Bleeding Brakes

I bought a basic kit for a few quid to bleed my clutch. It is just a couple of bits of tubing with a valve in between. I assume this is to prevent air being sucked back into the system although this shouldn't happen because you will have closed the bleed valve. The process was successful, obviously I renewed the fluid. I haven't tried brakes but I probably would now if the need arose. You want to be sure of yourself though and the correct bleed process for your particular bike. Losing brake function is slightly more problematic than losing the ability to change gear!.
Having said all that the whole process should take less than half an hour (unless you have a quirky set-up) so you should not be looking at a big bill if you want your garage to do it.

 

Here are three suggestions to start with:

1. Is there any sign of hydraulic fluid leaking around to master cylinder or the calipers? If so, go to the dealer soon.
2. Top up the reservoir with clean fluid, and check if the old fluid is dirty.

3. Pull the lever back to the handlebar, tie it in place with tape or an elastic strap, and leave it there overnight. Check if there is any improvement in the morning.

 

It genuinely is the easiest job you'll ever do on your bike, apart from put petrol in it.

If you aren't confident. Why not pop into your garage for them to do it and ask to watch, so you are prepared next time. You can buy all sorts of fancy vacuum kits, but all you need is a small spanner to crack open the bleed nipple, a piece of hose to fit over the bleed niple and some brake fluid (DOT 4 probably)

 

If you are going to have a go yourself I'd also suggest:-
Use decent quality spanners
Don't over tighten the bleed nipple (s)
Protect your paintwork from fluid spills

 

Great advise from all the above members,but i'm with rob on this one and would pay £20/30 ish down the road and get a free lesson from the garage

 

Am I getting old feel like the only bit missed from my kit was the old glass milk bottle 1/4 filled with fluid

 

Assuming the brake fluid is under 3 years old, there are no leaks, the brake pads and calipers are OK and the brake fluid is above the "min" in the reservoir. Gently pump the brake lever until there is hard pressure, keep the lever applied, get a rubber band and wrap it around the lever and throttle so it holds the brake applied. Make sure all brake pipes are below the reservoir. Leave it for a few days and then remove the band. Often air is trapped in the brake pipes and it just moves with the fluid. This method allows the air to slowly flow to the top of the system (reservoir) via gravity.

 

[P.S. Good for fronts, but does not work with rear brakes]