• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

12,000 mile Brake Fluid Replacement

dduelin

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
6,264
Reaction score
3,829
Points
113
Location
North FL USA
Visit site
I recently completed this service and took a few pictures along the way that might help another DIY mechanic. Brakes are a critical system and if you are not comfortable doing work on your brakes I urge you to take the bike to a Honda dealer or trusted shop.

For this job you will need 1 twelve ounce bottle of DOT 3 & 4 brake fluid. I like this brand and specification.

IMG_9165_zps3c4c2c58.jpg


The tools and items needed are an 8 mm socket, 1/4" drive rachet with an extension, and a JIS screwdriver, some plastic sheeting and paper towels, and a syringe.

IMG_9166_zps8adb2294.jpg


Brake fluid will damage some plastics and painted surfaces. Be very careful with spills or splashes and for an extra layer of protection use the plastic sheet ( I used a household trash can liner) to drape over the bike underneath and near the brake fluid reservoirs in case of an accidental spill. You will need a catch container for the old fluid and some 3/16th inch ID clear vinyl tubing. It doesn't hurt to have a spray bottle of water handy to dilute a spill on a painted surface either but if you careful it won't be needed. You may use a powered suction system or a vacuum pump but since the Non-Abs braking system is simple with short circuits I used the manual method of opening and closing the bleeder valve. The family pet is optional.

IMG_9160_zpscf0a34ba.jpg


Position the handlebars so the front brake fluid reservoir is level. The bars are more or less straight ahead on the NC700. Remove the rubber dust cover from the front caliper bleeder valve and after placing the box end of the 8 mm wrench on the bleeder stretch the vinyl tubing over the front bleed valve. Later on the cover will be off the reservoir and we DO NOT WANT to move the handlebars or front wheel and spill the brake fluid out of the reservoir while wrestling the tubing onto the bleeder. Position the wrench so it moves freely through about 90 degrees or 1/4 turn. Cracking the bleeder open 1/4 turn allows brake fluid to flow out of the caliper under pressure from the lever or foot pedal. Closing the valve stops the flow so we need room to swing the wrench open and closed in one motion.

IMG_9156_zps51d37ae7.jpg


Remove the two screws securing the cover on the reservoir. Note how little torque is required to remove them, just 1.1 ft/lbs. They are very easy to strip upon reassembly. Remove the cover, the plastic set plate, and rubber diaphragm. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and attracts and retains moisture. There may be drops of water on the inside of the diaphragm. This is normal. Clean these parts throughly, dry them and set them aside. I pour isopropyl rubbing alcohol on the diaphragm to absorb and remove all moisture and wipe it dry with a clean towel.

IMG_9157_zps29855ead.jpg


Take the syringe and remove all the old fluid from the reservoir and squirt into the catch container. Be careful with drops falling off the tip. Really old fluid will be brown or deep amber in color. At 12,000 miles my fluid was yellowing but still clear. Observe the bottom of the reservoir and look for debris or clumps of goop lying on the bottom or in a corner. Again, at the first change mine was very clean as it should be. Take a swab or bit of towel to clean out any debris or crud that may be on the bottom. Fill the reservoir to the casting line with new fluid. Place the cap tightly on the container of new fluid to minimize the time it is exposed to open air. Act quickly now as we want to limit the time the fluid is exposed to air.

IMG_9162_zps78a61d78.jpg


Kneeling down next to the bike, with one hand pull the brake lever in to pressurize the line. DO NOT MOVE THE HANDLEBAR AND SPILL FLUID. With the other hand crack the valve open 1/4 turn. The lever will collapse onto the throttle grip. While holding the lever against the throttle grip, close the valve. This action just pumped a small amount of fluid out of the caliper. If there was air in the caliper it will show up when leaving the caliper as bubbles in the clear tubing. Repeat, always holding brake lever closed until the bleeder is closed. Pull lever, open valve, close valve, release lever. Repeat about 10 times then check the level of fluid in the reservoir. If we pump all the new fluid out of the reservoir we introduce air in the system at the top and have to do all this over again to move the air down to the caliper and out the clear tubing. Don't pump the reservoir dry. The line is short and I pumped 1.5 reservoirs of new fluid through the system. If the fluid is old and discolored we will see the fresh new fluid appear in the clear tubing. The color will be different. Valvoline synthetic is almost clear when new. The new fluid displaces the old and 1.5 reservoirs are adequate to flush the old and replace with new. We can't have any bubbles of air coming out of the caliper - the fluid flow should be just fluid and no bubbles. As the brake pads wear the fluid level naturally drops. Top off the new fluid to the cast-in full line unless the pads are well worn down then you might lower the filled amount some to account for the pad wear. Take the diaphragm and assemble the white plastic set plate on top of it then the metal cover. Replace the assembly on the top of the reservoir and evenly tighten the screws to 1.1 ft/lbs. Wipe up any spilled fluid and carefully remove the tubing from the bleeder. A drop of fluid may fly off and land on a painted wheel so cover the end with a paper towel. Tighten the bleeder valve to 4 ft/lbs. The front is done.

Take the plastic sheet and cover the right side pillion foot peg hanger and the swing arm under and near the rear reservoir. The rear reservoir requires the extra step of removing it in order to drain it and refill prior to pumping 1 to 1.5 reservoirs of new fluid through it. Before removing the reservoir fit the wrench and tubing onto the bleeder and set up the catch container. The exhaust pipe prevents an easy 1/4 turn swing of the wrench so mind you have enough room to open and close the valve. You will but I had to use the open end of the 8 mm wrench.

IMG_9172_zpsf18fd090.jpg


The 8 mm socket and extension fits the 8 mm bolt that mounts the reservoir to the bike. Hold the reservoir to keep it from rotating counter-clockwise when cracking this bolt loose. Mine was very tight. The mounting bracket may bend initially before the bolt comes free and you don't know it until later. The nut for the mounting bolt remains attached on the back side of the bracket.

IMG_9168_zps93a71874.jpg


Carefully pull the reservoir back then outside of the frame minding not to pull too much on the rubber pipe that connects it to the master cylinder. Wipe off any dust or dirt on the top of it and remove the cover screws, the cover, set piece and diaphragm. Clean and dry these parts as before and set aside. Suction out the fluid as before and clean out any debris and goo if you find any. Mine was clean.

IMG_9169_zps9019561e.jpg


Fill the reservoir to the full line with new fluid and carefully replace more or less into the mounted position. I took a piece of wadded-up newspaper to hold the reservoir approximately in the mounted position. The service manual says to mount the reservoir in a provided lower bolt hole with the 8 mm bolt and a spare nut but I just used the newspaper wad to hold it in a level position. Using the brake's foot pedal, pump pressure in the system then crack open the bleeder as before. Press and hold the pedal down then close the bleeder, repeat as necessary to pump a full reservoir of new fluid through the rear system. Again, DO NOT PUMP THE RESERVOIR DRY. Carefully pull the reservoir back outside the frame and fill with new fluid and replace the diaphragm, set plate, cover and two screws. Tighten cover screws carefully to 1.1 ft/lbs.

IMG_9171_zps2e975f99.jpg


To replace the reservoir in the bracket correctly there is a peg on the reservoir that fits into a hole in the bracket before fitting the mounting bolt and tightening to 7 ft/lbs. In the pic my thumb is kind of pointing to it. When I removed mine the metal mounting bracket bent with the torque of the ratchet so when I replaced it with the peg in the orienting hole and tightened the reservoir mounting bolt the reservoir was tilted down about 20 degrees. I puzzled over this a moment before realizing the bracket itself was bent down. I carefully bent the bracket back into place by pushing up on the the bottom of the reservoir so it was level again.

IMG_9174_zps4ecada52.jpg




Pull and press the brakes to make sure the lever and pedal are firm on the first pull or press of the associated brake. That's it. I used about half of the 12 oz. bottle of fluid.
 
Thanks for the write up Dave. It's great to get instructions on the maintenance tasks on our bike. Your heads up on the tightness of the rear reservoir mounting screw and how easily the bracket bends will come in very handy when it's time to do mine. Looks like Honda is being really consistent in their love for over tightened threaded fasteners.

Bob
 
Nice write up.thanks for taking the time to do it.im sure we will all need it at some point.
 
If we ever make up a maintenance FAQ on this site, this post definitely belongs in it. Thanks for the write up and great photos.

Greg
 
Another thanks for taking the time to write it up and put in pictures.

I can't recall: Have you had this bike a year yet?
 
I am sorry to ask this... I am at work right now and don't have the owner's manual...

How often does the brake fluids need to be replaced? Thanks in advance.
 
They really say to replace the brake fluid?? Just seems odd to me since the fluid is in a totally closed system where no contaminates get in. The brake fluid in my 11 year old truck still works just as well as the day I bought it off the showroom floor, and I have never changed brake fluid in it, and I know todays brake fluid is better than what they had in 2002... Sounds like an unnecessary maintenance to me, maybe some extra money for the dealer?
 
I am sorry to ask this... I am at work right now and don't have the owner's manual...

How often does the brake fluids need to be replaced? Thanks in advance.

The manual says: Replace every two years, or at indicated odometer interval {12,000 miles on grid}, whichever comes first. Replacement requires mechanical skill.
 
They really say to replace the brake fluid?? Just seems odd to me since the fluid is in a totally closed system where no contaminates get in. The brake fluid in my 11 year old truck still works just as well as the day I bought it off the showroom floor, and I have never changed brake fluid in it, and I know todays brake fluid is better than what they had in 2002... Sounds like an unnecessary maintenance to me, maybe some extra money for the dealer?
I would wager that you wouldn't believe how much better your truck's brakes would feel when you change the brake fluid. The truck's manual probably says something about 36,000 or 60,000 miles / 3 or 5 years. If it has never been done it's safe to say you have nothing to compare it to.

I agree though, practically no one changes the brake fluid. Rubber lines and the gasket under the reservoir cap as well as the plastic rear reservoir are permeable to moisture in the air albeit very slowly and the degradation of the system over time is very gradual.

It's a cheap DIY service. Premium fluid is $3.99 a bottle.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, dduelin.

I know that many people don't think it's possible for a 'sealed' brake system to get moisture or corrosion or anything at all inside, nor for the fluid to oxidize. Having had trucks with essentially NO brakes pretty well every single harvest season until we bled them, I can assure you that 'sealed' systems aren't necessarily so 'sealed' as all that.

Myself, I won't be replacing fluid annually if that's when I hit the mileage figure, mostly because my riding is year-round and decently long commutes each day. If I rode this bike the way the 'average' motorcycle is used in the USA, then 12,000 miles might take anywhere from 2 to 20 years, so the 2-year figure makes sense.
 
Nice pictures thanks for taking the time to post pictures and stressing the importance of this relatively simple task. As you pointed out, I don't need any fancy tools, just a catch bottle with the appropriate hose. The only thing I do different is have a spray bottle of water or windex on hand to dilute any fluid drips.
 
I am a firm believer in every other year brake fluid (& clutch in needed), replacement/evac old.

I have a bike i bought used that the brakes did not stop very well the brake fluid looked like Black cottage cheese, Calipers were seized, water/moisture must have gotten in the brake system, and settled down into the calipers.

I was in town a couple years ago saw a nice Ducati Monster, semi clear Reservoir's you could see the brake & clutch fluid, it was Black, dont know how much water was in it.

When they get that bad you can see a significant improvement in brakes.

I evac all brake fluid out of my brother in laws 75' Goldwing last year, I dont know how or why he road the death trap to my house, both rear caliper pistons were seized, and one front caliper both pistons were seized.

That bike was a, Put your feet down Flintstone special, I told him he needed an anchor to throw out, or a grappling hook and steel cable to catch as tree when it was time to slow down.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Did my 12,000 mile maintenance this past weekend and thanks to this write up about the brake fluid, it went, well, fluidly. Changed all brake pads (even though the rear didn't necessarily need it), changed brake fluid (thanks again dduelin), and changed the air cleaner. Also cleaned/lubed/adjusted the chain but that's a pretty common occurrence.

First pic is of the air cleaner old and new. There was a little oil in the air box and on the filter. Pretty normal?

IMG_0032.jpg




Also, there seems to be a few minor kinks in my chain. Since I'm fairly new at this, is this a normal thing? I keep the chain very clean and lubed, if not too lubed.

IMG_0033.jpg
 
Back
Top