Brake advice please!

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Jun 5, 2013 | 11:25 AM

Hughieboy

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From: Oxford, United Kingdom.

Brake advice please!

Hi There,

I wonder if anyone can advise...

I just swapped out my original front brake lines for some over length braided HEL ones on my '02 Road King to suit wider bars then two things have happened.

Firstly, I used a 'Little Bleeder' bleed kit as there was no one around to assist and once I stopped seeing air in the fluid tightened everything up to test the brakes.

I now seem to have a small leak coming from around the threaded part of the bleed nipple on one of the calipers (definitely the thread and not the bleed hole)

I have done it up as tight as i dare without risking stripping the thread but this small dribble persists.

Secondly, after pumping the lever a few times I get a good build up of pressure and a reasonable 'fist' of brake but after leaving it for a while it needs pumping to get the pressure up again. Obviously until I figure out whats going on I haven't road tested it yet!

I'd really appreciate any insight anyone can offer,

Thanks.

Jun 5, 2013 | 11:35 AM

RANGER73

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From: Beyond Fucital

Use some Teflon tape on the bleeder threads, just make sure you trim any excess or put in a new bleeder. Your leaking and sucking in air, that's why you need to keep bleeding the line. It'll stop after you
fix the leak.

Jun 5, 2013 | 11:53 AM

Hughieboy

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From: Oxford, United Kingdom.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RANGER73

The local dealer has new bleed nipples in stock, do you think that will cure it? I'm not sure how the old one would have become damaged, I only loosened it to bleed the new lines through and then tightened it again....

Jun 5, 2013 | 12:32 PM

Lowcountry Joe

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From: Near Myrtle Beach, SC

Sprrd bleeders are superior in many ways to the oem nipples.

Jun 5, 2013 | 12:39 PM

Hughieboy

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowcountry Joe

Sprrd bleeders are superior in many ways to the oem nipples.

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't aware of speed bleeders until now but I reckon I'll grab a couple of those

Jun 5, 2013 | 02:42 PM

jrscars

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From: MinneSnowta

yank the bleeder screw all the way out and look at the bottom of the screw, the last 1/4 inch or so is smooth (no threads) with the fluid hole drilled in the side, the bottom is tapered like the lug nut on a car.... in the hole in the caliper is machined and also tapered, it fits taper against taper to seal off the fluid flow, sounds like you flushed loose a tiny piece of grit, so when you tighten it, its trapped between the 2 tapered surfaces and will never seal. Blow it out, clean it out, and bleed it a bit more, you should be good.

I agree with the sucking a little air part as to why after you let it sit a while you have to pump it up to get solid brakes again. After you get it to seal that problem will have fixed itself.

Jun 5, 2013 | 04:42 PM

Hughieboy

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From: Oxford, United Kingdom.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

I've ordered some speed bleeders after the recommendation so I'll swap them both out and give it all a clean at the same time.

Will post back how I get on!