Bleedin the Wheel Circuits 05 RT/GS ?

[kdude]

If any of you guys have some exp. with bleedin brakes on the 05 series of RT / GS I could use some help with these questions.

 

How much brake fluid is used only for the wheel circuits (both front and back) ?

 

What tool do I need to remove the cap off the filler ?

 

Did you install speedbleeders to assist you and if you did what are the sizes that you ordered.

 

I did some research and found the wonderful article written by a fellow member, unfortunately there are a few though not many differences in the older abs and newer 05 systems. Just want to cover all the bases..

 

So any brake guru's out there willing to share some knowledge ?

 

Thx, Howard

[Ken H.]

We're talking about a R1200xx correct?

 

The procedure is identical to the older R1150xx series.

 

For the wheel circuits the reservoir is on the ABS unit. Those filler caps are the ones you are talking about? The vent hose rotates separately from the cap. (Not obvious on first glance.) Use a hex key in the cap and it will rotate.

 

Amount of fluid used depends upon how much you pump through, but in general terms a 12 oz. bottle will do both front and back.

 

I gave up on speed bleeders myself.

[planepaul]

Howard,

 

I just did my R1200RT brake bleed, and once you make your Ministan, the rest is fairly easy. The speedbleeders are not necessary or useful due to the servo motors on the R12s. In fact, when you do the bleeding, the harder you pull (or push) on the lever, the faster the system bleeds. Be sure to stuff a towel around the bleeder screw, as it leaks around the base as you bleed. Same with the reservoir bleed task.

 

I was a little nervous doing the bleed the first time. Next time it will be no sweat.

 

Paul in CA

'05 R1200RT

'98 XR400R

Other vintage

[DEF]

I use a gallon milk jug (drink the milk first), make a hole in the neck of the jug, insert a rubber tube into the hole and use your shop vac to apply vacuum to the jug and subquently, to the bleeders. Add DOT4 as the reservoir begins to empty. After you get clear fluid from the hose, snug the bleeders, remove the tube from the jug and discard it approprately. Job done.....a 12 ox can of DOT4 is adequate for several bleeding sessions.

[Mike_F]

I use a gallon milk jug (drink the milk first), make a hole in the neck of the jug, insert a rubber tube into the hole and use your shop vac to apply vacuum to the jug and subquently, to the bleeders.

 

This sounds interesting. Got any pics?

 

Mike

[steveknapp]

I use a gallon milk jug (drink the milk first), make a hole in the neck of the jug, insert a rubber tube into the hole and use your shop vac to apply vacuum to the jug and subquently, to the bleeders. Add DOT4 as the reservoir begins to empty. After you get clear fluid from the hose, snug the bleeders, remove the tube from the jug and discard it approprately. Job done.....a 12 ox can of DOT4 is adequate for several bleeding sessions.

 

I thought BMW recommended against vac bleeding the servo stuff?

[steve.foote]

I use a gallon milk jug (drink the milk first), make a hole in the neck of the jug, insert a rubber tube into the hole and use your shop vac to apply vacuum to the jug and subquently, to the bleeders. Add DOT4 as the reservoir begins to empty. After you get clear fluid from the hose, snug the bleeders, remove the tube from the jug and discard it approprately. Job done.....a 12 ox can of DOT4 is adequate for several bleeding sessions.

 

I thought BMW recommended against vac bleeding the servo stuff?

 

Yep. The manual specifically warns against it.

[Ken H.]

What Steve said.

 

Never vacuum bleed a BMW servo assisted system. Perfect way to blow (suck!) the internal seals right out of a $US1500 ABS unit.

[KMG_365]

How much brake fluid is used only for the wheel circuits (both front and back) ?

You could probably do it with two small bottles, but I would have three on hand if you've never done them before. It's pretty cheap stuff and won't go bad if you never open it.

 

What tool do I need to remove the cap off the filler ?

I believe it was a 6mm (maybe 8mm?) hex key just like the very late 2003's and 2004's. You'll also need the later version of the Mini-Stan (RightSpin sells them pre-made or see his sig line for info on DIY ).

 

Did you install speedbleeders to assist you and if you did what are the sizes that you ordered.

There's a LONG discussion thread around here somewhere on the pro's and con's re: SpeedBleeders. There are some caveats to using them most efficiently and they are best for the clutch, though they are not necessary for any of the circuits. If you plan on keeping the bike and being the one who does the future bleeds I would put them in, otherwise don't worry about it. I'm not positive about the sizes on your 05 R12GS, but someone else here should be able to chime in.

 

BTW, do NOT use a pressure/vacuum unit on the wheel cicuits. You can use it on the clutch or the control circuits (standard bleeding procedure), but the servos for the wheel circuits need to be functioning to flush their plumbing properly. That said, I guess ANY half-assed flushing is better than none at all, but it's kind of like some folks not bothering to get the old fluid out from behind the caliper pistons (by taking another five minutes to push them all the way in): why go to 95% of the trouble for only 50% of the fluid? That negates the benefit of doing the job in far less than half the time, IMHO.

[steveknapp]

You can use it on the clutch or the control circuits (standard bleeding procedure)

 

Clutch aside, I thought the goal was NO vac bleeding for any of em? At least for the 1150RT it said it was OK to use vac for filling the system. But bleeding was to be done by hand?

 

From the service manual...

On account of the vacuum extraction process, it is

not possible to tell whether there is brake fluid in the

hose of the brake bleeding device when it is free of

bubbles.

Consequently, the system must be bled again

manually in the specified sequence and in accordance

with the instructions for bleeding the

brakes.

 

I dunno, I never liked speedbleeders, or any of the other vac gizmos. Doing it the old manual way just doesn't seem that hard.