Did I fail?

[Bleak21]

So guys,

The last thing I was doing on my bike today was changing the front brake pads. I followed the manual's directions of "disconnecting the brake hose from the caliper" as part of the process to remove the caliper and replace the pads. It didn't seem like the right thing to do, but the manual said it was a prerequisite for replacing the pads. This caused brake fluid to leak everywhere (obviously).

Now that I have the caliper on with the new brake pads and hose reconnected, I can't feel any pressure on the handle after pumping 12+ times to regain control. There doesn't seem to be much fluid in the reservoir (a miniscule sliver in the view glass). Could I have drained so much fluid that I need to add/replace more to regain pressure? If so, do I only have to pour it in the reservoir or do I have to pour some into the caliper itself as well? Or is the pad wrong? Am I not recalibrating the lever and caliper correctly? Any ideas? I'm not riding until this is completely resolved.

Thanks

[Indy250r]

You need to bleed the brakes now. When you disconnect the lines, air gets in the system. Air is compressible, so you can't get enough pressure to force the pads into the rotor.

Bleeding brakes is a pretty simple procedure, I'm sure there are a ton of videos on youtube.

Also, on ninja250.org: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_...brake_lines%3F

Edit:
Forgot to add, there's no reason to disconnect the line to change the pads.

[Cuongism]

Your manual said to disconnect the hose? That step isn't needed to just replace the pads. You definitely drained too much fluid if you aren't seeing anything in the reservoir. It should be between the min/max line. I recommend completely flushing out your brake fluid, fill with new fluid (not DOT 5) and bleeding them so the fluid is fresh with the same DOT.
For future reference, here's a thread with video on how to do your brakes in under 10 minutes.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42344

It's just removing two bolts to remove caliper from rotor, remove two allens to drop out pads and put in new pads. Make sure to clean the calipers and pistons as well.
What pads did you get btw?

[bamaland]

the tip the manuals dont tell you is that when you disconnect the brake line from the caliper your supposed to pull it straight up(the hose) and have it hanging from say like the handle bars. it will leak some but now where near enough.

if i do it the manuals way and pull the rotor, i always fill it back up when re-installing it, open the res cap and screw back on the hose. wait for the few bubbles to pop up and add whatever fluid dripped out, then continue to do a quick brake bleeding

[Bleak21]

Thanks for the replies!

I used the popular EBC Organic brake pads sold by a local shop to me. Tomorrow I'll go out (in a functioning car!) to some big box auto store and pickup dot4 fluid and a brake bleeding hose. In one video I saw, a guy used a special one from advance for $6. Not bad. But I can't shake the feeling that even when bleeding brakes there should be at least a smidgm of pressure in the line but there isn't now.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Oh yeah, and no more religiously following the manual. F--- that.

[kkim]

Brake pad replacement is on pg. 12-12 in the service manual. No where does it say to remove the brake line from the caliper. What does yours say?

In any case, bleed the system with brake fluid of your choice and pressure to the lever will return.

[Bleak21]

Got it. Pressure is firm now. Tests had the front brake working extremely well. I'll go back out and test some more after a couple of little things. Here's the pic from my manual and my "G2 Brake Bleeder". Time to find a better manual too.

http://img827.imageshack.us/i/dsc00007lz.jpg/
http://img221.imageshack.us/i/dsc00008cc.jpg/

[kkim]

Dan,

Sorry, I was using a new gen manual. I didn't see we were talking about a pregen, but regardless, you do not need to break the line to replace the pads. Is your manual a Kawasaki factory service manual?

Glad everything worked out for you. Keep an eye on the front brake pressure as it's sometimes difficult to get all of the air out and you may need to rebleed it after some use (front brake will start to feel "mushy").

[Bleak21]

Yeah it's a kawi manual.

But (lol...man this would explain things) I think its the wrong year. It looks like the previous owner gave me the right basic manual and supplement manual but handed me an 86-87 service manual. Maybe those 86-87 owners complained and demanded a new writeup without the cable. Who knows.

On the bright side, I have new brake fluid AND I learned more about brakes than I would have otherwise. Not a bad deal overall.

[kkim]

any time you learn something new from working on your bike, it adds to your knowledge base and experience level, which is always a good thing. have fun with future little jobs on your bike.

[johnjohn]

Now if you feel you still have a little mush after bleeding.... take a velcro strap or something similar and bind the front brake down over night to the grip. Any residual air will dissipate overnight, recheck your level.

[dubojr1]

Originally Posted by johnjohn

Now if you feel you still have a little mush after bleeding.... take a velcro strap or something similar and bind the front brake down over night to the grip. Any residual air will dissipate overnight, recheck your level.

Huh?

[Bleak21]

not a bad idea.

now my clutch isnt catching 1st-N-2nd all the time..... siiiiiggggh I think my cable is going...

next weekends project

[edbro]

Originally Posted by Bleak21

not a bad idea.

now my clutch isnt catching 1st-N-2nd all the time..... siiiiiggggh I think my cable is going...

next weekends project

Yeah, it's better if you catch it before you hit the road, otherwise you'll be pushing it home (ask me how I know). It's a pretty simple job..took all of 30 minutes to replace.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by dubojr1

Huh?

Yup, it's an old trick that has some validity to it. Bleed the crap out of it, do it as carefully as possible, but then a velcro strap holding pressure on the lever overnight can in fact get the last little bit taken care of over time.

[dubojr1]

Originally Posted by Alex

Yup, it's an old trick that has some validity to it. Bleed the crap out of it, do it as carefully as possible, but then a velcro strap holding pressure on the lever overnight can in fact get the last little bit taken care of over time.

Well that's interesting. Never had a need for it but I'll keep it in mind.

A little trick I like. Once I have all new fluid in the system and I'm now just concentrating on removing air, I like to run a small tube from the bleeder on the caliper back to the reservoir. This allows the fluid to continuously cycle till I have removed all the air. Helps not to waste so much fluid too.

[tiggen]

Originally Posted by johnjohn

Now if you feel you still have a little mush after bleeding.... take a velcro strap or something similar and bind the front brake down over night to the grip. Any residual air will dissipate overnight, recheck your level.

Originally Posted by Alex

Yup, it's an old trick that has some validity to it. Bleed the crap out of it, do it as carefully as possible, but then a velcro strap holding pressure on the lever overnight can in fact get the last little bit taken care of over time.

Great advice. I do this all the time at the track. Always put a zip tie on after loading the bike on the trailer (the jiggly ride to the track helps) and after practice and before the race (works even better when the brakes are warmed up.)