Most efficient, least messy way to bleed brakes and clutches?

so youre not a natural blonde???

 

The carpet matches the drapes lol

 

Timely bump on this thread... GAWD I hate brake fluid... so I bought a Sportster 1200 Custom for my rental fleet and it had these hideous ape hanger bars on it. So i gotta swap out all the cables and electrics to shorter, stock units to fit the stock handlebars. Only about a 20 hour job, FML! You gotta strip down almost the entire bike!!!!

Put the stock front brake line back on and had a hell of a time getting new fluid into it. My new little Motion Pro tool didn't work. The old manual method with an 8mm wrench didn't work. I pulled out a new compressor setup that I had bought several years ago and hooked it up to my 120 psi tire inflator and it worked like a charm. Finished off with manual pump and bleed to fine tune it.

 

Sounds like a huge PITA...I also hate brake fluid. I just found that my MC reservoir hose was weeping unnoticed and it took some paint right off my bike!

I been eyeing brake bleeder set ups lately to assist in the future, which one did you have good luck with today?


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This is exactly why I'm looking pneumatic - just replaced the line and cylinder on the rear of my dirt bike and it's not wanting to prime at all.

 

I hope you paid attention to the MC caps for DOT 4 or 5. Harley uses Dot 5 alot. I've seen one end 4 and the other 5 on the same bike !

 

I prefer a large syringe and clear tubing. Pipe tape on bleeder threads helps a lot also. That is the cleanest way I’ve found. With the syringe you can pull a vacuum on the hose when you disconnect and minimize the fluid loss.

 

This is nearly identical to what we have been using at the shop for years. They come with several different size tubes.

 

I have this one. You can find them for around $30. All you need is about 100psi. It ain't great, but it seems to work.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Pneuma...242266?hash=item3fe1809dda:g:CH0AAOSwK5VdzOrA

 

If you look on Amazon, they've got all these knockoffs for 1/2 price of that link. Just type in "harbor freight pneumatic brake bleeder". I ordered the second one in.

 

Clear tubing through a hole in a bottle top has always worked for me.

I would like some of the heavy duty blaxk nipple attachments like in this picture though. Seems like it would get a really good purchase on the nipple. Can those be bought separately? Or are there longer nipples that would let you clamp some hose on?

 

The second one in seemed to work fine but didn't solve my problem of getting a prime on a new rear cylinder and brake line I installed. Can't get this fucker to prime and it's really pissing me the fuck off.

 

Speed bleeders are trash but the Stalhbus bleeders (same principle, different design) are amazing.