Gary1945
.040 Over
Is there a special tool to bleed the rear brakes for the new ABS system on the new R3's. If so where can we get one and from whom. Thanks.
ABS Brake Bleeding
- Thread starter Gary1945
- Start date
nox273
.060 Over
DealerTool diagnostic access to your ECU, for Triumph, Keihin and Sagem ECUs. Dealer Tool OBD and diagnostic interface for Daytona, 675, sprint, speed triple, bonneville, tiger, Rocket3, Rocket
Gary1945
.040 Over
Looks like you have to have a PC that works outside,laptop, or your stuck with the dealer doing it right? Thank you.
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Pig9r
Living Legend
I wonder if that feature could be added to TuneEcu?
Gary1945
.040 Over
You got a R111 dummy here ,whats TuneECU,,crash course so far too,LOL.
ZoneIII
Supercharged
PLEASE SEE UPDATE TO THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE
I know this is an old thread but the information applies to current bikes. You don't need a special tool to bleed the rear brakes. You bleed them just like any brakes. You only need a special tool (I have DealerTool) if you want or need to bleed the ABS system. I'm surprised that this wasn't mentioned above. The person who asked the question must have gone away thinking he needed a special tool to bleed his rear brakes when that simply isn't true. That may be because the special section for bleeding the ABS in the factory service manual is worded in a confusing way. If you are going to bleed the ABS system, the procedure is to first bleed the rear brakes as you normally would with any hydraulic brakes. Then, using DealerTool or the factory tool (expensive!), bleed the ABS system using the procedure mentioned in the manual. Finally, bleed the rear brakes (not the ABS system) one more time as you did in the first step.
The only time you really should have to bleed the ABS system is if the ABS system has been repaired or disassembled. So, if you don't have the factory tool or DealerTool, just bleed your front and rear brakes as you would normally.
I just read another thread somewhere where someone asked how to bleed the brakes on a different model Triumph bike. If I hadn't done all my own brake jobs since the 1960s, even I would be confused by the explanations given. Some of the people that responded made an incredibly simple task far more complicated that it really is. And some the information was flat out incorrect. The poor guy who asked the question was justifiably confused. So, if you don't know how to bleed brakes, just watch a YouTube video or read your manual if you have it.
BTW, some recommend using a vaccuum tool to pull the brake fluid out of the system. I have a professional grade tool that I could use for that but I much prefer to force the fluid out by pressing the brake when the bleed nipple is open. IMO, there's a greater chance of pulling air into the system when using a vacuum. Also, the pedal method just seems faster and simpler to me. With cars, trucks, etc., my wife is the pedal pusher. She's done it so many times that she could do it in her sleep. I'll be under the vehicle saying, "Push..... Hold.....Let Up." (Push when the nipple is open. Hold while I close the nipple. Let up AFTER I've closed the nipple.) Repeat until no air comes out and fluid is clean and clear.
The only time I would consider using a vacuum tool would be if there was nobody around to press the brake pedal for me. That's never been necessary.
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ZoneIII
Supercharged
UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS POST
I realize that this thread is very old but I wanted to correct a couple things I wrote previously and add some current information.
I should have mentioned that you bleed BOTH the front and rear ABS systems, not just the rear. That should be obvious. Reviewing the procedure in the factory service manual, I noticed that Triumph says that bleeding the ABS systems is only necessary if the ABS module has been replaced or otherwise drained. If that's true, it would mean that ABS bleeding isn't necessary normally and that the system is "open." In other words, brake fluid passed throught it during normal braking.
Also, TuneEcu now had a tool to bleed ABS. I don't know about the old version that ran on laptops or PCs, but the new version of TuneECU that only runs on Android phones does have a tool to bleed ABS.
Also, I should have mentioned more about the ABS bleeding proceedure. (There's at least one YouTube video showing how to run it with TuneECU.) Triumph says to have someone press the brake lever (front or back depending on which brakes your bleeding - they're completely separate systems) while the bleeding tool is running. The bleed screw must be open, of course, while bleeding. When the ABS bleeding program stops, have the helper continue to hold down the brake lever while you close the bleeder screw. Some sources (not Triumph) say that if you run the tool more than once on the front or back brakes, allow about 10 minutes between running the tool so the ABS module doesn't overheat. Triumph doesn't mention that but I thought I'd mention it. It couldn't hurt to do that. But remember that Triumph is talking about using their too, not TuneECU or DealerTool. (I bled my R3T brakes with DealerTool in the past but I always found it to be very difficult to get DealerTool to work. That said, the DealerTool folks have always been extremely helpful and got back to me via email very quickly. Even so, I almost dread using DealerToo, not because it doesn't work well but messing with drivers, etc., has always made it hard to connect to the bike. In fact, the last time I needed help from DealerTool folks, they sent me the list of steps I should do to get it to work. It was two detailed pages!
One more thing: If you have the factory service manual for your Rocket III (not the 2500 CC models), either the hard copy (which I have) or the free online downloadable version (which I also have), and you're looking in the brake section for information about ABS and don't find it, know that there's a large added section to the manual that covers ABS and all kinds of other things that changed or were added since the manual was issued. You can download the official Triumph factory service manual for free here: TRIUMPH ROCKET III OWNER'S HANDBOOK MANUAL Pdf Download
I realize that this thread is very old but I wanted to correct a couple things I wrote previously and add some current information.
I should have mentioned that you bleed BOTH the front and rear ABS systems, not just the rear. That should be obvious. Reviewing the procedure in the factory service manual, I noticed that Triumph says that bleeding the ABS systems is only necessary if the ABS module has been replaced or otherwise drained. If that's true, it would mean that ABS bleeding isn't necessary normally and that the system is "open." In other words, brake fluid passed throught it during normal braking.
Also, TuneEcu now had a tool to bleed ABS. I don't know about the old version that ran on laptops or PCs, but the new version of TuneECU that only runs on Android phones does have a tool to bleed ABS.
Also, I should have mentioned more about the ABS bleeding proceedure. (There's at least one YouTube video showing how to run it with TuneECU.) Triumph says to have someone press the brake lever (front or back depending on which brakes your bleeding - they're completely separate systems) while the bleeding tool is running. The bleed screw must be open, of course, while bleeding. When the ABS bleeding program stops, have the helper continue to hold down the brake lever while you close the bleeder screw. Some sources (not Triumph) say that if you run the tool more than once on the front or back brakes, allow about 10 minutes between running the tool so the ABS module doesn't overheat. Triumph doesn't mention that but I thought I'd mention it. It couldn't hurt to do that. But remember that Triumph is talking about using their too, not TuneECU or DealerTool. (I bled my R3T brakes with DealerTool in the past but I always found it to be very difficult to get DealerTool to work. That said, the DealerTool folks have always been extremely helpful and got back to me via email very quickly. Even so, I almost dread using DealerToo, not because it doesn't work well but messing with drivers, etc., has always made it hard to connect to the bike. In fact, the last time I needed help from DealerTool folks, they sent me the list of steps I should do to get it to work. It was two detailed pages!
One more thing: If you have the factory service manual for your Rocket III (not the 2500 CC models), either the hard copy (which I have) or the free online downloadable version (which I also have), and you're looking in the brake section for information about ABS and don't find it, know that there's a large added section to the manual that covers ABS and all kinds of other things that changed or were added since the manual was issued. You can download the official Triumph factory service manual for free here: TRIUMPH ROCKET III OWNER'S HANDBOOK MANUAL Pdf Download
