Getting ready to install my Vortex rear sets. I bought the replacement banjo bolt with the inline pressure sensor which means that I need to remove the stock banjo bolt from the master cylinder and splice stuff up.

Just wondering if I should play it safe and bleed the rear brakes since removing the banjo bolt will leak brake fluid.

Yes, you should bleed the brakes.

Should I drain all of the old fluid or just bleed and top off the reservior (have a mix of old and new fluid)? Does it actually matter?

I would just bleed until the brake feels firm again.

Bleed it all out, nothing is better than all new fluid probably took longer to post and come back than to have flushed it all out. :p

^Agreed. If you're going to do anything, why do a half job. :) Treat your bike right and she'll treat you right :cool:

Though you could get away with a lil old an little new, why half booty it? It will be more work to go all the way, and your fluid probly isn't that old, so you should be fine either way, but a full job is better than a quick fix if your not in a pickle... Your not in a pickle are ya?

Though you could get away with a lil old an little new, why half booty it? It will be more work to go all the way, and your fluid probly isn't that old, so you should be fine either way, but a full job is better than a quick fix if your not in a pickle... Your not in a pickle are ya?

Nope not in pickle. I did a full bleed on the rear. I'd like to do the front as well (just for practice), is there a bleed nipple near the brake lever? From what I've read you need to bleed at the master cylinder and the caliper -- the example was an R6 though...

Nope not in pickle. I did a full bleed on the rear. I'd like to do the front as well (just for practice), is there a bleed nipple near the brake lever? From what I've read you need to bleed at the master cylinder and the caliper -- the example was an R6 though...

You bleed at the master cylinder by loosening the banjo bolt. Use towels around it since it's going to be a bit messy.

We had a similar task this weekend on Akima's and my Ninjas for a group braided line fitting. We realised after fitting the lines that whilst the caliper was bled of air, there was still air trapped at the top of the line, in the union/banjo bolt area.

I didn't think of loosening the banjo bolt, so our solution was to briefly disconnect the lever and reservoir assembly from the bar, and pump the lever whilst trying to coax the air bubble up past the piston back into the (sealed) reservoir. This seemed to work for us.

I would have worried cracking the bolt loose in case the crush washers shifted but I guess we're talking *just* cracked enough to pass air/fluid then torqued back up again.

Interesting...

Cheers, Pete