changing brake fluid

[jmorton10]

A buddy of mine just bought an 07 Roadking from the original owner.  It has 87,000 miles on it.

The brakes work super, the back brake has a rock solid pedal at about 1/2 travel & the front brakes are the same.

I called the original owner today to ask a few general questions because my buddy is not mechanical AT ALL LOL & I asked the guy when was the last time the brake fluid was changed??  He said "it's never been changed, are you supposed to do that??" He even called the dealer he bought it from to see if they had ever done it & called me back to tell me they told him they had never done it.

I am going to change it for him, but he is leaving to ride 500 miles in the next few days & I told him since the brakes are working so well now let's wait until you get back in a week. Over the years, I have had a few calipers spring a leak when bleeding them if it hadn't been done for an extended period of time. That mostly happened on cars, especially older vettes when I worked in a chevy dealership, but I see no reason to take a chance on this happening on his bike.

Has anyone here had any problems with changing fluid/bleeding older (neglected) Harleys?? I have no problem overhauling a caliper, I have done tons of them over the years but still don't want to chance having a problem right before he hits the road.

~John

[Pirsch Fire Wagon]

Not uncommon. The MoCo did not put that in their Service Manuals prior to 2012 I believe.

I use the Euro DOT5 Spec., DOT4 (Fully Synthetic DOT4) which is actually required for the ABS. But, is an excellent fluid for all applications.

You shouldn't have any issues.

[jmorton10]

I use the Euro DOT5 Spec., DOT4 (Fully Synthetic DOT4) which is actually required for the ABS. But, is an excellent fluid for all applications.

Is that different than normal DOT4??  I know I have some DOT4 in my garage but can't look at it right now.

~John

[14GuineaPig]

The brake fluid change has been a recommended service since at least 2005.  That's when HD switched to DOT4, probably because they started to offer optional ABS on some Police models.
I think it gets overlooked because it is not part of a 5000, 10000, etc service, but rather a foot note in the maintenance schedule. 

5. Change D.O.T. 4 and flush brake system every two years.

[kd]

John, consider having your buddy pick up a set of quick bleeders. They make it a one man job that goes quick.  I'm just now finally converting over to them long after learning about them here.  Ray uses them and reported on how slick they were. 

[chaos901]

John, consider having your buddy pick up a set of quick bleeders.

What are "quick bleeders", doing google I suspect it is different design of bleed bolt; but not certain.

[92flhtcu]

google speed bleeders

[Rusticwater]

I've used these on my 2010 Dyna. They work great.

[Hossamania]

I go back and forth on whether the fluid should be changed on that bike.
On the one hand, no, you should not do any real service on a bike just before a trip.
On the other hand, compromised brake fluid can really become a problem, especially if used in the mountains or hills.
500 miles isn't a lot for a trip and it will probably be fine, but I would be real tempted to change the fluid, especially if it is going to be a few days before he goes.
I thought the manual for my '01 recommended brake fluid swap every two years. I might have to break it out and check.

[kd]

Call California Phil.  He'll get em for you.   

[chaos901]

Call California Phil.  He'll get em for you. 

Now that is a good idea.

[Ohio HD]

I've never seen a caliper spring a leak by bleeding them. If it does however, there's a problem with the caliper, and should be addressed before a long trip anyway. It doesn't take that long to perform a complete brake R&R on pre- ABS bikes.

[jmorton10]

John, consider having your buddy pick up a set of quick bleeders. They make it a one man job that goes quick. 

I've had those in my bikes for years, they are awesome.

~John

[Ohio HD]

Call California Phil.  He'll get em for you. 

Now that is a good idea.

[speedzter]

I use the Euro DOT5 Spec., DOT4 (Fully Synthetic DOT4) which is actually required for the ABS. But, is an excellent fluid for all applications.

Did you mean to say DOT 5.1 ?

As we know DOT 5 is silicone based.
DOT 5.1 is synthetic, but compatible with DOT 4

[Rusticwater]

My DOT 4 is synthetic, I thought most of them were:
[attach=0]

[jmorton10]

I just looked at a bottle I bought last year from an Advance Auto, it is synthetic.

~John

[Hossamania]

Did you bleed them, or just send him on his way?

[jmorton10]

He actually left earlier than he had told me & I didn't even realize he was gone.

He called me when he got there & told me the bike ran great with no problems at all.

He's going to bring it to me when he gets back (hopefully trouble free)

~John

[chaos901]

DOT 4, once you open the container it is recommended that you not keep the bottle for more than 12 months because it will attract moisture.  Which is also the reason to change in the bike every two years.  They do make an inexpensive moisture tester and you see what you putting into the bike.