Yeah I know it has been talked to death, but I just don't get it. Kids CRF230s front brake lost a bit of fluid for some reason, added fluid yesterday, let it sit, and still no joy. Here is what I'm going to do unless there is a compelling reason not to. Bungee the brake lever to the handle bar tonight, and tomorrow see if that helped it If not - go get a syringe from a feed store tomorrow and force the fluid from the bottom caliper up while the cap of reservoir is off and brake lever is bungeed to the handle bar... or maybe intermittently move lever back & forth? Input? When we first got the bike I had to install a sensor for the dual sport kit and could not figure out how to bleed the brake, even with a Mity Vac & 4 bottles of fluid - finally took it back to the dealer... so my talent lies elsewhere. .
60cc syringe pushing from the bottom is my prefered method. I pump the lever or pedal and don't clamp it down. My friend couldn't get his hydraulic clutch on his '02 VOR 450ENE bled. He thought this method was silly. I did it this way for him and made him a believer.
Take a small..say 10mm box wrench and gently tap tap tap on the caliper. Or simply vibrate the caliper with a free running power tool resting on it.You have small air pockets/bubbles trapped in the slave and need them to let go. Taking the caliper off the fork, but leaving the lines attached and rotating and moving it about while tapping is a last ditch move. It will be easier if the bike is warm. Pushing up from bottom with a syringe also works. It's just a bubble that's in there laughing at you...kick it's butt!
Yep.... Or maybe Mr Cooper can scare it out On a more serious note the brake level was just low enough to let air into the system from the top, the bottom should be just fine. I've got a tiny bungee holding the brake lever back about 1/2 way, in case that helps. Think I'll get a syringe and some tubing tomorrow from a feed store. Yes there are horse ranches around here! .
I used to carry my CR on a small trailer that was barely long enough for the bike. I'd load the trailer the night before, push the bike all the way in against the head of the trailer and then zip-tie the front brake lever. By the time I unloaded it and got to riding, my front brake felt nice and strong. It was kind of turned into the lazy girl's brake-bleeding method. WoodsChick
I use the Motion Pro brake bleeder tool. Works great. Used it on all of my bikes with no problems. I did have to take the brake lever/master cylinder off the bars of my XR to get them to bleed - the brake line looped just above the level of the master cylinder so air was trapped.
1- make sure the Master Piston is the highest point in the system. (i.e.: drop caliper down off bracket and let it dangle to straighten the loop in the hose and/or turn bar to left when bike is on sidestand etc etc....) 2- pump lever slowly every couple of minutes. Watch the level? 3- see the bubbles? The air will find the highest point in the system and simply bubble up into the master resivour in a matter of minutes, if the ambeint temp is warm enough. Works like a charm, every time. No muss or fuss, or bleeding anything.
woo hoo The wimpy little bungee holding the brake lever back a bit overnight in the 35f degree garage did the trick No further bleeding necessary.
So Coffee, Ya gonna make your boy ride that CRF230 for another year... Or does he get a New TE250 for being so good for Christmas.
The kids no longer ride, 3 are going up for sale and I'll keep the TE250. They have sat unused for a few years now. Should have sold them a long time ago when the market was better - but couldn't cause I was hoping they would change their minds.
I use a velcro strap to clamp the front brake lever against the grip whenever the bike sets around, overnight, etc. The pressure forces air up and out of the line and you'll notice how much stromger they are the next day, as you just did. As far as bleeding I use one of the pumps to force it up from the bottom. They work great, except for the clutch (on my KTMs), which I just gravity bleed with a bottle.
