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Brake bleed and rear wheel removal question

11K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  TRK 
#1 ·
I am getting ready to bleed my front and rear brakes on my 2015 monster 1200S and have the following questions.

I want to remove the rear caliper and flip it upside down to bleed it. Do the caliper retaining screws get the "B" grease or thread lock and does the guide pin get "B" grease

Do I need to remove the rear wheel? If I do need to remove the rear wheel does the exhaust can have to be removed. ( I think it does)

I have read many posts on removing the rear wheel nut but if there is any other info concerning removing or replacing the rear wheel i would appreciate any advice you have
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yours has the same setup as my 1100 and I just did mine yesterday and it was a bitch. The tire doesn't have to be removed.

Here are a few observations:

If you just want to replace the fluid and don't have air in the system, you can leave the caliper in place but make sure your hose on the bleeder points upward or air from the hose will go in the caliper.

My system had air so this was my complex but worthy method:

First, I replaced all fluid as described above, using a zip tie on the hose at the bleeder screw so it wouldn't fall off.

Then, to remove the air bubbles, I removed the caliper, removed the guide that holds the brake line to the swing arm, moved the open end of the bleeder hose to the brake fluid reservoir and held it in place with a zip tie (this will recycle your new fluid. You have to do this so you can get a fast pump described below), got the bleeder hose full of brake fluid so there would be a continuous flow of brake fluid (I had to use my feet to hold the caliper while I bled the bleeding hose using the traditional method).

Then I held the caliper on top of the tire making sure the hose aimed up, cracked the bleeder, then pumped the brake pedal fast and hard repeatedly. This rushed the air out of the system; I saw the bubbles being pushed even through the low points of the hose. I closed the bleeder to give my arm a rest, then did it 2 or 3 more times.

My method is not conventional and sounds overly complicated, but my brake pedal feels stiffer than ever and I'm super satisfied with the firmness. The results were so good I'm thinking of making a video.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the great info. I do not believe I have any air in the system because the rear brake does slow down the bike slightly but I do want to do a complete fluid exchange. I want to remove the caliper so I can remove the brake pads and push the caliper pistons in to get all of the fluid out of the caliper. I am planning on using my mityvac to do the bleeding.
Can you tell me how to remove the guide that holds the brake line to the back of the swingarm. I took a quick look tonight and saw the guide but could not see if/ how it opens or how to remove it from the swingarm. When you take the caliper off,which side of the wheel does it go on. The sprocket (left side) or the exhaust side ( right side)
 
#5 ·
the guide on my 1100 is held on by 3 allen key screws. you'll have to get your head under there to see them. the brake line also has a little fastener that holds it to the ABS wire, which is easy to unfasten. You'll see once you get started.

considering that the bleeder nipple is at the absolute bottom of the caliper, all the fluid should flush out. But if you just want to compress the pistons without fully removing the caliper, you can remove the caliper bolts then twist the caliper side to side along the rotor, and it will compress the pistons. I've done it to remove the caliper off the rotor more easily.

I move the caliper to the brake pedal side of the wheel so I have easier access to the pedal. I don't use a mityvac.
 
#7 ·
Ok so I took a closer look and see the allen head screws for the brake line guide. Two are easy to get two but one is directly behind the rear set by the rider left foot peg. The guide is also directly above the chain. Will there be enough slack in the chain to remove the guide or do I need to loosen it up. I am guessing just removing the the two screws might allow me to drop the guide enough to give me space to move the brake line. Sorry for all the questions. I'm sure I will figure some of this out as I go.
 
#9 ·
Thanks, That's great info! Do you have a monster or multi, can't see how to get the brake line out of the guide without disconnecting it. I the instructions for the multistrada it says to bring the caliper through the wheel to the right side of the bike. I'm guessing it is the same for a monster?. I'm thinking I will take the wheel off to make it a little easier. Do you think any advantage of using a vacuum bleeder?
 
#10 ·
I had a Monster 1200 S. It took a little tug to get it out of the guide but the bike also had 24,000 miles on it so maybe things loosened up. I took the wheel off. I tried to use a cheap vacuum bleeder off Amazon and it didn't work but that might be as much the tool as the process.

Also, might help if you can get the whole bike in this position or higher. :devil

 
#13 ·
I'll just lift the bike with one hand while I pump the pedal and crack the bleeder with my other hand. I have a rear wheel stand but that's about it.
Thanks again for all of your advice. I go to dealer this Saturday for tires and I have the rear wheel socket on order so will hopefully be able to do this next Saturday. Hopefully I will have something good to report back
 
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