brake testing?

So I'm finally putting the bike back together and I just tried to test the front brakes... I bled the lines and still am getting little to no resistance when I squeeze the lever. Do you need to have the cap to the master cylinder on when bleeding the brakes? I don't know why that would make a difference, but I'm just puzzled because when I disassembled the bike the brakes worked fine. I also just want to exhaust all of the options before I invest in rebuild kits.
What is the proper way to reassemble the brake system?

keep on bleeding them,it just takes a while sometimes

Alot of times it takes alot longer than we would think to bleed. It might be good to pump em then secure the brake lever so its squeezed then crack the bleed nipple just a little and let the air dribble out. Youll see little air bubbles leaking out and youll eventually get good pressure.

PLUMMEN wrote:

keep on bleeding them,it just takes a while sometimes

you can say that again bro!
my hydrolic clutch took ages too lol.

Yes mine took about 5 min. to finaly pump up. I change the boot on the brake line near the master cylinder.It was ugly and split in half. Anyway Sence it doesn't have as much volume/travel like a car/truck its hard to pump and hold.Theres alot of pumping but no hold until you get through a few minutes of doing it.Plus I wanted to flush out the OLD brake fliud and get fresh new fluid in there.

Bicycle Lee wrote:

Do you need to have the cap to the master cylinder on when bleeding the brakes?

You better have something over it to keep the fluid from squirting onto the gas tank....

On my 78 it took almost a week. On my 77 I got smart and used a bleeder kit. No problem.

I know I need a cap, but I was wondering if that was an integral part of getting the pressure up. I bled them until I didn't see bubbles and the fluid started coming out "clear" meaning the new fluid made it all the way through....

No the pressure is made through the piston off the lever pushing in and forcing fluid down the hose. Cap just helps seal in brake fluid and seal out moisture thats drawn by brake fluid.

I thought of finding a cap that would fit tight that could have a hose attached and aply pressure to it slowly forcing down the fluid. Probably a clear one so you can keep an eye on the level. Safety first. Cover tank,cover eyes with protection.

Bicycle Lee wrote:

I know I need a cap, but I was wondering if that was an integral part of getting the pressure up.

Nope. When I bleed the front, I leave the cap off and fold up a clean shop rag and lay it over the reservoir. I open the lower drain fitting and put a clear tube on it to dump into a jar. Add fluid at the top and pump slowly. Keep adding before the fluid gets low or it will gulp air and screw up the bleed. Eventually, you should be able to get the air out.

If you have a mechanical pressure switch for the brake light along the line going down to the caliper, you may have to crack the fitting to allow air to push out if there is air trapped at the switch.

mzandmz wrote:

I thought of finding a cap that would fit tight that could have a hose attached and aply pressure to it slowly forcing down the fluid. Probably a clear one so you can keep an eye on the level. Safety first. Cover tank,cover eyes with protection.

I think they make something like that called "powerbleed" or some similar name. I have seen them used on cars.