R850R Brake Lines and Master Cylinder replace

[dcwii]

Ok- Bought the bike and got it home. So, as I was advised already, I'm gonna replace the brake hoses ASAP - that was sort of the plan anyway. But, I've been riding it a bit, and it's been great. Put a new tire on on, and the brakes seemed fine. Then the brake light quit working. I put it up on the center stand and notice that the front wheel isn't spinning freely at all - the brakes just aren't letting it go. Two problems at once. So I take off the cover in front of the brake light switch and master cylinder and everything in there is totally gunked up with crystalized brake fluid. I clean that out as best I can and that gets the brake light working again. I open the reservoir and it's near empty. (I'm pretty sure I'd checked the sight glass earlier and it seemed fine, but I COULD be wrong). I don't see any fresh leaks around the master cylinder though, and it seems like this gunk has been here a while. So, when I apply the front brakes, the tire is totally stopped. When I release, the tire will spin a bit, but it's difficult. It appears that the return into the reservoir is clogged. I had read somewhere that a very thin guitar string can fix that, and luckily I had a bunch handy. A little poking around and sure enough, brake fluid squirts up at me. The wheel spins a bit easier. I top off the brake fluid... things are working better. But I'm still not liking it.

So, to make a long story short, brake lines AND master cylinder rebuild kit will be on the way next week. ASAP became NOW. I think i can do this on my own, but any tips would really be appreciated. I'm thinking about getting the Galfer lines- they're cheaper than spiegler and seem to be really high quality as well - what do you think? http://galferusa.com/product/bmw-1996-r-850-r-front-lines-fk003d306-3

Here's a pic of the master cylinder - I'm hoping someone just spilled brake fluid all over it last time they topped up?


Thanks for any advice/suggestions.
Doug

 

[AntonLargiader]

I gave up on Galfer after it became apparent that they didn't have the sizing right. I sell Spiegler.

 

[gsaddict]

I gave up on Galfer after it became apparent that they didn't have the sizing right. I sell Spiegler.

+1 Spiegler all the way for me, you get what you pay for

 

[pauls1150]

One of my local shops quit dealing with Galfer years ago, after too many orders came back with wrong lines.

 

[dcwii]

I gave up on Galfer after it became apparent that they didn't have the sizing right. I sell Spiegler.

Ha! Well that's no good. Supposedly they're each cut to fit when you order. Huh. Thanks for the info.

Doug

 

[BC1100S]

I'm thinking about getting the Galfer lines- they're cheaper than spiegler and seem to be really high quality as well - what do you think?

Galfer makes nice brake pads but for brake lines there's only one choice - Spiegler. Don't forget to do the rear brake line as well.

 

[dcwii]

. Don't forget to do the rear brake line as well.

Definitely. On a related note, I think I have some vintage original OEM '96 brake fluid if anyone wants to make an offer.

Doug

 

[happy wanderer]

Another vote for Spiegler. I have one bike with Galfer lines on it and it's the only one that ever leaked from a brake line fitting.

A BIG difference is Galfer line ends are not adjustable to get the right angle. Spieglers come with a tool that allows you to twist the ends to exactly the correct angle so as not to stress the lines or the parts they are screwed into.

For that reason alone I would buy only Spieglers. They are well worth the extra dough.

 

[dcwii]

MC rebuild kit got here today and Spiegler hoses on order. I'm going to go ahead and pull everything off tomorrow and start working on the master cylinder while I wait on the lines. After I drain the fluid, it should be fairly easy to get the calipers off without having to remove the wheel, right? Wish me luck!

 

[flymymbz]

Piece of cake, really. The only thing that gave me issues was reattaching the new pipe that runs along the front fender. Doesn't fit quite as nicely as the stock piece. Didn't really need new pipes, but I figured as long as I was replacing everything, I might as well.

 

[dcwii]

Master cylinder rebuild kit made it here- got the old one pulled apart and cleaned up! I feel pretty good about it. Now I'm just waiting on the new hoses to get here and I'll put it all back together.

The old crusty brake fluid has stripped pretty much all of the black paint off the outside of the cylinder bore. Kind of annoying, but other than cosmetics, I don't really need to worry about that, right?

 

[happy wanderer]

Do yourself a favour and get a 60cc syringe (or bigger) and some clear tubing that will fit over the bleed screws. I think 3/8" ID will suit but measure a bleed screw to be sure. Suck the brake fluid up into the syringe and inject the fluid UP from the front caliper that is farthest away from the Master Cylinder. This is how it was done at the factory on brand new dry systems because it works much faster and is a more effective way to eliminate air bubbles which like to rise more than they like to be pumped downward.

Once the system is full (have a helper around to keep an eye on the level in the Master reservior!) I gently depress the brake lever halfway down and secure it that way with a zip tie or rubber bands or ??? overnight. The rest of the tiny bubbles (if any) will rise up through the open master and you should have rock hard brakes.

If your brakes still have the factory grub screw in a front caliper, get a new bleeder screw and replace the grub screw with it. That grub screw was used to fill the brakes at the factory with a machine that none of us have.

 

[dcwii]

...Suck the brake fluid up into the syringe and inject the fluid UP from the front caliper that is farthest away from the Master Cylinder...

SMART! I'm gonna try it that way.

 

[slime]

So...how'd it go?

 

[dcwii]

So...how'd it go?

Hey! Just saw this- sorry for the late reply. Went great! Everything is totally functional. I'm still fairly new at wrenching my own bikes, so I just moved slow, read everything twice, and trudged right along.

 

[slime]

Hey! Just saw this- sorry for the late reply. Went great! Everything is totally functional. I'm still fairly new at wrenching my own bikes, so I just moved slow, read everything twice, and trudged right along.

good to know. Mine had been done before I bought my 850 ( supposedly ) Still kinda crusty under the guard, but seems to be ok. I had an issue I thought was my front brake MC. Turns out the pivot bolt had some crust built up not letting the brake to release all the way. My local mechanic ran a wire bush through it and a little lube...good to go!