VFRkieran wrote:If im struggling to get the bubbles out then i open the bleed nipple put a long piece of tubing over it pull the brake lever and suck the end of the tube, tastes foul if your not careful though!

I had a mate who used to do that and he became addicted to the taste i did warn him, and he ended up telling me he knows when to stop.

I know ill get my coat

Definitely get yer coat, the punchline is supposed to be he says he can stop at any time.... :D

Trouble is, as soon as you open the bleed nipple the threads are no longer air tight so anything that draws the fluid will draw some air past the threads.

I generally just open the bleed nipple with a clear pipe attached & onto a jar then pop to make a brew & let gravity do the work

Trying to bleed an empty system by pumping the lever is a thankless task.....

Pip

reverse bleed.... that is all.

Normal bleeding, reverse bleeding, gravity bleeding....
Nothing worked!
Took lines off and checked for blockages.
Took res off and checked for blockage.
Took master cylinder off and checked for blockage.
All bloody clear!!

Then noticed as I was putting it all back together the brake lever holds the piston in by about 1mm and blocks off the supply from the res!!!!
Bled the brakes with the lever off in 10 mins!!
Need to swap the lever or file it downs bit so it works properly.
Bleedin brakes!!!!!!

Yeah, I had this exact problem due to an aftermarket lever. As soon as I replaced it with a Honda OE lever, everything started working again.

VFRkieran wrote:If im struggling to get the bubbles out then i open the bleed nipple put a long piece of tubing over it pull the brake lever and suck the end of the tube, tastes foul if your not careful though!

Why not put a big syringe on the end of it to suck like most people do?



Brake syringe and hose, about 4 quid from my local bike shop

Neosophist wrote:

VFRkieran wrote:If im struggling to get the bubbles out then i open the bleed nipple put a long piece of tubing over it pull the brake lever and suck the end of the tube, tastes foul if your not careful though!

Why not put a big syringe on the end of it to suck like most people do?



Brake syringe and hose, about 4 quid from my local bike shop

Well most of the time when i bleed my brakes it goes without issue using the normal method, but when i last did the brakes on the NC i was struggling so i thought ill try and suck the air out first rather than go into town to buy a vaccume bleeder or like you say a syringe. It worked really well and thats just what ive stuck with since, i will get round to buying a tool to do it with eventually.

Neosophist wrote:

VFRkieran wrote:If im struggling to get the bubbles out then i open the bleed nipple put a long piece of tubing over it pull the brake lever and suck the end of the tube, tastes foul if your not careful though!

Why not put a big syringe on the end of it to suck like most people do?



Brake syringe and hose, about 4 quid from my local bike shop

I use a syringe like that, use it to suck fluid down the system, then take out the plunger bit and bleed the brakes conventionally.

Works a treat, I just keep both the reservoir and syringe topped up, and don't piss about with the bleed nipple until most of the air is out. Just pump it for a bit and hold the lever back to the bar every so often.

You can see air bubbles travel up through the liquid in the syringe and the fluid level drop as it's drawn into the caliper