I decided to try bleeding my front brakes for the first time ever. Just wanted to get some beautiful new clean fluid in there and install my new chrome braided line.

I pulled off the banjo bolts, and reinstalled all the same hardware with the new hose. I refilled the reservoir, connected the tubing on the caliper and started the pumping, bleeding, pumping, bleeding process to remove air bubbles.

After countless cycles, I can open the bleeder and no bubbles appear, but I have no pressure on the lever and the pistons don't move.

What am I missing?

 

I know when I swapped calipers and brake lines my bleed valve was at the top of my caliper. I had to re,pmove the caliper and put the valve upside down to bleed.
Fixed my issue but I also used a hand pump brake bleeder

 

Mity Vac.

Available at harbor freight or an auto parts store. Suck that fluid right down to the caliper. Any other method might drive you crazy and take forever.

 

After you get all the air out of the bleeder, pump the brake a few times to get any air out of the top. Then put the reservoir cover back on. Once it's back on it might take a million and a half pumps to get pressure built up. At least it did for me anyways. I too thought I was doing something wrong but I knew for a fact that there was no air left on there. Like I said, once I put everything back together and tightened, it still took a good 15 to 20 pumps on the lever to build the pressure back up.

 

After upgrading a front brake line on one of my other bikes I tried everything. I spent money on the little hand-held vacuum pump bleeder, everything. This was a dual caliper bike and I'd just introduced too much air. I could squeeze that damn lever until the end of time and it wouldn't accomplish anything. It was killing me. But I refused to admit defeat and finally found the miracle of reverse bleeding. Any time normal bleeding starts being a pain in the *** I break out my mega syringe thing and BAM, it's done.

 

That's how I did,took 5 minutes.

 

Same here. Full-proof and very easy.

 

Work with ABS?

 

Hmm, never had a bike with ABS so I have no idea but I'd google the hell outta that before trying it with ABS. That's expensive stuff to have to replace (or tear apart)....

 

Here is what I use for a "syringe"...gotta use a new one...never use one that ever had oil in it.