Front Brakes and Brake Fluid

[Dupo]

a 'cleaner hose'. just a piece of hose that you slip over the nipple of the bleeder screw and into the jar. thats all. keeps it from spitting out all over the place.

[Badbob]

Maybe these will help:

http://www.dansmc.com/MC_repaircourse.htm
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnuts/braketech.motml
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/maintenance/brakes.htm
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/brake_inspection/
http://www.spokes-women.org/Technical_C ... eeding.htm

[one]

this is perfect, i did a few google searches and found one or two of these sites.

there is a small conflict between the GZ250 manual and what some sites say. specifically, GZ manual says to "suck up the old brake fluid as much as possible" then add fluid and close up the system, while some other sites say to add the cleaner hose and open the valve then add fluid to the reservoir - pumping the brake (adding fluid) until the fluid is clear and no small bubbles then close the valve, top off the reservoir and close up the system.

I ordered brakes from bikebandit and I'll do the fluid after after new pads are installed.

there is one consistent thing that is mentioned which is that the fluid should not touch anything (corrosive)on the bike (paint, plastic, metal, etc.) attracts water and everything should be clean before starting.

[Badbob]

Squeaky clean as in a white glove inspection. A tiny piece of grit in the wrong place will cause problems. All hydraulic systems are like this. You might find something good just googling for brake bleeding how to info. After all they are all basically the same.

I think I would suck it out like the manual says so I can see if there is anything in there I need to clean out. Like water or corrosion for example. If it's used and it has been stored outside you never know what you might find.

[one]

pads were in the mail. reread the directions and went to work. one allen wrench two bolts a c-clamp little bit of prying and all done.

maybe 20 minutes. Next will be he fliud over the weekend. i am not sure where to dispose of the fluid.

i'll keep everyone posted.

[one]

ok, all done. new DOT 4 fluid. it wasn't too bad.

I did things slightly different then the M-O-M.

I cleaned everything really well before starting, put old rags around all items like it was surgery.

anyway, i was not able to find anything to suction out the old fluid so all i could do was pump it through... as the reservoir emptied i added new fluid, i did this maybe 8 to 9 times until fluid was totally clear and the 8 to 9 times included an extra 3 to 4 times to make sure all was clean - then closed the system, put the cap back on and started the bleed process. the whole thing was actually pretty easy.

The bake bleeding kit from Pepboys i bought was not needed as i found some clear tube at the home depot (10' for about $1.90) that was able to fit over the nipple really well.

Anyone have an idea how much new pads and brake fluid would be at the dealer? I would say I put $47 into it: I ask as I am wondering if I saved any money this time or if was a learning expierence.
$33 Pads from bikebandit.com
$5 DOT 4 brake fluid
$7 for 8mm open end wrench from The Home Depot
$1.9 for clear plastic fluid

Atleast I'll have a new tool forever and tube for another 5 or 6 brake bleeds.

Maybe I used 1/4 of the fluid. I have no use for it and it goes bad, anyone near Northwales / Ambler, PA that wants it?

[Dupo]

Glad to hear everything went ok. Yes, you saved yourself alot of money by doing this yourself.

If i needed brake fluid that bad i would take it off your hands (i used to live in Ambler, sure miss that town and its xmas songs playing on the outside speakers).

Are you by chance showing up to the Polar Bear run at MontCycle Center in December? Its not that they 'go' anywhere from there, they kinda pick spots to meet up with other polar bear runners for points and montgomery cycle is one of their meet ups in december. I might go just to check out the atmosphere with these guys. They seem to run all kinds of bikes, sport to cruisers. If you are interested i'll get you the 411.

[Badbob]

Maybe you can take the old brake fluid to AutoZone or if not try a brake repair shop. Repair shops have to have some sort of disposal system.

[one]

disposal was not a problem. I went to my local Exxon and they took the 3 to 4 oz, no problem. What I was describing was the balance of the DOT 4 int eh bottle i bought, they did not want it since they use a different brand. (who knows)

[GZ&Viragocouple]

Good post about the brakes and fluid. Just one thing i wanted to add to this whole thing is remember NEVER mix the different types of brake fluid in your resevoir. I.E. DOT3 and DOT4. This WILL lead to a very costly repair job to your entire brake system. The different chemical make up of these fluids causes them to react against eachother producing a gel like sludge in every component that fluid is in contact with. What usually happens is the brakes fail to release. A friend of mine found out the hard way and it cost him over 500 bucks till it was all fixed up. (He rides a HD-softtail custom)

Gotta say this forum is pretty cool, Even though i don't post much(YET) i really like how everyone is helpful and gets along. Thats rare these days :rawk: