ST1300 clutch fluid replacement

Call me Colin, I'm waiting by the white courtesy phone.
 
Larry Fine said:
When I did mine, I used a hand-held vacuum pump. I first used it to empty the reservoir, cleaned it, added fresh DOT4, then attached it to the slave cylinder.

Then I opened the bleeder, pumped repeatedly, topped off the reservoir as needed, and kept going until the fluid coming out was as clear as the fresh fluid.
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Just did this on mine. Got one of those handheld vacuum pump kits. The adapters that fit on the bleed nipple are rubbish. I just used a piece of hose that was a tight fit. Worked way better!
 
So, since I never followed up on this thread.....

I did indeed suck out all the old fluid (and some crud) from the bottom of the reservoir using a syringe, then refilled with new fluid and pumped it. While holding pressure on the lever, opened the bleeder to expel the old fluid. Repeated the process until the fluid ran clear for a few more cycles.

The motion pro bleeder helped make it an easy job, but you could do it without.
 
CruisingDog said:
Just did this on mine. Got one of those handheld vacuum pump kits. The adapters that fit on the bleed nipple are rubbish. I just used a piece of hose that was a tight fit. Worked way better!
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Using a vacuum to flush and bleed your clutch will not get the crap out if your clutch slave cylinder.
You need to work the lever to get the CSC piston to move.
 
Igofar said:
Using a vacuum to flush and bleed your clutch will not get the crap out if your clutch slave cylinder.
You need to work the lever to get the CSC piston to move.
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Maybe not but the old fluid in there definitely needed changing. I got rid of the heavy junk in the master cylinder first.
 
The use of a vacuum bleeder does not prevent working the lever to pressurize the system and move the piston. The two are not mutually exclusive. It's all in how the tools are used.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
The use of a vacuum bleeder does not prevent working the lever to pressurize the system and move the piston. The two are not mutually exclusive. It's all in how the tools are used.
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Yes, but most people and shops don’t work the lever or even think about it.

CruisingDog said:
Maybe not but the old fluid in there definitely needed changing. I got rid of the heavy junk in the master cylinder first.
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If you had heavy sediment in the master cylinder housing, you can bet that there is much more in the clutch slave cylinder still sitting there, that is going to move around and circulate through the system again.
Don’t be surprised if you fluid turns color again quickly.
 
Igofar said:
If you had heavy sediment in the master cylinder housing, you can bet that there is much more in the clutch slave cylinder still sitting there, that is going to move around and circulate through the system again.
Don’t be surprised if you fluid turns color again quickly.
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Thanks Larry. If it changes color quickly, I’ll do another flush. It’s pretty easy to do now with a vacuum bleeder. I’ll keep an eye on it. I don’t mind doing a few flushes to clean it out. I would assume the new fluid will lift some of the old stuff and redissolve it. That means I can pull it out over time.
 
Don’t laugh, some of the bikes that have come through the garage have probably been serviced like this.
:rofl1:
 
I'm getting to the point of not wanting to even work on bikes anymore, because I'm tired of arguing with stupid people :rolleyes:
I can't count time times folks show up with a 20 year old bike, and tell me the clutch and brake fluid have never needed to be touched "because the system has never been opened, and there is no way air can be in the system".
I've seen clutch fluid so bad, that I have removed the cover and diaphram, and stuck a small screwdriver into the MUD/CLAY in the housing and had the screwdriver stand up by itself.
Or have them tell me, "Oil does not wear out" and there is "no need to replace it unless it leaks out".
Or, "brake pad material is just on the metal backing plate so it does not make noise", the metal plate will still work when touching the rotor!
Or, The fork tubes can be at different heights because the springs in them will adjust the difference, and it won't cause things to bind or steer funny.
While I may know just a little bit about working on motorcycles, I can't fix stupid.
 
Having used vacuum pumps, air pumps, reverse bleeders, loop methods, and such, I still find that you will get the most amount of air out of the system(s) using a simple check valve, with the correct procedure.
I have proved this many times, by having training events where master mechanics have been allowed to use their vacuum pump systems first, and then shown how much more air was removed with the simpler check valve method.
Use whichever you think works best for you, but just don’t let someone like me bleed it afterwards or it may embarrass you.
 
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Igofar said:
Having used vacuum pumps, air pumps, reverse bleeders, loop methods, and such, I still find that you will get the most amount of air out of the system(s) using a simple check valve, with the correct procedure.
I have proved this many times, by having training events where master mechanics have been allowed to use their vacuum pump systems first, and then shown how much more air was removed with the simpler check valve method.
Use whichever you thinks works best for you, but just don’t let someone like me bleed it afterwards or it may embarrass you.
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As the saying goes- It is a poor mechanic who blames his tools.
We all have our opinion and my opinion is that the tool does not determine whether the job is done properly or not, it is the person using the tool. Vacuum pump, check valve, pressure bleeder, traditional bleeding method that uses none of those, are just different methods of moving the fluid and is only part of the procedure. If a person chooses to use a vacuum pump but does not pressurize the system and does not exercise the pistons because they think that it is not necessary when using a vacuum pump that is on them. That is simply doing the job badly and is an improper use of the vacuum pump, and that is not the fault of the vacuum pump.
 
There are two types of folks who defend vacuum pumps, those who sell them, and those who purchased them :rolleyes:
Vacuum pumps, no matter how carefully you pressurize them, or use them, will leave more air in the system than they remove.
Pulling fluid through under pressure causes friction, and passing through all the joints, blocks, and lines, will often air throughout the system, and often times, not out of it.
If you want to make some easy money, if you ever come visit me, bring your vacuum pump, or use the new one sitting on the shelf that someone left after trying it against my method, and you can bleed your brakes/clutch first, then I'll do it after your finished. If I don't remove more air, the brake/clutch service is on me, and I'll even buy you dinner.
Disclaimer: I've not lost this bet yet. ;)
 
I think that I have been misunderstanding you. I thought that we were talking about doing the job correctly. It sounds like what you mean is if someone simply connects a vacuum bleeder and pulls fluid through the system and calls it a day then yes, I agree with you, that is not bleeding the system of air and again, that is user error. A vacuum bleeder's primary function is an easy way to move a significant volume of fluid through the system. Moving fluid through the system is not bleeding it of air. I never understood why they call them bleeders in the first place. They should call them system flushers or something like that. After moving fluid through the system, whether that was done with a vacuum pump or not, bleeding the system is always required. There is no reason why that can not be done with the assistance of a vacuum bleeder if it is done properly. Using a vacuum bleeder does not relieve anyone from the responsibility of pressurizing the system. Nor does it relieve them of the responsibility of excersing the pistons. It is not a magical mystery tool. It is only a method of moving fluid, nothing more. If using it does leave more air in the system than was there before then again, that is user error and someone really screwed up because it can not manufacture air. It can only suck air in if the user allows it to.
 
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