Yamaha FZ-09 Forum banner

How often should you change your brake fluid.

18K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  blkbrd 
#1 ·
We should be changing our brake fluid more often and selecting a higher quality product. I think everyone should change the brake fluid 1 to 2 times per year minimum.

Brake Fluid Made Simple ? Moto Octane
 
#2 ·
I change mine when the color starts to show.
And I change it with Valvoline DOT 3/4 from Advance Auto Parts.

I've tried Motorex. And I've tried Motul high temp racing fluid. I could tell no difference in performance or longevity with the pricier fluids.
But then again, I hardly use my brakes. ;)
 
#3 · (Edited)
1 or 2 times per year.. that's crazy! When the color changes, the tech of these fluids are much better now.how often do you change it in your car??
Unless I see something really terrible in the color, Once every three years. I only put 2k a year on it at most though, regardless.

This is just like when people change there plugs every 8k. I changed plugs at 17k, and they still looked new!

Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
I do 18-20k miles/annum at the mo (it used to be 30+ until recently)and only change it when I bleed them through at calliper service time. Not had any problems over the last 1/4 million miles or so. Just like oil changes, don’t bother changing it early as your just throwing your money away!!!


Stop polishing it and ride the bloody thing!
 
#7 ·
I change it every couple years because it's such a trivial job there's no reason not to. The downside of waiting too long is poor braking and rusting caliper pistons. Same for fork oil - lots of folks ignore it. They wouldn't ignore it if the compared what comes out of a set of forks to what comes out of a fresh bottle.
 
#8 ·
A lot of factors. Humidity, exposure to rain, etc. A garage kept vehicle in a dry climate will need brake fluid changes less often than a vehicle left out in the rain regularly.

I haven’t found mileage to be a huge factor, but I change every two years anyway and my bikes are garage kept.
 
#9 ·
I thought about this more last night and I was reminded of a time when I went to a multi-line dealer that had a lovely, 0 miles KTM RC8 on the showroom floor with a brake res full of fluid the color of weak iced tea. When I casually mentioned that perhaps the fluid should be changed, a sales associate looked at me like I was a know nothing troublemaker. With that said, there is nothing wrong with changing brake fluid as often as you care to. I think I will change mine as soon as the weather turns nice, just because I can. And...in the active leg of the front forks too.
 
#11 ·
Flushing the brake fluid is generally advised to do once every 2 years at least.

It is very very simple so there is no reason to not do it other than simply don't know it should be done or ???. Brake fluid is vital to the safety of the motorcycle and the health of the brakes.

Whenever it is discolored, much from new, it should be changed.

The process I use is:
1) cover the tank and any other plastic under/around the master cylinder
2) remove the cover of the master cylinder and place it on a clean paper towel
3) tear a paper towel in half and then fold that in half to make a double layer strip, then roll the strip into a roll, insert roll into the master cylinder and let it soak up all the old fluid in the master cylinder, then throw it away
4) Use the other half of the paper towel to wipe out the inside of the master cylinder
5) fill master cylinder with new brake fluid
6) attach a hose to the bleeder port of the caliper that is furthest from the master cylinder and put the other end of the hose in a cup
7) loosen the bleeder valve
8) squeeze the lever to the handlebar and hold it there while you tighten the bleeder valve, ONLY AFTER the bleeder is fully closed pump the brake lever a couple of times and release the lever
9) repeat steps 7 and 8 until clean, new brake fluid is coming out of the hose into the cup.
10) close/tighten the bleeder valve
11) top up the master cylinder with more new brake fluid
12) repeat steps 6-11 for second caliper
13) close the master cylinder
14) clean everything with windex or other water based cleaner as the water will dissolve any brake fluid residue
15) done, go riding

If you have a vacuum bleeder (aka mitivac) you can replace steps 6-9 with the following:
6A) connect vacuum bleeder to bleeder valve of caliper furthest from the master cylinder
7A) open bleeder valve
8A) draw a vacuum with vacuum bleeder to suck brake fluid out of the system until clean fluid is coming out.
9A) While sucking brake fluid out of the bleeder valve ALSO check and refill the master cylinder often so you don't run out of brake fluid and suck air into the system.

This works for front brakes, rear brakes are slightly different due to only one caliper and it works for bikes with ABS systems. On e bike with ABS very very very careful about running out of fluid in the master cylinder as getting air out of the ABS can be a nightmare.
 
#12 ·
So why change your brake fluid?

Here are a several of reasons:

1. Brake fluid has a high affinity for moisture, aka it really loves to absorb water.

2.Water in the brake lines lowers the boiling point of the fluid, so stopping ability can diminish in hard stops as heat in the system increases.

3. In addition, over time the moisture can cause internal corrosion in the brake lines, calipers, the master cylinder and other components, read that hang on to your wallet cuz it's about to get real light.

4. Finally for peace of mind knowing that your brake system is in top operating condition. So if that dog suddenly runs out in front of you and you have to jam on the brakes...you might just miss him by an inch and avoid taking an asphalt nap along with another expensive repair bill.

Cheers mates.
 
#13 ·
I don't think that any of us disagree that regular maintenance is beneficial for all the obvious reasons listed, but twice a year is just overkill and not necessary. In a sealed system, the absorption of water is very very minimal if at all, especially with synthetic fluid, unless you keep opening the system for some reason, exposing it to the air.

Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk
 
#18 ·
#20 · (Edited)
Edit: just realized this is 5.1

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moto Octane
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top