off and when I pump the brake no fluid is even coming out of it. There are no leaks anywhere. Also, when I am pumping the rear brake, the fluid in the master cylinder is not going down like it was in the front. Am I missing something? And I got the manual in front of me. Please, need advice on how to do this right...Thanks for all your time...
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
Likes: 821
From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
Might go with these if Ur gonna replace them anyway.
I don't have these but a lot of members in here swear by them.. Good swear...
I am thinking about ordering a set of them..
http://www.speedbleeder.com/
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I don't have these but a lot of members in here swear by them.. Good swear...
I am thinking about ordering a set of them..
http://www.speedbleeder.com/
.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 731
Likes: 2
From: Montreal Quebec Canada
i bought a mightvac last year, harbor freight has their own version, pretty cheap and good to have. did my front and rear. all good, and there are good youtube videos showing how to do it, i paid $24 for the mightyvac. good luck!
just run some rubber tubing from the bleeder into a jar of brake fluid, leave it open and pump away, ther air will get pushed out and rise to top of fluid in jar and it will suck in fluid on the return. great for changing out old fluid too, the stuff that comes out will be pretty nasy.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,664
Likes: 99
From: P.E.I. Canada
you can put a hose on the bleeder and suck. When you don't feel air bobbles anymore then you're good to go. If it is clogged, I know a few girls that can suck a golf ball through a... oh, never mind, just buy the pump.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
What have you done to the brakes? It is very easy to get motorcycle master cylinders "air locked" where they will not pump. First check the rod from the brake pedal to the master cylinder...it must have some free play. If the piston in the master cylinder does not return 100%, it will not pump. Go to the auto parts store and buy a brand new pump oil can...don't even think about using one that has ever had oil in it. Get a piece if vacuum hose that is a snug fit on the oil can and bleeder screw. Put some teflon tape on the bleeder screw threads. Crack open the bleeder screw 1/4 turn. Put brake fluid in the oil can, connect the vacuum hose to the bleeder screw and pump fluid up to the master cylinder. Now the air bubbles are going the direction they want to go...up. Works better than any other method and costs less too. I recently had my bike apart and bled my rear brake and hydraulic clutch in about a minute...really. Try it... it works.
Last edited by Tom84FXST; Apr 7, 2012 at 10:01 PM.
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Stage I
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1
Likes: 1
From: Emmaus pa
Bleeding brakes
Had an 04 Sportster in the shop this week and had brake bleeding issues which I haven't had in years ! Im a bike builder and have pretty much seen it all I thought ... Could not get this rear brake to bleed out and give me a firm pedal. Mighty vac , conventional bleeding , nothing worked . so I start thinking backwards , found out if I remove the caliper off the mount , stick in a piece of wood in place of brake pads and rotor and over extend the brake piston out of the bore , beyond where the travel would ever be , then install caliper and compress the piston back to its normal location as I installed the new brake pads . this gave me minimal effort to pump up the pedal and final bleed the brake .... Hope it helps someone ..... Mike
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,156
Likes: 11,247
From: San Diego, CA
Looking to get some advice or help of any kind on bleeding the rear brakes on my 06" Fatboy. I finally got the front ones to work but no luck in the rear at all. I take the bleeder screw almost off and when I pump the brake no fluid is even coming out of it. There are no leaks anywhere.
I've had a vacuum bleeder and used it with my air compressor... It worked, but I wasn't real thrilled with the performance.
I switched to a Motive pressure bleeder and damn, that is the way to go...!!! I went so far as getting a spare front & rear cap, put a fitting in each to attach to the pressure bleeder, and bam! Setting it up takes a few minutes more than actually bleeding the brakes...
I am sold on the pressure bleeding v vacuum bleeding...!