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Jammerkiller · March 30th, 2014, 06:25 PM

Okay, here's what I did.....

Like I may have mentioned in an earlier post, I "clamped" the brake lever against the grip to hold the brake for 2 days. On the 2nd day, I released the lever and retried the lever action. I would be lying if I said that I felt a difference after the 2 day treatment, but I did get an improvement after this next step....

With the lever released, I removed the caliper from the fork/rotor. (some 'twisting' may be needed in the case that you may have a slightly edged rotor.) After doing so, I followed what someone else did and pressed in the pistons by hand (use a glove to keep pads clean) forcing fluid, and maybe some trapped air, back into the line and MC. (watch your reservoir level!). Then, hold caliper in different positions while "smacking" it with a plastic handle or rubber mallet, etc. to dislodge any stuck air bubbles into the line, or into the bleed valve area. Then, re-attach caliper to fork, being careful to hold caliper in it's upright position as you re-attach it so you can re-bleed at the valve. From here, work the brake lever until the pads contact the rotor, and "pump/squeeze/bleed" at the caliper's bleed valve.

If there were any air bubbles in the line, they would have been sucked back into the MC reservoir while I was pumping the pads against the rotor. Also, with the caliper in the upright position while pumping, any trapped air at the valve had no chance to go anywhere else except stay there until bled out.

This is a bleeding method that actually used several different techniques. I did NOT use my Mighty-Vac on this second try, as you can introduce air bubbles back into the caliper through the threads of the bleed valve. After doing this, I can honestly say that it feels better, and more "firm" when pressing the brake lever. However, my '98 Ninja with old fluid and original brake line still feels firmer and engages a bit quicker.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed their ideas and methods to this repair. Very much appreciated! If any of you are in my area anytime soon, I'll buy you a beer at Barrio Brewery for the assistance.

Thanks again and good luck to all,

Mike in Tucson.

March 30th, 2014, 06:25 PM	#20
Jammerkiller lurking about........ Name: Mike Location: Tucson, AZ Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2004/2005 Ninja EX250, VFR750, Shadow ACE750, NC700X Posts: 33	Problem SOLVED...... (sort of) Okay, here's what I did..... Like I may have mentioned in an earlier post, I "clamped" the brake lever against the grip to hold the brake for 2 days. On the 2nd day, I released the lever and retried the lever action. I would be lying if I said that I felt a difference after the 2 day treatment, but I did get an improvement after this next step.... With the lever released, I removed the caliper from the fork/rotor. (some 'twisting' may be needed in the case that you may have a slightly edged rotor.) After doing so, I followed what someone else did and pressed in the pistons by hand (use a glove to keep pads clean) forcing fluid, and maybe some trapped air, back into the line and MC. (watch your reservoir level!). Then, hold caliper in different positions while "smacking" it with a plastic handle or rubber mallet, etc. to dislodge any stuck air bubbles into the line, or into the bleed valve area. Then, re-attach caliper to fork, being careful to hold caliper in it's upright position as you re-attach it so you can re-bleed at the valve. From here, work the brake lever until the pads contact the rotor, and "pump/squeeze/bleed" at the caliper's bleed valve. If there were any air bubbles in the line, they would have been sucked back into the MC reservoir while I was pumping the pads against the rotor. Also, with the caliper in the upright position while pumping, any trapped air at the valve had no chance to go anywhere else except stay there until bled out. This is a bleeding method that actually used several different techniques. I did NOT use my Mighty-Vac on this second try, as you can introduce air bubbles back into the caliper through the threads of the bleed valve. After doing this, I can honestly say that it feels better, and more "firm" when pressing the brake lever. However, my '98 Ninja with old fluid and original brake line still feels firmer and engages a bit quicker. Many thanks to everyone who contributed their ideas and methods to this repair. Very much appreciated! If any of you are in my area anytime soon, I'll buy you a beer at Barrio Brewery for the assistance. Thanks again and good luck to all, Mike in Tucson. __________________________________________________ Fast....Cheap.....Reliable...... You can only pick two.