Brake bleeder recommendation

[JohnsoD]

bonneville only..seems like

Rocket III is listed. The oil temperature gauge is also available on that site.

 

[9Ball]

Lots of discussion here and concerns.

I’ve been using speedbleeders in all my bikes (5 so far) for 20 years. Even when I wasn’t riding I bled the brakes every two years. All my friends also order the speedbleeders based on my recommendations and I install them and show how to bleed their brakes.

For the Rocket, the ones to order are SB8125L for both front and back. You need 3 of them.

If you go this route, definitely buy the optional bleeder bag with tubing. This makes it a no mess operation, plus you can easily see when the fluid color changes showing that the lines are flushed.

In my experience, order directly from speedbleeders.com. They have a no questions asked return or warranty. I’ve gotten one bad bleeder over the years and several of the wrong size for my friends Yamaha Raider. They shipped out the replacement or the correct sized bleeders without any hassle or charge. Top rated customer service from the lady that answers the phone. Also, if you have any questions she has a good handle on the products, not just an operator.

Two things to know. Make sure to only just seat the bleeder when installing or when finished. It takes a fine touch to feel the bleeder is seated without over-torquing or damaging it. The bleeders are more fragile than the plain nipples and if you get ham-handed you will have problems.

Secondly, when you are pumping the lever or brake pedal, try not to overtravel them. I put my fingers between the the lever and the grip to keep from stressing the piston seals. Likewise, use short strokes (insert joke here) with the rear brake pedal. Have not personally had issues but have read complaints of damaging the seals in the master cylinders by being too aggressive.

There was a discussion regarding corrosion. I’ve never witnessed it but I also use the rubber caps and wipe them with silicone grease to keep them protected.

If you order directly from the speedbleeders site you should get new rubber caps with your bleeders. I think the ones from Amazon are from bulk packs and may not have the original packaging.

These are worth the money in my experience. There are several alternative ways to bleed the brakes but this method is easy, clean, and fast.

Good luck...

 

[CrzystghndKC]

Lots of discussion here and concerns.

I’ve been using speedbleeders in all my bikes (5 so far) for 20 years. Even when I wasn’t riding I bled the brakes every two years. All my friends also order the speedbleeders based on my recommendations and I install them and show how to bleed their brakes.

For the Rocket, the ones to order are SB8125L for both front and back. You need 3 of them.

If you go this route, definitely buy the optional bleeder bag with tubing. This makes it a no mess operation, plus you can easily see when the fluid color changes showing that the lines are flushed.

In my experience, order directly from speedbleeders.com. They have a no questions asked return or warranty. I’ve gotten one bad bleeder over the years and several of the wrong size for my friends Yamaha Raider. They shipped out the replacement or the correct sized bleeders without any hassle or charge. Top rated customer service from the lady that answers the phone. Also, if you have any questions she has a good handle on the products, not just an operator.

Two things to know. Make sure to only just seat the bleeder when installing or when finished. It takes a fine touch to feel the bleeder is seated without over-torquing or damaging it. The bleeders are more fragile than the plain nipples and if you get ham-handed you will have problems.

Secondly, when you are pumping the lever or brake pedal, try not to overtravel them. I put my fingers between the the lever and the grip to keep from stressing the piston seals. Likewise, use short strokes (insert joke here) with the rear brake pedal. Have not personally had issues but have read complaints of damaging the seals in the master cylinders by being too aggressive.

There was a discussion regarding corrosion. I’ve never witnessed it but I also use the rubber caps and wipe them with silicone grease to keep them protected.

If you order directly from the speedbleeders site you should get new rubber caps with your bleeders. I think the ones from Amazon are from bulk packs and may not have the original packaging.

These are worth the money in my experience. There are several alternative ways to bleed the brakes but this method is easy, clean, and fast.

Good luck...

Lots of good info in this thread but I am wondering why stainless is preferred over brass. Just got my bleeders from Amazon and they appear to be brass. To make things just a little more confusing Russell seems to have changed the part #. The numbers on the bleeders I got are 639520. They are 8mm × 1.25. × 24 mm.

 

[Ishrub]

Stainless will not corrode as much as steel or nickel coated steel which often has a brassy look and SS may be stronger as speed bleeder are much weaker to resist twisting over-torque if seized or already seated with their thinner side walls.

SS corrodes less in contact with alloy than steel too.

Cost more than double though at US$15 each instead of $7. I just ordered 6 and 2 bags/tubes online and added the 6 rubber caps afterwards by email.

 

[CrzystghndKC]

Stainless will not corrode as much as steel or nickel coated steel which often has a brassy look and SS may be stronger as speed bleeder are much weaker to resist twisting over-torque if seized or already seated with their thinner side walls.

SS corrodes less in contact with alloy than steel too.

Cost more than double though at US$15 each instead of $7. I just ordered 6 and 2 bags/tubes online and added the 6 rubber caps afterwards by email.

Has anyone tried a bit of Teflon tape to prevent seizing?

 

[9Ball]

Has anyone tried a bit of Teflon tape to prevent seizing?

Bad idea...don’t want to potentially introduce foreign material into the brake system. I don’t think seizing is a common or expected problem. Might be a rare case for those that keep the bike exposed to the elements for long periods but if you keep the rubber covers on them and bleed your brakes every couple of years then they will have good protection.