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Brake Bleed

9K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  blueknightga6 
#1 ·
I installed the Spiegler brake lines and I bled the front and rear circuit but I can't get the ABS unit to bleed. I must have gotten some air into it.........:(
 
#3 ·
OK by ABS do you mean the control circuit up to the handle bars and the rear reservoir? If so try pushing fluid with a large syringe into the tall bleed port up through the hose to the master cylinder. Of course empty the reservoir first.
 
#6 ·
I'll give it a shot. I'm worn out from messing with this all day.........I've dreaded doing it and now I know why..........:(
 
#8 ·
Rattler, how was it doing the hoses (before the bleed). 2 years ago I did my RF brake line with an OEM from BMW and it was easier than I expected. I just did my rear from the master cylinder to the brake pipe and to get the old one out and new one in took nearly the whole afternoon to do. I even had to unbolt the master cylinder from the plate and then snake the line up. :brick:
 
#9 ·
Don't feel bad about time and effort, I had the BMW dealer change my front lines, they said the fuel tank had to be remove ect. it was 7 to 8 hours labor although I could have removed the running boards on the 06 trike and maybe saved alittle.
now ready for the MOA, CCR and dragon
 
#10 ·
Is there a way to push brake fluid with a mightyvac?
 
#11 ·
A friend, actually two from up north rode down one weekend and were nice enough to replace the brake fluids in my 02 K1200LT and the whole process from start to finish didn't take more than an hour.

Dave really knew what he was doing, had the right tools, hoses and a quarter and made it really look easy. I wish I had videoed the process because very little was removed from my bike and it was done in a driveway.
 
#12 ·
If it was just a fluid flush, that is quite straightforward. A brake line change is a leetle more involved. :)
 
#13 ·
The lines were not too hard except for the one on the foot pedal. That was the hardest to get aligned. I removed the side panels and air intake so I could see what I was doing. Made it easier for sure. I had some trouble aligning the line in the handlebar. It was hitting the bracket inside and not allowing me to line up with the marks on the handlebar. I finally wormed it around and got it. I torqued all of the banjo bolts.
I finally got some pedal back on the front but it still won't bleed at the control unit. I'll try again today and see what happens..........:(
 
#14 ·
I finally got it. I hooked up three hoses to the bleeders and loosened all three. I pumped the foot brake about a half inch for a few strokes. I had fluid coming up into the hose out of all three plus #1 was pushing out air. I shut off the other two and continued to pump the foot brake until the air stopped coming. I shut it off and now I have brakes. I took a short spin to make sure the dreaded wig wag would go away and it did.............thank goodness......I'll flush it some more before I button it up..............:D
 
#17 ·
The thing to remember is that air bubbles rise in the system and will collect at any high point in the lines so you have to find a way to work with that. Getting an extra long hose and making a loop back to the reservoir works pretty well. Then you can usually pump fast enough to force the bubbles downstream/downhill. As John suggests, pressurizing the system from the bottom up pretty well eliminates the trapped air issue. A large capacity medical syringe and some clear tubing would probably work pretty well if you don't have a pump.
 
#18 ·
I rode to work this morning. When I took off my windscreen wouldn't go down and my high beam was out. I got to work and I beat on the windscreen and the nose cone and the switch on the handlebar. I wiggled the wires underneath the headlight and kicked the tire and beat on the nose come some more. Sure enough, it was a blown fuse. Replaced the fuse and the headlight and all is well now............:D
 
#19 ·
I'm hoping John (jzeiler) can chime in here.

I'm stumped. Dealing with a 2002 servo assist integral brake system. I've flushed the wheel circuits before (fairly straight forward).

I had to replace the brake line from the rear master cylinder behind the foot peg plate up to the metal brake pipe. Obviously I got air in the control circuit and need to bleed in (NO resistance on brake pedal).

But my ABS module is different than the ones I've found here in the instructions. I've rotated the diagram and you are looking at it from the rear of the motorcycle with the inboard on the right and the outboard on the left. My unit does not have the #2 bleeder or the corresponding one for the front circuit. But it does have one on each inboard and outboard side near the top. The "gang" of brake pipes is also on the outboard and not the inboard side. I'm guessing that since my #2 bleeders for the rear & front are not as shown, they are the ones on the side? Which is which if that's them? I've just about got a wrench modified to get in there.

The 2nd photo is just where I've found the bleeder on the outboard side (rubber cap removed) and the 3rd is an overall shot of the unit on the left of the motorcycle.

This one is starting to frustrate me.

THANKS!
 

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#22 ·
When BMW introduced the Servos-brakes (IABS) on the K1200LT (mainly 2002-2004 in the USA) they used the same modulator position as the k1200RS with a small 2 sections separate fluid reservoir. Later generation of k1200LT (2005-2009 for USA) have the other version like the one in your picture (no separate fluid reservoir).

To explain visually what JZEILER just posted, see attached picture with embedded text taken on a K1200RS. Same thing on your K1200LT except you may have a few more wires around the unit, along the rear sub-frame.
 

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#20 ·
I don't get too excited about which is which. I connect a hose, open a port, and step on the brake. If fluid comes out I have the right one. If not, I try the next one until I get it right. You may as well flush the entire system while you're in there. I don't think you even need the key on if you're just searching for the control circuit. That'll keep it from pumping the reservoir dry if you don't have the funnel hooked up.
 
#21 ·
OK you are in luck. The outboard one in the side is the rear integral port (call it #2) the tall inboard is the rear control port (#3) and the short one near the tall one is the rear metering port (#1). Bleed sequence is #1, #2, #3, and #1 again. The fill adapter on the side with all the pipes is used when bleeding the front control circuit.

But you may have better luck pushing fluid from the #3 port back to the MC and reservoir. Then try the bleed sequence above until all air is out.

Your picture #1 is the 05 + ABS unit where they are all on top. To get to the front integral port on your, you have to remove the battery.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Thanks John (Alabama) and John (Montreal)!!! :dance:

It's making more sense now. The picture I attached seemed the closest I found here. I knew I'd have to remove the battery to get to the what I now know is the front integral. Thanks for the tip on the tall port and pushing the fluid. Now that I know which is which I'm hoping it'll go MUCH easier. When a friend saw all this under the seat and I told him the procedure, he just shook his head and said "You're kidding me. But I'll help."

One of the documents here even shows the funnel being used on the ABS pump, but at least I knew better and knew on the LT it was the reservoirs.
 
#26 ·
Funny your friend said this. I will refrain from posting what an ABS repair specialist (for car) said when he saw the inside of these ABS-Modulators (with servos)... and we was being polite.

I have also seen the inside: Mind boggling complex German engineering at its best/worse depending on your position in the argument ;-)
 
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