[Foothills]

I am trying to do the 6000 mile maintenance on my (new to me) 2013 K1300s. I have the shop manual but have realized it was issued before 2013 so I find there are things not matching up. First, my bike does not have a bleed nipple by the front brake reservoir. Second, if I try to vacuum bleed the left caliper, it won't pull brake fluid from the system. I am suspecting something to do with the ABS but it isn't called out in the service manual. My bike is the new style ABS not the servo system that used a fill funnel etc... I have not attempted the rears until i get the front sorted. I've been searching for a new shop manual but can't find one I'm confident would be updated to cover my year. Can anyone enlighten me on how to flush it or point me to a reliable manual that is accurate for my year ???

 

[Beech]

My suggestion is forget the vacuum bleed technique. I have tried all the stuff and had inferior results. I use the traditional squeeze open the nipple let fluid flow, close and release. It is possible to backward bleed with a proper device to force fluid back through the system via the open nipple but it is also messy. (but the best way to bleed the clutch system if you ever get there) You need to remove the calipers, remove as much fluid from the reservoir as reasonable and push back the pads so the pistons are back. Clean the piston sides before doing this, isoproply alcohol is best for this as brake cleaner is harsh on the rubber seals. Be sure it is dry before pushing back. This is because the bleed nipple is on top of the inlet hose. You want to flush out as much from the caliper as possible. After you do both front calipers this way, you can put them back on the bike and do it again and this will fill the calipers and push the pistons to normal positions. On the rear, I just clean the pistons on the bike (spray isoproply alcohol) and do the rear with the same technique using the pedal. I flush more fluid through that seems reasonable. On the rear, I find fairly agressive pushing on the brake pedal will help if there is air in the line trouble. Now I hook up my GS-911 and activate the ABS on each end and re bleed. This second step is not ever produced more bubbles so if you have no gear for it don't bother. Use proper torques on the nipples, have some water and a drop of dish soap in a sprits bottle if you get fluid on the bike. I also spray down the calipers around the nipples with alcohol and air dry before replacing the nipple caps. This is the short version of my bleed for this bike.

 

[KGH1300s]

Thanks. I’ve ordered speed bleeders that should arrive in a couple of days. I did use the manual method and am close but it’s tough to do by yourself. Still not as firm as I want. Hopefully the new bleeders will do the trick. I had used my vac on the Japanese bikes I had with no issues but I’m new to the ways of Bavaria. Beware that the free shop guides available on some forums list k1300 but dont cover the later years. There are some differences. Maybe not major, but still... Otherwise, it’s close. No rain next weekend either 😃

 

[Foothills]

So, thought I would update... I received these Goodridge SB8125L and installed them. It made the bleeding process so easy. If you've ever struggled to get good lever feel or do this by yourself, I would highly recommend them. There is none of the open and close the bleeder after each pump, you just open them, pump the fluid through as much as you like and once done, close them off. No air, no fuss.

I also took a look into my Motoscan app and it does have the service function to bleed the front and rear ABS circuits individually. You do need a paid version but not the most expensive one. The instructions that load state that the system is filled at the factory and does not need to be serviced during normal brake fluid changes. I elected to not flush the ABS system for now. I'm interested to know other opinions on that.