How to: Bleed the rear brake on an S2R800 (and possibly others)

As I have fought with my rear brake for a couple of weeks now, I thought I would give a more comprehensive write-up than I have found on this site. If someone already wrote this and I didn't find it, then it is my fault.

Somehow I got a rather enormous air bubble in my rear brake. I learned to ride with the MSF, so I found the lack of rear brake disconcerting. This is my first bike, but I have extensive experience working on cars. I thought I knew how to bleed brakes, and then I found out you just have to put the rear caliper on top of the rotor... or somehow get it above the rear master cylinder. Easier said than done. It didn't turn out to be that difficult, rather more like a Rubik's cube... once you know the trick it is easy.

So, for those who don't know (newbies like myself), here is a step-by-step Ducati rear brake bleeding tutorial. You might not have to do them in this order (I didn't, but it took me a while), but this seems the most logical sequence.

Definitions:
Master cylinder = the little metal (non-moving) thing connected to the rear brake lever via rod that moves
Caliper = The metal thing inside the rim that says "Brembo"
Brake hose = hose that connects the master cylinder to the caliper
Reservoir = the tiny film-container-looking thing inside the frame, above the master cylinder that should have brake fluid in
Allen screws = those things that Ducati likes to hold their bikes together with whenever inconvenient.
Bleed screw = On the caliper, there is a nipple that is supposed to have a rubber cover. to open, unscrew. to close, re-tighten

Note: On DML, someone posted a link to speedbleeders. I have never used them, but I suspect you just skip step 12.

Step 1: Remove all the little clips that hold the brake hose and speedometer to the swingarm.

Step 2: Remove the allen screws holding the caliper to the swingarm (of the four allen screws visible on the caliper from the shifter side of the bike, these are the two that are closest to the hub).

Step 3: Swing the caliper completely off the rotor and bring it towards you (underneath the chain).

Step 4: Pull gently downwards on the caliper while feeding the brake hose through it's passage way until you have as much excess at the caliper as possible.

Step 5: Wiggle the zip-ties that hold the speedometer wire to the brake hose to push them as far upwards as possible (giving you even more slack at the caliper)

Step 6: Feed the caliper through the rim to the opposite side of the bike (it is possible, just requires some gentle twisting and aligning) using a space as close to the front of the tire as possible.

Step 7: Go around to the other side of the bike, and feed the caliper back through the highest gap in the rim to sit on top of the rotor (using the reverse of the gentle twisting motion used to remove the caliper from the rotor in the first place).

Step 8: Remove the rear brake reservoir, and feed it back through the frame so you can hang it outside the frame over the rear master cylinder (this might not be necessary if you have some funky funnel thing, but I don't have one of those).

Step 9: Attach some hose to the bleed screw (your hose length may vary, but make sure it discharges in safe direction).

Step 10: Top off the reservoir (if you have a bubble, you probably are a little low).

Step 11: Pump the rear brake lever like a madman (as many times as you like, or until you get clamping action at the caliper), and hold the lever down.

Step 12: Crack the bleed screw (keep the lever down!) approximately 1/4 turn, pause for .5 seconds, and re-tighten.

Step 13: Repeat steps 11 and 12 until every time you push the brake lever down you get clampage. Watch the reservoir closely, and top it off whenever you notice the fluid level dropping (mine has an expandy rubber bit in the top to fool me into thinking there is fluid in the system).

Step 14: Start at step 10 and work backwards through step 1(like they say in shop manuals, "Installation is the reverse of removal").

Step 15: Double check that you still have pedal. If not, do the whole thing over again.

Step 16: Wait two hours, and check you still have pedal. If not, do the whole thing over again.