For the second time now this year ive had to bleed my front brake line. Im not sure what to blame. I washed my motorcycle today, and it was far worse after. Maybe im getting air or water into the line due to a slow leak? I didnt notice any signs of leakage on the reservoir or the caliper, though i did notice my fluid level was a bit lower than the last time i topped it off in January. Anything specific i should look for?

The rubber in the factory brake line may be breaking down.When you squeeze the lever the line swells and you loose some of the braking effort.Replace the line with a good quality stainless steel line,bleed it throughly, and you will never have to change them again.

Forgot to mention, its an 2007 model.

Maybe the water is reducing braking power, and then it dries out and gets the braking power back. Seems odd that a 2007 would need the brakes bled everytime you wash it.

AHHHH.Then you may need to bleed it by hand and not use a vacuum type bleeder.I dunno if it makes a difference on an MC tho.It messes up the preportioning valves in my car when I use a vacuum bleeder.I learned that the hard way.

Ive only done it by hand.

Quote from: respite on March 22, 2008, 04:43:46 PM
For the second time now this year ive had to bleed my front brake line. Im not sure what to blame. I washed my motorcycle today, and it was far worse after.

I'm not clear what the symptoms were after you washed the bike? Did you have a spongy brake or less braking power? What led you to the conclusion that bleeding was necessary? Did the problem go away immediately after bleeding?

QuoteMaybe im getting air or water into the line due to a slow leak? I didnt notice any signs of leakage on the reservoir or the caliper, though i did notice my fluid level was a bit lower than the last time i topped it off in January. Anything specific i should look for?

I'd keep a close eye on leakage (i.e. check every time before you ride). To be safe, you may want to change the brake fluid. Could it be you have the wrong kind in there? What is the condition of the brake pads? Brake fluid level will decrease as the pads wear, so it could be that the pads are worn out?

when you last topped it off was the the bike level or was it on its kickstand? Check to make sure you tightened the cap good enough.

↑↑↑↑↑ all of the above. if none of that works, ill see what i can come up with ↑↑↑↑↑↑↑

OK, it's a simple braking system, there are only so many potential problem areas.
I am assuming that bleeding the system solves the problem somewhat, the only other thing you haven't mentioned is how frequently you ride the bike. 

If I had to take a stab at things, I would say you have an air bubble that you aren't getting rid of when you bleed.  Air is lighter than brake fluid so in a closed system it will rise to the top when stagnant.  At this point, when you bleed the system you have to essentially flush the entire system as you have to push that air bubble from the top all the way down.  A lot of people don't realize just how very little fluid is moved by the master cylinder in one depression.   When i put 6 piston calipers on my old Gixxer it took me a solid half hour of pumping and bleeding to get the system full.

It could also be possible that you're mistakenly using DOT3 and it is breaking down over time leading to you bleeding the system and 'replacing' it with fresh fluid.

Seems I just suck at actually bleeding it. I drove to work this morning, and it still was not right. I ended up taking it to the shop at the end of the block. They bled the line and its as good as new again.