Brake Fluid

Listerine

Listerine

Listerine

Associate
Joined
15 May 2012
Posts
60
Location
Birmingham
It's one of those questions that's pretty basic but always at risk of being scoffed at. There'll be a lot more questions in the near future like this but I'll ask you fellas/gals anyways!

Noticed my rear brake fluid is a bit low so needs topping up. Can I just use any DOT3/DOT4 certified brake fluid or does it have to be a specific kind/brand? Another worry was the mixing of the existing fluid with the new one - would this still be okay to proceed or does it require a full bleeding so I can fill it up with one brand and keep topping it up with this same brand?

Not sure what fluid is in there at the moment and the bike in question is a Bandit 600 '99.

Cheers!
 
It'll be DOT4. DOT5.1 is compatible, but don't use DOT5! Personally, I'd stick with DOT4.

If the fluid is very low, perhaps the pads need replacing?

Also if you don't know when it was last done, it's probably worth bleeding with fresh fluid. I'm aiming to do this once a year (as I use the bike for commuting).
 
Pretty sure it'll be standard Dot4 recommended by Suzuki, any of the big makes should be fine to use like Castrol, Motul etc. You don't want to mix different Dot numbers as they use different chemicals meaning if the brake seals are designed for one they might not like another.

I think Suzuki recommends brand new brake oil every 2 years as well, do you know when it was last changed?
 
Cheers for the replies. I only purchased the bike about 3 weeks ago from a dealership so I assume it'll be the same fluid that's been there for a while. The levels were on the low side when I purchased it so it needed topping up anyway.

Bleeding brake fluid - easy job? My mechanical skills aren't great and what extra equipment would I need to obtain? I'd rather do this myself that take it to a dealership.
 
dont forget brake pad wear will lower your fluid levels as the piston pushes further out and lowering the level of the fluid so check your pads too,when you fit new pads and push the piston back in it will raise fluid levels again

you can buy a brake bleed kit or buy a length of fishtank air hose and an empty jam jar half filled with brake fluid,fit one end of hose on bleed nipple other submersed in the fluid/jam jar and pump the brake lever and hold it down then open the bleed nipple by turning it half a turn untill you feel the lever fully press down,then close the nipple and repeat untill brake lever is firm and all air bubbles are gone,dont let fluid level drop below the line while your bleeding the brakes

im sure theres better guides on the net like on youtube ect but thats how i bleed mine
 
Haynes manual is your friend... bleeding brakes is easy even on cars, I've done it twice on cars, so can't expect it to be any more difficult on a bike. Haynes will show you and once you've got it, you'd be surprised how much you can do yourself! I intend to do quite a bit on mine...
 
I actually do have a Haynes manual at home so it looks like I'm in for a bit of reading tonight with bleeding the thing now rather than just a topup.

The brake pads seem fine to me, well the front one is anyway. It can be a bit of a nut-crusher when I try it out doing the "slowing down and using the full length of the lever at the end" so that one works fine!

@wazza300: you strike me as the kind of guy who can do a bodge job / full maintenance on a bike with an old ice-cream bucket, a straw, a 4x2 piece of wood and nothing else...
 
Before you start, tis a good idea to grab a bucket of really soapy water & keep it by the bike just in case, that way, if you have a spillage onto the paintwork/plastic, it'll get washed off instantly, as opposed to sitting there playing havoc with the paint whilst you do the headless chicken looking for water/rags to clean it off with. ;)
 
a jam jar and piece of clear tubing will do the exact same job as a propper brake bleeding kit

whatever kit you buy thats up to you,but thats how i do it and it works fine for me
 
Jam jar and bit of hose for me (has worked for 20 years why change now !! ) i have tried the bleeding kits and none of them were much good
 
Dot 3,4,5.1 are all the same base as mentioned previously, the difference is in their performance ratings and the boiling point of each of the fluids, 4 or 5.1 will be fine but if you are bleeding them start with a fresh bottle of fluid as they are hygroscopic meaning that they absorb water and thus over time the boiling point and performance of the fluid is lowered.
 
Managed to bleed the rear brake with no issues. Talk about making a mountain of a molehill. Once I sussed out what I had to do practically, it was way easier than reading stupidly detailed guides on how to bleed a brake.

Ended up using a £5.99 kit from Halfords to bleed brakes with - just a basic bottle and tubing to attach with.

Cheers for the tips though people.
 
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