Makes tedious brake fluid changes dramatically easier! A one-man bleeder that you should definitely use when working alone.

How to

Brake fluid for disc brake motorcycles needs to be changed periodically every two years. Even if you know that, opening and closing the bleeder plug while pumping fluid from the master cylinder is quite a hassle. This is where the One-Man Bleeder, which comes with a one-way valve and bottle, comes in handy. With this, you can change brake fluid for motorcycles and motorcycles by yourself.

If you can't reach the bleeder plug, you can't bleed air.

This is a brake bleeder bottle sold by Straight, a tool shop. The bottle that holds the drained fluid has a moderate weight to keep it from falling over, and the hook on the cap allows you to hang it on the motorcycle body.

Brake fluid needs to be changed regularly, not only when the master cylinder or brake caliper is overhauled, but also without disassembly work. It is important that the brake fluid does not boil or form bubbles when heated through the brake pads during braking, and it is specified that it should be changed every two years to maintain its performance.

The amount of work involved in changing the brake fluid depends on whether or not the caliper or master cylinder is overhauled, i.e. whether or not air is introduced into the brake fluid path. As any rider who has touched the brake area knows, if air gets mixed in anywhere from the master cylinder to the brake hose to the brake caliper, it takes a good deal of work to remove it.

The volume of liquid brake fluid does not change when compressed, but the volume of air decreases when pressure is applied, so even if the brake lever or pedal is operated, the fluid pressure is spoiled and the pads cannot be moved.

Therefore, when simply replacing the brake fluid without overhauling the caliper or master cylinder, it is standard practice to drain the fluid from the bleeder plug on the caliper side while adding fluid to the reservoir tank of the master cylinder to keep it from emptying. while draining the fluid from the bleeder plug on the caliper side.

Even in such a case, the bleeder plug must be opened and tightened while the lever is held and pressure is applied in the brake path, and the process of releasing the lever after tightening must be repeated. This is because when the hand or foot is removed from the brake lever or pedal and the master cylinder piston returns, the fluid in the brake hose or caliper will flow back into the master side and if the bleeder plug is open, air may be sucked in.

When two people are working together to change the fluid or bleed the air, they can talk to each other on the master side and caliper side and operate the lever and bleeder plug at the same time. However, if you are working alone, you may not be able to operate the lever and bleeder plug at the same time, for example, on the left caliper of the front brake. Still, with a motorcycle, it may be possible to do so somehow, but with a motorcycle, it is impossible to touch the caliper in the tire house while pressing the brake pedal in the driver's seat.

POINT
  • Point 1: Even if the master cylinder and brake caliper have not been overhauled, the brake fluid needs to be changed regularly.
  • Point 2: It is difficult for one person to change the fluid and bleed the air with opening and tightening the bleeder plug.

If you have a one-way valve, you can leave the bleeder plug open.

The one-way valve (top part) is the key to preventing fluid and air from flowing backwards while the bleeder plug is loosened. The black part below is an adapter that plugs into the bleeder plug and is shaped to make it difficult to pull out when the protrusion of the plug is inserted. The hose is made of flexible silicone rubber, which contracts according to the change in pressure from the bleeder plug to the entrance of the one-way valve, preventing the backflow of fluid and air.

After inserting the adapter into the bleeder plug, loosen the plug only minimally to the extent that fluid and air can be drained, and inject new fluid from the master cylinder. The one-way valve prevents backflow, so you can continuously drain the fluid while keeping the bleeder plug loose.

One way valves are very useful in such situations. The valve itself can be purchased for only a few hundred yen each, but if you connect it to the bleeder plug, fluid changes and air bleeding will be dramatically easier.

The greatest feature is that it is no longer necessary to open and tighten the bleeder plug when filling the fluid. When the brake lever is released, the fluid and air that is pushed out of the master cylinder will try to flow back in, but thanks to the one-way valve connected to the bleeder plug, it will not be able to return to the caliper and will be pushed out further the next time the lever is released. By repeating this action, the brake fluid and air will only drain out, allowing you to change the fluid and bleed the air without loosening the bleeder plug.

In general, if you try to pump fluid into the brake hose or caliper while air is trapped inside, the air will repeatedly compress and expand, making it difficult for the fluid to enter. For this reason, it is also popular to use a reverse feed method where the brake fluid is pushed from the bleeder plug side to the master cylinder with a syringe.

However, here again, using a one-way valve allows fluid to be injected from the master cylinder side even if there is air in the brake hose or caliper. In this case, it is important to use flexible silicone rubber for the tube that connects the bleeder plug to the one-way valve so that no air can enter or exit through the connection between the bleeder plug and the tube.

A one-man bleeder that integrates these functions has also been commercialized, making it easy for a single operator to perform brake fluid changes and air bleeding.

POINT
  • Point 1: If there is a one-way valve that allows brake fluid and air to flow one way, the workability of brake maintenance will be greatly improved.
  • Point 2: One-man bleeder with one-way valve, silicone hose and bottle to receive fluid is also available.

One-man bleeder is handy for motorcycles, a necessity for cars

It is by far the easiest way to change the brake fluid just by holding the lever while paying attention to the remaining amount in the reservoir tank, without having to link the lever operation to the bleeder plug opening and tightening. Is it possible to release the air with the bleeder plug loosened? However, if the amount of loosening of the plug is appropriate, the air will be released and at the same time, the response to the lever will become much harder.

The benefit of a one-man bleeder can be felt when changing the brake fluid in a motorcycle. On a right-hand drive car, changing the fluid in the left rear caliper, which is the farthest from the master cylinder, can be difficult without two people shouting at each other, but with the one-man bleeder installed, all you have to do is keep pressing the brake pedal while checking the level in the reserve tank to complete the change.

When using a one-man bleeder, it is possible to prevent the backflow of brake fluid and air by leaving the bleeder plug loose. However, it is important to keep the amount of loosening of the bleeder plug to a minimum to prevent fluid leaking or air being sucked in through the gap between the bleeder plug and the female thread on the caliper side.

Depending on the amount of loosening of the plug, the amount of fluid expelled will increase or decrease and the weight of the brake lever will also change. If the plug is loosened more, the stroke of the lever will be lighter and more fluid can be pushed out, but the possibility of fluid leaking from the threaded part or air being sucked in will also increase. In some cases, silicone grease is applied to the base of the bleeder plug and the caliper as a sealant to reduce this problem, but if the amount of loosening of the plug is minimized, fluid will not leak without grease.

In fact, it is better to loosen the brake lever just enough so that you feel resistance when squeezing it, so that the air in the hoses and calipers can be efficiently compressed and easily discharged.

There's no doubt that a one-man bleeder is useful on a motorcycle, but it's no exaggeration to say that it's a necessity for automotive brake maintenance. Compared to motorcycles, brake pipes are much longer, and it's a real pain to push out the air from the rear wheel hoses and calipers, but with the One Man Bleeder, fluid changes and air draining can be done reliably. Brake maintenance cannot be compromised by the fact that the lever touch is not so good. If you are doing the work alone, it is recommended to have a one-man bleeder before you get stuck in the mud with no air release.

POINT
  • Point 1: By connecting the bleeder plug to the one-man bleeder, you can do everything from fluid injection to air bleeding without opening and tightening the plug.
  • Point 2: It works for motorcycles, but a one-man bleeder is essential for automotive brake maintenance.
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