Bleeding 1150 - Done did it!

[Ken H.]

Thanks to Leslie and Jamie's inspiration, today I did the ABS flush and bleed on all four circuits (and clutch circuit) on my '02 R1150RT. Piece of cake! Made my funnel thingy, installed the speedbleeders everywhere and went to town! Couple of casual observations that may or may not help others who tackle this...

 

The speedbleeder sold for the clutch circuit is a bit too long to push in the built-in check ball in the (unique) "filler adapter" after your remove the "grub screw". A bit of head scratching and then quick hit on the grinder took enough off the point of the speedbleeder for it to thread and then push in the check ball. This one I don't think you want to leave in when finished as it doesn't seem to seat closed. All the other nine on the brake system I left in place for the next time.

 

The rear control circuit seemed to be way down on fluid at the ABS unit. Unlike the front, when I removed the three factory bleeders for the rear at the ABS unit, no brake fluid overflowed at all. After installing the speedbleeders and going though the bleed procedure I got a lot of air out before it ran clear. Don't know what that means exactly, if anything. I would be interesting to know if anyone else observed the front or rear control circuit being unusually "dry."

 

Tomorrow going to tackle the external remote fuel filter modification. I'm tempted to also do a "canisterectomy" because of the potential problems if it becomes accidentally saturated, but I'm not sure my green conscious will let me!

 

Wish me luck! Thanks 1000 times for the great information from everyone on this board!

 

[Stan Compton]

Good job, Ken. So are you keeping a spreadsheet showing all the money your saving from doing this stuff yourself? Going to buy me a beer with all that money?

 

Thanks needs to go to Jamie and Leslie from all of us.

[Ken H.]

So are you keeping a spreadsheet showing all the money your saving from doing this stuff yourself? Going to buy me a beer with all that money?

 

Nah, but your on for the beer!

[KMG_365]

Alllllllriiiiight!!!!! You GO Ken!

 

Yes, I meant to mention something about that clutch bleed screw after we replaced Steves1150's last weekend. We did the same thing, except we used the really big concrete grinding wheel--his driveway! I might just put the grub screw back in next time as well. The clutch is only done once every TWO YEARS, so it's not like the extra 2 minutes it takes to put the grub screw back in makes a difference!

 

Also, we did not do the bleeders in the control circuit on any of our bikes, but I sure would do it next time--just to get easier access to those damn tiny/short screws waaaay down there. I can find no reason for the two really long ones and the other four are so short you can't get to them. I'd replace all six with the longest 7mm's SB makes before I started next time. They were 7mm's . . . right, ken?

 

Also, regarding the low rear control circuit: did you perchance open the rear reservoir cap BEFORE you replaced the bleed screws with SB's? The reason I ask: as the control circuit pump housing is higher than the rear control circuit reservoir, if it were opened first, when you open the bleed screw(s), gravity would cause the fluid to flow down into the reservoir and draw more air into the control circuit pump housing before you got the SB's installed--sealing the circuit again. Keeping the cap on the reservoir might prevent this backflow. The front control circuit reservoir is higher than the control circuit pump housing, and if you open the reservoir cover and drew off the old fluid first, I could see air being drawn in there that would have to go through the entire control circuit. That may make it a bit harder to get all that air out.

 

Finally, the level of fluid in the wheel circuit reservoirs should naturally drop as the pads wear and the pistons move further out--but I don't see why the control circuit level should change AT ALL. It seems to me to be a closed system.

 

Our rough calculations on expenses:

 

I bought "Maynard" new in September of 2002. The dealer did the first 600 mile service ($350.00). Since then, I've done:

6K service

12K service

18K service

24K service

30K service

36K service

Alternator belt

final drive and tranny twice each

fuel filter

air filter numerous times

new spark plugs every 6K

nuts-on-the-money valve adjustments every 6K

anal-retentive TB synch's every 6K

kept battery topped off, cleaned and greased posts

lubed side stand every 6K

bled evo brakes wheel circuit

replaced 5 sets of tires and balanced each to within 7g each. (okay I took the wheels off and brought them in for one set, paid to have them balanced--checked them when I got home--they were both off by between 14-21g!--re-balanced them and re-installed them)

3 of those sets of tires were bought from www.swmototires.com. I paid no sales tax, free shipping (for 2 or more tires) and delivered to my door within a few days.

 

Leslie bought "Arianrhod" from Marty Hill with 30K miles on the clock. The seal to the dry clutch failed and it became oil fouled at about 38K. The seal and all labor to replace it was covered by extended warranty (BeemerCycles!), but we spent almost $800 for clutch pack, other seals, bearings and labor. (Glad that $15.00 seal was covered!! ) Other than that, after watching a few of my services and attending a few Tech Daze's, she:

 

helped with her 36K service

did most of her 42K service

did all of her 48K service (I just photographed it)

replaced her own fuel filter

bled her own wheel circuits (front and rear)

bled her own control circuits (front and rear)

bled her own clutch circuit

changed final drive and tranny oils

TB synch's, valve adjustments, etc., all as above

used 2 sets of tires (assisted with one set and did most all of the other set)

 

We're into tools for about $400.00 (including the $100.00 tire balancer from Marc Parnes)

I changed my own alternator on the side of the road in Oregon on the way back from Canada, which ended up only costing us having to stop for the night a few hours earlier than we'd planned and NOTHING out of pocket!

 

The bikes run superbly well, and we've never had any problems with over torquing/stripping bolts, forgetting to fill oils, parts coming loose/rattling off, etc. We both run the bikes hard and far cruising routinely through the desert heat at 90mph for 10-12 hours/day for days on end--the bike have performed flawlessly--with the exception of the clutch seal and the alternator belt. If you add it up, not counting the peace of mind--and not putting a value on having a blast spending time working on our bikes together and learning intimately how they work--I guess we've saved well over $5000.00! This is in 13 months!

 

I figure that that savings paid for the:

 

2 sets of custom AzAl's earplugs (wow!)

2 sets of Az Al's custom earplug speakers (yeow!)

My Valentine 1 (gotta have it--but it's already paid for itself MANY times over! )

2 Delphi XM radios (oooh, man! But, hey, they're WAY cheaper than 2 iPods!!! )

2 GMRS radios (ouch!)

2 Gaget Guy Deluxe IV mounting brackets (oh, MY GOD!)

2 AutoCom Pro-M1's (You've GOT to be kidding me, RIGHT???!! )

2 sets of extra AutoCom GMRS powering cables, 2 PTT switches, 4 helmet extensions, 2 noise filters, 2 fuse blocks, etc, etc, etc . . . (Aaaaahhhh!!!! Heeeellllppppp . . . meeeeeee!!!!!)

 

Oh, and the new Garmin 2610! (ker-thunk! )

 

I still think I'm ahead of the game! (quick, someone check my math!) That dual plug mod is looking awfully tempting! Maybe I need a NEW laptop!

[Tassie_Devil]

G'Day Ken / Jamie,

 

Would it be possible for you to list the sizes (& lengths if necessary) of all the Speedbleeders to do the full brake & clutch systems flush, so that I can get the right bits to do the job before I start?

 

Many thanks,

 

Roger Harvey '01 R1150RT Silver

[George]

Hello Ken/Jamie,

Would it be possible for you to list the sizes (& lengths if necessary) of all the Speedbleeders to do the full brake & clutch systems flush, so that I can get the right bits to do the job before I start?

Can you do the same for me as well please, then I also can get the bits ordered. Anyone know if Speedbleeders are available in the UK???

[George]

Found them on Les & Jamie's most excellent 1150 Bleeding walkthrough

I forgot to list the proper SpeedBleeder sizes for the 1150.

 

Front calipers: 2qty 8mmX1.25

Rear caliper: 1qty 6mmX1.0

control circuits: 4qty 7mmX1.0 (I would use longer ones to make them easier to reach!), and 2qty 7mmX1.0-Extra Long (the long stock ones are almost 5cm long overall--SB doesn't make them--yet!)

Clutch bleeder: 1qty 10mmX1.0

 

Also, unfortunately, though SB makes some metric sizes, they still use SAE stock to make them, so you need a 1/4" open end wrench for the 6mm rear.

 

Also, some metric wrench sets sold in the US don't have 7mm wrenches for the stock control circuit bleed screws.

[KMG_365]

George and Roger,

 

See the walkthrough and subsequent responses for the parts, tools and supplies. I think it is all there. I don't see why www.speedbleeder.com would not ship overseas. The list posted above is fairly complete for the SB's (for the 1150!), but as long as you're ordering from them, I would be sure to get the bleeder bag as well. I believe the parts and technique for making your own Mini-stan are linked from the other walkthrough thread responses. I'm on the tail-end of a 72 hour shift today--depending on call volume, I'll try to compile a list later--OR--if someone would like to post their version here, I'll add what I think is missing when I get a chance.

 

Thanks

[Ken H.]

Also, regarding the low rear control circuit: did you perchance open the rear reservoir cap BEFORE you replaced the bleed screws with SB's?

No actually I didn't, but I thought of that as a possible explanation and half expected to find the (as you mentioned, lower) rear reservoir over-full from just what you said. But it was not.

Finally, the level of fluid in the wheel circuit reservoirs should naturally drop as the pads wear and the pistons move further out--but I don't see why the control circuit level should change AT ALL. It seems to me to be a closed system

Concur. So the excessive (to me) air in the rear control circuit remains a mystery. No matter I guess. Go the bike back together today after doing the fuel filter relocation mod and the brakes are MUCH better! Much easier to modulate and control with finesse. As an unexpected "bonus" the whine from the ABS pump is much less. Not completely gone, but 80% quieter than this particular bike was. Go figure.

 

As Jamie said, get the bag from Speed Bleeder, it makes a messy job SO much easier.

 

Other than a fresh quart/liter of DOT4 and of course correct tools, the only thing else I can think of needed are the parts for the funnel:

 

Funnel from McMaster-Carr part number 4005T5

"Top" BMW tool part number - 90 88 6 342 541

O ring for above from anywhere

 

Oh yes, and some regular old carpenter shims to push the brake pads apart to retract the pistons in the calipers. I did this slightly different than Jamie / Leslie in that I just cracked open the bleeder on the caliper to push in the pistons. Then shimmed the pads apart. Knowing that I was going to be doing a full bleed anyway.

Cheers! Thanks!