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'Rench

Using Speed Bleeders to Simplify Brake Fluid bleee...
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One of the bike maintenance tasks that seems to be overlooked is the bleeding  of brake fluid at the recommended interval. I see lots of brake fluid reservoirs on bikes with brake fluid the color or honey or a very dark beer. It's supposed to be clear. Dark brake fluid  is particularly bad when you have servo brakes on an ABS system. It can lead to expensive ABS module or pump replacement. 

 
Bleeding brake fluid isn't all that hard but  it usually takes 2 people to do it. One person opens the  bleed screw, while the  other gently pumps the  brake lever. The person on the bleed screw has to be careful not to entrain any air bubbles in the brake fluid since it can take forever to get the air bubbles out of the system.
 
There is a product called "speed bleeders" that makes bleeding brakes a one person job and really reduces the likelihood you will entrain air in the  system. Speed bleeders are basically a one way check valve that replaces your existing bleed screws on your front and  rear calipers. You just screw out the old ones and then screw in the speed bleeder. On some BMW's they recommend  that you file down the  pointy tip of the bleed screw before inserting it into the  caliper. This just makes it  easier to seat the speed bleeder. I had to file down the screw for my rear brake but the front  calipers seated fine  without extra effort. 
 
Anyway. I put them on my K1200GT before my annual brake fluid bleeding operation. They worked just as promised. I was able to bleed the brakes by myself and the whole process was super quick. Actually, it  seemed like it took longer  to  protect the painted surfaces of the bike from any possible splashing of brake fluid  than it took to bleed my servo brakes. 
Note: on a servo ABS bike, you have two fluid circuits. One is the wheel circuit, which runs between the reservoirs (front  handlebar and under seat) and the calipers. This circuit should be bled annually.  You will need 3 speed bleeders to swap out, 2 for the  front  and 1 for the back. You can find out which ones you need on their  web site.
 
The other fluid circuit is the ABS control module. It takes 6 more speed bleeders for the  ABS module of the  KGT. This circuit should be bled every other  year. It also takes a special wrench (home  made) to open the bleed screws.  You might want to leave that circuit  to the BMW dealer. If you decide to make it  a DIY job, there are some YouTube videos that will walk you through it. 
 
You can also get speed bleeders for your clutch circuit  too. But once you install them, they make the  changing  of wheel circuit, ABS module or clutch fluid a whole lot easier. And with a typical brake fluid flush at a BMW dealer costing  north of $300 they will  pay themselves off the first time you use them.
  
 
Here's a link  to the website. Speed Bleeders Web Site
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