Can I get a consensus on brake fluid change?

[henzilla]

I have seen fluid leak damage to calipers and master cylinders on a wide range of year models. The worst was a 2002 LT using the "I never change brake fluid in cars, so, no bikes either" argument. The front line had a leak that migrated down to the caliper and corroded everything in its path also the wrong side of the pistons and seals . Loose banjo fittings, failing rubber,and spillage can destroy paint and aluminum...but most know that.

Another 1150RT had so much crud in front master cylinder from same theory,and two of the screws were broken from hamfisting and not cleaning up a spill at some point in its life. That one needed a $450ish new master cylinder/lever housing. Routine maintenance woulda-shoulda kept that from happening.

Yes, the fluid gets dirty quick, low volume and how one uses brakes may speed that up. I have noticed like Kevin, the F series seem to darken quickly.

I flushed my Cummins Dodge twice in its 140K life so far...a lot of fluid and it was black coffee both times.

I recall a response from a member that stated in engineer speak, that does not matter the color as the fluid still is doing its intended purpose...well, that may be, however, I'm sticking with my routine and the service schedules.

I go with the first year being an in service date as the time it sits in a warehouse or showroom doesn't actuate the brakes, starting degredation. Even the whizzy brakes shouldn't scare folks from a maintenance plan. Most bikes,excluding the whizzys, can be bled in less than a half hour...no brainer here.

 

[wbrownell9]

One year max in the showroom plus one year in service makes the first change 2 years or less from when it was filled at the factory. Then they recommend every 2 years after that. Overall it seems like BMW wants it changed every 2 years.

Brake fluid loves water, if there's a way for it to get past the seals it'll end up in the fluid. The potential for internal corrosion has already been discussed and if the water boils due to the heat from hard braking you could lose the brakes altogether. The first time I changed the fluid on my bike (one year after I bought it) it was so cruddy I was amazed the brakes worked at all.

Disregarding BMW's recommendation on this makes as much sense to me as riding beyond the wear bars. Could I get away with it? Probably. Would I want to bet my life on it to save a few bucks in parts and a few hours of labor? No.

 

[happy wanderer]

I would hazard a guess that BMW recommendations or lack thereof on brake fluid are by omission or just a mistake. Either way; not helpful.

How often you change brake fluid on a motorcycle requires common sense. If you live in Nevada or Arizona where humidity is for sale it's so scarce you can probably get away with every two years. If you live in the Pacific Northwest where we just received the entire average December rainfall last week... well then I need to do it more often. I try to change my brake fluid on all 3 bikes once a year here and it is always obvious it has absorbed moisture. I know this is necessary because I can go out to the shed anytime during our winter and everything in there is damp to some extent. It's obvious.

But to prove it to myself I bought one of these testers from China. And yes, it tells me every time I use it that there is varying % of moisture in my brake fluid. And my ABS II always has brown fluid at the top of the reservoirs. For the cost I think all bike owners who do their own brake maintenance should have one of these just for your own peace of mind that you are definitely not wasting your time. It also puts an end to arguments and endless discussions about moisture in brake fluid real quick. Just dip it in, press the button and presto... https://tinyurl.com/ya9cucbd

 

[Anyname]

FYI if the OP is planning on changing his own brake fluid, one annoying item I encountered in changing my brake fluid was that the tiny read fluid reservoir liked to spout like a whale while I was trying to flush it. A word to the wise is to be very thorough in protecting the area with towels to prevent the brake fluid from wrecking everything it touched.

 

[Omega Man]

FYI if the OP is planning on changing his own brake fluid, one annoying item I encountered in changing my brake fluid was that the tiny read fluid reservoir liked to spout like a whale while I was trying to flush it. A word to the wise is to be very thorough in protecting the area with towels to prevent the brake fluid from wrecking everything it touched.

A too often forgotten problem.
OM

 

[akbeemer]

FYI if the OP is planning on changing his own brake fluid, one annoying item I encountered in changing my brake fluid was that the tiny read fluid reservoir liked to spout like a whale while I was trying to flush it. A word to the wise is to be very thorough in protecting the area with towels to prevent the brake fluid from wrecking everything it touched.

I use the cap from a bottle of water to minimize the geyser effect. Float the cap in the reservoir and it will catch the great majority of geysers. Going slow helps and protection of the bike is a must.

 

[pglaves]

One big bath size towel works!

 

[t6pilot]

Amazon sells brake fluid testers, fellow on 1600 forum turned me on to this. Found it actually worked, as a result, living by the beach i’ve Ended up flushing brakes every 6-9 months(i know overkill) but even in that short of time period there is a color change in fluid. I’ll say again speed bleeders make brake flushes a no brainer and brake fluid is a whole lot cheaper than new calipers!!

Jim

 

[happy wanderer]

Amazon sells brake fluid testers, fellow on 1600 forum turned me on to this. Found it actually worked, as a result, living by the beach i’ve Ended up flushing brakes every 6-9 months(i know overkill) but even in that short of time period there is a color change in fluid. I’ll say again speed bleeders make brake flushes a no brainer and brake fluid is a whole lot cheaper than new calipers!!

Jim

Yep, Amazon will sell you the exact same tester as the one from China with free postage to your door for double the price plus shipping. I posted a link to the one direct from China in my previous post.

 

[t6pilot]

Yep, Amazon will sell you the exact same tester as the one from China with free postage to your door for double the price plus shipping. I posted a link to the one direct from China in my previous post.

I thought $10 delivered was a pretty good price

 

[roncooper]

I have seen testers that you dip in the master cylinder to read fluid water content. Since water will sink to the calipers, I wonder if testing fluid in master cylinder is valid? When I do the next brake fluid change I will test the fluid that comes out of the caliper to see if it has more moisture.

 

[bdfbeemer]

FYI if the OP is planning on changing his own brake fluid, one annoying item I encountered in changing my brake fluid was that the tiny read fluid reservoir liked to spout like a whale while I was trying to flush it. A word to the wise is to be very thorough in protecting the area with towels to prevent the brake fluid from wrecking everything it touched.

I just place the reservoir lid on while flushing, simple.

 

[WWeldin]

I use a clear piece of hard plastic that is just large enough to cover the reservoirs. With it being clear, I am able to keep an eye on the fluid level as it goes down.

Oh yeah, plenty of towels to cover painted parts.