Just did the brake flush on my 2008 GT. Two years old, only 6000 miles. Dealer had recommended it when I was in chatting one day. I just finished the rest of the 6K service last week (very easy to do as long as you don't mind getting oil on yourself and the bike) and was thinking of having the dealer do the brake flush, but it costs a lot, and I read online that the newer bikes did not have the bleed/flush issues of the original integrated, boosted ABS so I dove in.

It was easy. I used the instructions on Jon Van Badens site (http://www.jimvonbaden.com/R1200_2007+_Brake_Bleed.html) for similar systems on the GS and S and R bikes. Easy, as in less than one hour.

I had the necessary items on hand that I accumulated last week: brake fluid, bleed tubing and a bleeder bag from Speedbleeders site, turkey baster.

Open the fill cap, suck out some fluid with turkey baster. Remove front calipers, push pads/pistons into caliper with wood wedges so I get most of the old fluid out, crack the bleed screw, attach hose. Pump brake lever, open and close bleeder screw, repeat until fluid clean, refilling fluid as required. Repeat for other side caliper, except I put in a speedbleeder to make it easier, by just pumping on the brake lever since it's hard to reach the bleed screw on the left side while pumping the lever unless you are an Orangutan. Reinstall calipers. Check fluid level in reservoir, reinstall cap.

On the rear, same process, reach under the bike to pump the brake pedal with left hand while opening bleed screw with right. Repeat. Close it all up.

Wow, brakes are REALLY FIRM NOW. Road test. Take a bow. Highly recommended as a DIY. Very satisfying.

You're lucky.

I got the older servo unit with a bunch of circuits that need independent bleeding and filling using silly funnels and stuff. Not looking forward to that. I'd like to pressure bleed the servo system rather than the funnel thing, but I haven't seen any way of doing that yet. Those vacuum bleeders always seem to suck air in around the bleeders, imo.

Now I hear I need to use some special spacers in the calipers as well else the lower circuit won't be at the correct volume and may throw an ABS fault. I saw the dealer's special caliper spreader alignment tool. Ugh! No wonder they charge an arm and leg to do the brake bleed on the servo units.


Mack