A few weeks ago I noticed how bad and ineffective my rear brake had gotten. The pedal has a lot of travel and I really have to push my foot down far just to get it to hold the bike on a hill at a stop light. The fluid was pretty dark so I decided to change it. A friend of mine helped me change the fluid, he has a vacuum pump with gauge so it was pretty easy pulling the old nasty fluid out and putting fresh clean fluid in but the pedal was still spongy.
I rode to work a couple times the next week and stopped by the dealer to see if they had any ideas. The head mechanic there told me to remove the rear caliper and slide it around to the top of the disc and then bleed it again because the bleed valve is on the bottom of the caliper and the air collects in the top so you'll never properly bleed it unless you do this.
So, Saturday morning I unbolted the rear caliper and the guide the routes the rear brake line along the bottom of the swingarm. Then I took the caliper and pulled it around the front of the rear tire and worked it between the spokes of the right side of the rear wheel and onto the top of the brake disc where I bled them normally.
Worked like a charm. The pedal is firm now and the rear brake works perfectly.
So, anyone having trouble bleeding their rear brake, I hope this helps. This is on a 2012 Monster 1100 EVO with 10,500 miles on it. I've had it a year and a half.
Your tech knows his stuff. [thumbsup]
This has been an issue with bleeding the monster rear brake on all models with the bleeder on the bottom.
FWIW you should bleed the brakes on a bike annually or more often if you ride aggressively - like track days
Quote from: Slide Panda on December 10, 2012, 04:12:26 PM
FWIW you should bleed the brakes on a bike annually or more often if you ride aggressively - like track days
Yeah, I'm going to do the front brakes this weekend. I changed out the clutch fluid the same day I originally changed the rear brake fluid. Those two were really dark. The front brake fluid is kind of an amber color so I figure it is due to be changed too.
Quote from: SDRider on December 10, 2012, 03:16:09 PM
.... unbolted the rear caliper and the guide the routes the rear brake line along the bottom of the swingarm. Then I took the caliper and pulled it around the front of the rear tire and worked it between the spokes of the right side of the rear wheel and onto the top of the brake disc where I bled them normally.
Worked like a charm. The pedal is firm now and the rear brake works perfectly.
So, anyone having trouble bleeding their rear brake, I hope this helps. This is on a 2012 Monster 1100 EVO with 10,500 miles on it. I've had it a year and a half.
Yep well advised and well done same issue on a 06 that I bled the breaks on; as DP says ... common problemo.