bleeding the front brake

[Blank Slate]

I suck at this. I've watched videos, read 3 manuals, I just suck.
Here's what I'm doing:

-I put the bike on side stand so I can get the master cylinder level.
-I take the lid off the reservoir and fill it with brake fluid almost to the top.
-I connect a clear tube to the nipple and the other end of the tube is in a container full of brake fluid, the container is on the floor, below the calipher.
-All the bolts/banjos are tight, and I'm using original brake lines on this 1978 xs650. Reason I'm asking xs11 for advice is because the parts are identical to my 1100.
-So, I pump the handle bar slow, fast, whatever, 20 times. I can see at the bottom of the reservoir hole there are some microscopic bubbles being released, and they're dark probably due to paint.
-I crack open the nipple to let out the air bubbles but nothing comes out that I can see. And that's where my problem is. No pressure is being released at the nipple, and the reservoir level doesn't go down.
-I close the nipple, and try again. 50 pumps, slow fast, crack open the nipple, nothing is happening.
-I even removed the nipple completely and started pumping the brake handle to see if anything was happening, and some brake fluid did squirt out. So there is something happening.

Am I missing something?

[DiverRay]

If you rebuilt the master, yes you ARE missing something! You needed to "prime" the master by bench bleeding BEFORE putting it on the bike. This is something you need to do anytime a master has been run dry. You can do it on the bike, but put a lot of rags down to keep any fluid off the paint! Brake fluid DOES take paint off QUICKLY.
1. Take the brake line off the front of the master, and leave the banjo bolt off as well.
2. Put a finger over the brake line hole, GENTLY squeeze the lever, and let some of the pressure escape.
3. Keeping your finger over the hole to seal it, release the lever.
4. repeat until you have fluid pushing your finger.
5. re-install the brake line and then bleed the calipers.

[skids]

You probably know this, but you squeeze the handle, open the nipple a little, close the nipple before the handle bottoms out. The idea is you want the fluid pressurized at all times the nipple is opened. It helps to have a helper on the handle, especially for the left front caliper. The bleeder nipples can get clogged to where nothing comes out the end, and instead fluid comes out the threads. A small drill bit can fix that.

[Blank Slate]

Yes Ray, I did not do this.

Question: if I feel pressure when my finger is on it, how do I put the hose and banjo back on without losing the pressure?

[Blank Slate]

completely unrelated to my brake issues is something coming loose while I was working on the battery. i need a suicide emoticon

https://postimg.cc/gallery/12nd4yjsi/

[bikerphil]

Yes Ray, I did not do this.

Question: if I feel pressure when my finger is on it, how do I put the hose and banjo back on without losing the pressure?

Just do it quickly as possible and you will be fine.

[Radioguylogs]

Just do it quickly as possible and you will be fine.

(Not the suicide; the brake MC priming)

[DiverRay]

Question: if I feel pressure when my finger is on it, how do I put the hose and banjo back on without losing the pressure?

Once you have brake fluid at the banjo bolt, you are good. Just install and tighten the bolt, and then go back to the video for bleeding the brakes. Do not worry about the pressure at that point. The trick is to get the fluid through the master cylinder so it can push fluid, not compress the air bubbles.
The muffler can be repaired, but it will no longer look like new. I've had to weld up a muffler for the same reason on the MNS I had. Someone with a wirefeed welder should be able to repair that in less than 30 minutes.

[mack]

Pablo

It's always a pain to bleed the fronts. Really a two man job but you can it yourself. Like Ray said prime it then pump it until you get some pressure then then use a short bungie cord to tie the lever back so the pressure is retained in the reservoir, then go back to the bleeder nipple and just crack it open a bit. You'll see the bubbles come out. Repeat a bunch of times. You'll feel the pressure build in the lever quicker as the air is forced out of the line. When all the air is gone the lever will be hard. Then you adjust the lever to put in the correct play. You got this Pablo.

[bikerphil]

Originally Posted by bikerphil:
Just do it quickly as possible and you will be fine.

(not the suicide; the brake mc priming)

...lol....

[Blank Slate]

You got this Pablo.

we’ll see

[Blank Slate]

So the muffler falling apart was my fault. In the spring I saw the mufflers were not symmetrical. So I tightened the bracket holding the muffler a little too much. After a few months I guess it snapped the weld.

Muffler has been rewelded and reinstalled on the bike. $100 mistake

[Blank Slate]

I think I bench bled the mc, when I squeezed there was fluid coming out right away. Then I pumped the brake handle a few times, cracked open the bleeder, nothing would come out of the tube connected to a container fullof brake fluid. I removed the nipple to test if any fluid came out of the nipple hole when I squeezed, and yes fluid shot out. So I put a new speed nipple bleeder and used the mitivac. Lots if air bubbles shooting out now.

So that’s where I’m at now, i pump the handle, crack the nipple, watch bubbles come out, sometimes there’s no bubbles and it’s clear fluid. I’ve done this about 10 times with no stiffening of the handle.

am I missing something or do I just keep at it?

[Bergman16]

This happened to me when I rebuilt the front MC and messed up the actual rebuild (can’t exactly remember but something was wrong and it was fine once I did it again.) not saying that’s your issue but the rear one went much more smoothly for me, as I’d been through it once.

I think I bench bled the mc, when I squeezed there was fluid coming out right away. Then I pumped the brake handle a few times, cracked open the bleeder, nothing would come out of the tube connected to a container fullof brake fluid. I removed the nipple to test if any fluid came out of the nipple hole when I squeezed, and yes fluid shot out. So I put a new speed nipple bleeder and used the mitivac. Lots if air bubbles shooting out now.

So that’s where I’m at now, i pump the handle, crack the nipple, watch bubbles come out, sometimes there’s no bubbles and it’s clear fluid. I’ve done this about 10 times with no stiffening of the handle.

am I missing something or do I just keep at it?

[Blank Slate]

reservoir keeps going down, i keep topping it up without any air getting in, fluid keeps coming out of the calipher, but no tightening of the brake lever.

when i take a break, i tie up the handle so its pushed in.

i guess ill just keep at it 😫