bleeding zx550 front brakes with antidive

Anyone here ever had a bike with dual disks and the kawi 80's anti dive....i got my stripped master screws out and soaked up the black old fluid and refilled with clean new stuff...it has sat a long time...the brakes worked to stop it when rolling around to work on ,but the lever needed resetting..(air in lines)....usually when new fluid is added and the bleeding process started ,you can see old fluid cycle back into the res.....there are so many fitting and i was only able to get a trickle into my clear bleed riser on one caliper...i am gonna try more today and just was wondering if it's what i suspect...just a long drawn out process with small improvements each bleed...the manual does not give an order of cracking bleed nuts ...ie...calipers first and work up...or anti dive first and work up...or splitter first and work down...any tips....thanks Craig

anyone bled an antidive and have any tips......:blink:

I would think you would start at the top and work down no? I don't know what kind of m/c you have but on my nissin one there is a bleeder, and when I put fluid into my brakes this spring I bled it starting at the bottom and couldn't get any pressure at all. I then on a whim bled the bleeder on the m/c and instantly got pressure, then went down to the first caliper, then followed my crossover line to the furthest caliper and got the last of the air out.

thanks...makes sense...i was just hopeing it was gonna get some pressure easier as i wanted to roll it back in the garage and free the bench for the MKII (my adapter plate and spin on petcock arrived)......but it did nothing with 3 or 4 tries...I'll get Amy running the lever and start again from the upper bleeds today...my ole Z-1 KZ's were a one step bleed-pump-bleed-and tap with rubber mallet deal...this bike has like four places per side & anti dive and one more up by the fork brace area...argh....

thanks

You could always make a ghetto vaccum bleeder using a shop vac and a plastic peanut butter jar...that way there is no pumping.

media.photobucket.com/image/vacuum%20ble...rmal_speed_bleed.jpg

craig start at the fitting furthest away from the master cylinder go until you start feeling something at the lever then move to the other side then bleed all the anti dive fittings if you can't get anything coming try pumping up the master then cracking the banjo bolts in order from furthest caliper all the way up to the master in order. this should get rid of most of your air and bad old fluid. make sure you pump up every time and don't let go of the lever until you get the fitting that your working on tightened back up or you will allow air back into the system which kind of defeats the purpose of all your work.

timebomb33 wrote:

craig start at the fitting furthest away from the master cylinder go until you start feeling something at the lever then move to the other side then bleed all the anti dive fittings if you can't get anything coming try pumping up the master then cracking the banjo bolts in order from furthest caliper all the way up to the master in order. this should get rid of most of your air and bad old fluid. make sure you pump up every time and don't let go of the lever until you get the fitting that your working on tightened back up or you will allow air back into the system which kind of defeats the purpose of all your work.

+1 ...and dont smash/pull the lever too quickly, as this can turn large easy to get rid of bubbles into millions of tiny bubbles that start to travel everywhere. Best to take it slow, like normal easy traffic stopping.

Good luck.

Admin at GPz550 forums race an 84-86 model ZX550, try asking there. If there is anything specific to that model he will know.

www.nwsca.com/scripts/gpz_forum_2005/default.asp

thanks for the link....i joined just now, and had been there before but was having a hard time trying to new member in...good to go now...gotta get used to the format..but i see cool stuff already..thanks again...Craig

p.s.....

still looking for a decent zx550 (gpz) 84-85 gas tank...thanks

Sounds like some kits for the Master and the calipers would be in order. Best to clean the system out real good before bleeding, you know those old parts will be Fubar!

went to the hardware store and bought 12 feet of thin clear tubing .....cut em to length son that all three bleeders on each side had enough vertical rise to gather up in the fairing bracket /triple tree area...the highest being the shortest tube but still about 18 " or so...and started strong slow brake pumps...working each side /all three fittings/from highest to lowest.....brake side ...clutch side....over and over...after about five times each side /all three fittings and a bit a of tapping with a rubber hammer and bending and wiggling lines......

Alot of bubbles and all the vert tubes full to over flowing ....and......the clear fluid arrived and the final bubbles made it out...90% percent better...thanks folks...

rear brake lever was seized and i fear the worst...dropped the peg bracket and tapped the peddle levers spline out and steel wooled it and greased the groove...tits!!!!

sand blasted the kerker and high heated it and back in the garage ..tomorrow MKII

waiting on a deal on a tank......and gotta hit the carbs and get a battery...we'll see if thing can be saved