This isn't so much for the forum elite more for newbies like me who are late to the Multistrada party. Obviously the rear brake is pants and mine was too, ineffective with l - o - n - g pedal travel. So I started with this Youtube vid . Then I got the Motul brake fluid It seems that cheap fluid boils at low temperature and if (or when) it absorbs water it boils at an even lower temperature, which as its really close to the cat it gets cooked easily and often and after its boiled well your rear brake is F**ked. So I didn't really want to pay for the Castrol stuff so I've gone for Motul. Now bleeding the rear brake is not straight forward so I needed help from Heath Robinson to get the bleed nipple as high as poss. After replacing the old fluid then ratcheting the pedal down over night before finally bleeding the system the results were impressive. Although it did need one press of the pedal to pump the system for best results. Now the video tells you to bleed it once then go for a ride and brake hard enough to trigger the ABS then bleed it again. Thats a lot of effort, but thats what I did and the rear brake improved again so that it now does what it should always have done. No need to pump the pedal, not so much travel and not spongy I wouldn't say it locks up the rear at the drop of a hat but I can defo feel it working now, so I'm happy. Result. BTW would anyone know why triggering the ABS improves the bleeding process 2nd time around? Regards TB
I have done the ABS bleed nipple mod and I did the rear brake bleeding as it is described. I removed the caliper, put it up (just to have its bleed nipple upwards, since now the higher bleeding point of the system is the ABS bleed valve) and did the bleeding. It definitely made the brake from non existent, working. Similar to what you describe. Short pedal travel, no spongy feeling (although quite wooden and with very short "working" space) and with the ability to engage the ABS. I did go for a ride, worked the ABS at least ten times as suggested and went back to complete the bleeding. This time I only bled through the ABS valve. No air came out, no change whatsoever to the braking operation. It seemed that it all happened with the first part of the procedure.
BTW would anyone know why triggering the ABS improves the bleeding process 2nd time around? because the abs block has all sorts of nooks and crannies for air to get trapped in, maybe activating the abs makes it dislodge the trapped air.
