i have done, but out of interest what does that do??

If there's still air floating about in the fluid, it presumably helps stop it getting back into the master cylinder as the piston will be fully pressed into the bore.

Sorry to hijack this - i have waited till the op was sorted.

can anyone tell me how you can test if a master cylinder works or not as the case might be.

I have tried and tried to bleed my brakes, normal way and reverse with a syringe (on my other bike) but the lever still comes back to the bars. As a latst resort i have now taken the master cylinder off to have a visual check, the piston and seals look ok though......

Might take the caliper off and clean it up just in case but i cant see it being the caliper, the brake works, just the lever comes back to the bar and isnt firm at all (which points to air in the system doesnt it.)

help.

mine felt exactly the same, after a further hour of bleeding top and bottom, i got a firm lever but only about an inch from the grip, so i still have a way to go. im going to try backwards bleeding it next, i think its like the guys on here say, keep going and youll get there!

yes I know but you can bleed forever if the master cylinder seals arent sealing in the bore.

Thats why i was hoping for a quick test to check if its actually working or not, especially I have now got it off the bike!