What I learned today....

[H2RICK]

My (enforced) day off now allows me to do a LOT of remedial maintenance that SHOULD have been done last season.
Job #1 was sorting out the chain alignment thing, the results of which I posted a while ago.
Job #2 was the clutch fluid. I noticed last season that the fluid in the master cylinder was starting to look like the hair on my head.....grayish/blackish. Usually clutch/brake fluid goes a gold colour, then brown, then uuuuugleeeee (if that's a colour) if you leave it too long. Both brake and clutch fluid should REALLY be changed every 2 seasons, regardless of mileage (trust me on this).
However for various reasons I didn't change the clutch fluid last year and it was now time.
An old trick I learned at a brake shop years ago allowed me to do the change with zero mess, zero strain and NO/NO pumping of the clutch lever. Here's how to do it:

1) the bike MUST be on the centrestand on fairly level ground BEFORE you start and you CAN'T leave the process unattended at any time

2) hook up a fluid bleed bottle to the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder but DON'T immerse the end of the tube/hose in the fluid. Make sure that the bottle itself is BELOW the level of the slave cylinder. Clear PVC hose works best so you can actually see what's happening with the fluid.

3) remove the cap/backup plate/diaphragm bits from master cylinder

4) open the bleed nipple about 1/4 turn or so

5) watch for the fluid to start flowing into the bleed bottle. It MAY only come in drips....but it WILL flow.....unless you have some kind of obstruction (like totally degraded fluid) blocking the bleed nipple

6) BE PATIENT and watch the level of the fluid in the master cylinder S-L-O-W-L-Y drop down. Once the fluid level gets within 1/8" of the bottom of the master cylinder reservoir, CLOSE the bleed nipple.

7) Using a clean white LINTLESS rag or paper towel, clean up the remainder of the sludgey fluid in the bottom of the master cylinder until you are happy with the operating-room sanitary look of everything.

8) Refill the master cylinder with fresh new DOT 4 brake fluid and open the bleed nipple 1/4 turn again.

9) Watch the fluid in the clear bleed hose until you are certain that ALL of the ugly sludgey stuff has been drained from the system. When you're satisfied that the system now contains only new clean fluid, close the bleed nipple.

10) Top up the master cylinder with fresh fluid, put on the cap and associated bits and tighten the screws.

11) Operate the lever a few times and.....voila.....nice smooth clutch operation for another two or three seasons.....or one season if you're a high mileage kind of rider.

[JamieK]

 

[Dragbike]

Thanx

[mademiriam]

I just changed mine (was forced to as I switched masters) and good thing! I think the color was what i would call uuuuuuugleeee. Certainly worth doing. Thanks for getting some easy instructions as well.

[H2RICK]

(was forced to as I switched masters)

I'm not so sure that this method will work on a system that already has air in it, MM....and yours WILL have air in it if you changed out the master.
However, you have nothing to lose by trying this method. Worst case, you'll have to finish the job with the old "pump and close" bleed method.
Keep in mind that when you're bleeding the clutch with the "pump and close" process, you WILL need to remove the slave cylinder from the side cover and restrain its movement with a C-clamp. Otherwise it will never bleed up properly......because it's always free to move and just pushes the push rod. This is unlike brake calipers which only move so far and then stop when they clamp the pads on the rotor.
Bleeding brake systems is farrrrr easier than bleeding a clutch system because of this crucial difference.
All bets are off, of course, on linked braking systems or ABS equipped systems.

[Jester]

That's a great tip, thanks for posting it.

[mademiriam]

(was forced to as I switched masters)

I'm not so sure that this method will work on a system that already has air in it, MM..

don't worry I wasn't commenting on using the same 'method' you had simply on changing the fluid being a good idea. Actually now that the fluid is changed I'm liking my clutch a lot more, makes me think maybe somehow there was just a bit of air in it earlier. I do think that fork oil and brake fluid are the forgotten maintenance issues... most of the old bikes I've owned had terrible fluid, I was amazed my '05 already had bad fluid as well.

[bronzeback]

I like it    Did clutch and both brake fluids last night.  Despite being "dealer serviced" my new to me '01 B12's hydrolic fluids looked about like thick Coke.  I used an ear wax plunger (like a small turkey baster) to get most of the old stuff out of the master, topped it with fresh fluid, then opened the bleed valve and used the same plunger to start the siphon.  When she dripped clear, I topped her off again and closed up.  All done, no pumping.   

[Dave 02 1200]

 

H2Rick,  Thanks for the tip.  It makes sense and doesn't require special tools, etc.

Best of all, you control the process because you can see what is happening.

Much appreciated.