1978 Kawasaki KZ650 B2. I had a real hard time bleeding my front brake. I read all the posts, tried the syringe and gravity bleeding techniques but, I still couldn't get a nice flow of fluid to the caliper. So, here is what I did to resolve the problem and maybe it will help someone who may have the same problem.
Cleaning: I removed the master cylinder and disassembled. To remove the piston (which was tricky to figure out), I removed the brake lever and then removed the plastic clip holding the piston in place. I gently removed the piston using a wooden Popsicle stick as a lever so as not to damage the rubber surrounding the piston. Once removed, I inspected the pistons rubber for any holes or cracks. I took the master cylinder body to the kitchen sink and washed it with dishwashing soap and took a small nail and cleaned out the small holes that allow the fluid to flow into the chamber. I then dried and reassembled the master cylinder.
Bleeding: Before I started bleeding, I removed all the brake lines and used an air compressor to blow out lines. I compressed the caliper using a C-clamp and re-installed the caliper. I started bleeding at the master cylinder and used my index finger to get fluid flowing while engaging the brake lever at a slow pace (always making sure I didn’t let my reservoir go empty). Once it started flowing, I held in the brake lever 'in' and installed the first brake line bolting down good and tight (btw, there are two washers that go on each side of the brake line bolt assembly). I then went to the end of the first brake line, bled it using my thumb and index finger and installed on the 3 way joint. Bled the '3 way joint' and from there I worked my way down to the caliper. Once there was pressure on the brake lever, I continued to bleed until I got a firm brake and to remove any remaining air bubbles.
This is my first street bike and I'm sure this probably sounds very fundamental and I'm probably not using the proper terminology but perhaps it will help someone who is a newbie like me. I also have taken great information from the forum for my KZ650 and I would like to give something back.
