XPost - Any good Tutorials on Bleeding my clutch

[MotoPsycho]

A MityVac is a priceless investment. I have remote rez pumps so I can take the hose off and suck it up through the whole clutch line straight from the bottle through a short hose when it comes time for fluid changes. The way I do it is since the short hose will have a little bit of air in it from the bottle, while I'm pumping I get to the air bubbles and I know that I'm to the fresh fluid. Same thing with the front brake. Then after hooking the rez back up and filling it with fluid, I use a pair of needlenose and gently pinch the hose to drive the air out which in turn sucks the fluid back it.

[Jarvicious]

I glazed over most of your posts, but I used said Harbor Freight pump and a lot of spare fluid.  What the hell.  It's like $5 a bottle, right? 

This is when I replaced my master, so keep in mind it was a totally dry system at the time.  At first I tried the normal squeeze lever, loosen valve, tighten valve, release lever.  The problem is that your clutch master moves so much less fluid than your brakes that it just took too long.  After I got the pump, I put a touch of fluid in the pump tank and attached it to the slave cylinder bleeder valve.  Then I yanked the remove reservoir from the master cylinder and put a 6 or so inch tube directly from the top of the master into a fresh bottle of fluid and just started pumping.

This way, you're basically pulling clean fluid into a clean system with little to no risk of air contamination.  I think I did let some in when I put the remote reservoir back on, but once the system is 99% bled the bubbles come out much more easily.  Food for thought.

[MotoPsycho]

Agreed. That's a good way to do it. I've had better luck sucking fluid the other way though, from the bleeder to the pump. Air goes up so I suppose that makes more sense to me.

[Betlog]

When bleeding brakes and clutch, I "gravity bleed" mine:
1) Open the master cylinder and take out the old fluid using a turkey baster.  Be careful not to take out too much so that air would not get in.  (I usually take out fluid close to but not the bottom of the container.)
2) Fill the master with new fluid.
3) Insert the appropriate clear tube to the slave cylinder's bleed nipple and attach it to a plastic container for draining.
4) Open up the bleed nipple until fluid starts to come out.
5) Monitor the master cylinder and add more fluid while the fluid level goes down.

Since you are not pumping the levers, this could take some time, but be patient.  Anyway, this worked for me on my car (a trick I learned from a mechanic on a car enthusiast site) and did the same on the bike.  Seems to be working fine.  Your mileage may vary.  Good luck.

[Raux]

honestly, I think what took me so long was having ridden the ST with the dry clutch the day before.
Such a different feel, I couldn't remember what the Monster clutch should feel like when working right.
So I probably removed the air the first time or so and then kept pulling fluid.