[ASavageFox]

Someone recently mentioned that the dealership replaced the rear brake fluid at the 600 mile service. This caught my attention and I noticed on my bike today that the rear brake fluid is much darker than the front... and that the front was darker than the clutch fluid. Is this normal? I will talk to my dealership about having them change out the rear brake fluid under warranty soon but would expect new fluid to darken just as quickly without another change... my bike has just 750 miles.

Thanks
Andrew

 

[Dingo]

Yes it's normal for the fluid to darken in color. You'll want to change it at or before the recommended intervals, depending on how hard you use the brakes. Situations like being at the track - high speeds braking to 1-2nd gear - should be changed more often.

 

[avigil]

Yes it's normal for the fluid to darken in color. You'll want to change it at or before the recommended intervals, depending on how hard you use the brakes. Situations like being at the track - high speeds braking to 1-2nd gear - should be changed more often.

I had my brake and clutch fluid changed by the dealer a couple weeks ago. And I changed my oil myself. I should have done all of these earlier. FYI, I had 4 track days and ~6,200 miles on the bike at the time. I attached a picture of the fluids after the change. It might sound crazy, but I love the clear color of the new fluids. The clutch fluid and oil were pretty close to black before they were changed. I can't remember how dark the brake fluid was.

I should have done all of this before the 2 track days I did last week. It would have given me more confidence to get to higher speeds (knowing that my braking would be solid).

 

[Kevin.H]

I did a Motul swap at 2600 and I thought it was overdue then. Can't imagine what 6k looked like lol

 

[avigil]

I did a Motul swap at 2600 and I thought it was overdue then. Can't imagine what 6k looked like lol

Yes. I'd suggest everyone do it much earlier than I did. I was going off of the recommended service in the manual. From here on out, I plan on changing the oil every 2,500 miles. Especially now that I know it's a relatively easy process. The dealer wanted over $400 (including supplies). I'm planning on recording the next one that I do. There are some videos online of people with other panigales, but none with a 959 that I've seen.

And I'd also suggest that people change the brake and clutch fluid much earlier than I did.

 

[dougo1199]

I agree! Both processes are quite simple.

 

[avigil]

I agree! Both processes are quite simple.

The dealership did the fluid change for $91 total (including tax). So, I let them do it. I have never changed the fluid or bled the brakes before. It seems relatively easy but like it could be messy. So, I let the dealer do it for that price. In the future, I might take on the fluid change myself also.

 

[ASavageFox]

Yes it's normal for the fluid to darken in color. You'll want to change it at or before the recommended intervals, depending on how hard you use the brakes. Situations like being at the track - high speeds braking to 1-2nd gear - should be changed more often.

Really appreciate the info from all. Here is what concerns me; the rear brake fluid is really dark already... not "black" but way darker than the front brake fluid... and frankly the front brake fluid is a good bit darker than the clutch fluid and my bike is only at 825 miles today. Is this normal? Is this just break in related or should I expect such a significant difference within similar mileage if I change the fluid? What is okay? I may favor the rear brake as easier but I'm not trail braking or anything close at this point so it concerns me that the rear brake fluid is so dark at this point. I'll take pictures tomorrow and will post but seems incredibly dark to me. Frankly, I put 10,000+ miles on my CBR and the rear brake fluid was not this dark.

I've not tracked the bike yet. If this recommended, why doesn't the factory recommend it? Based on car experience or the CBR this would not be necessary, why is needed on the 959?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[sinjin]

Really appreciate the info from all. Here is what concerns me; the rear brake fluid is really dark already... not "black" but way darker than the front brake fluid... and frankly the front brake fluid is a good bit darker than the clutch fluid and my bike is only at 825 miles today. Is this normal? Is this just break in related or should I expect such a significant difference within similar mileage if I change the fluid? What is okay? I may favor the rear brake as easier but I'm not trail braking or anything close at this point so it concerns me that the rear brake fluid is so dark at this point. I'll take pictures tomorrow and will post but seems incredibly dark to me. Frankly, I put 10,000+ miles on my CBR and the rear brake fluid was not this dark.

I've not tracked the bike yet. If this recommended, why doesn't the factory recommend it? Based on car experience or the CBR this would not be necessary, why is needed on the 959?

Thanks
Andrew

The rear brake fluid will darken first since it is the heat that makes it change color and the lines travel and the fluid sits near the hottest parts of the bike.

Next is the front brakes which get heat from the system and exposure.

The clutch, not so much...

 

[sinjin]

The dealership did the fluid change for $91 total (including tax). So, I let them do it. I have never changed the fluid or bled the brakes before. It seems relatively easy but like it could be messy. So, I let the dealer do it for that price. In the future, I might take on the fluid change myself also.

I knew that brake fluid was corrosive, but following my clutch master leaking and Ducati having to replace my front and left top / bottom fairings under warranty, I wouldn't change it myself.

It would be far easier for me to make a costly mistake than to pay the premium to have someone that knows what they are doing handle it.

However, if the latter describes you, then there is a potential savings by doing it yourself.

 

[dougo1199]

For bleeding / changing brake / clutch fluids, you just need to take your time and have a system in place for the procedure. I always cover the areas around the master cylinders and bleeder screws with lots of rags in case there is some spillage. This is a real easy process to do on your own, but since it deals with the braking system you should be 110% confident in your abilities as your life may depend on it. I will try and post some pics of the things that I use. I'm changing / bleeding fluids on a regular basis.

 

[Kev242]

Thread Revival!

Just got my bike back from tire and oil swap and noticed my brake/clutch fluid getting pretty dark. I should have had them flush the system...but...I didn't and now the spring rush is in and I'm sure I can't get an appointment to have it done before my first 2017 track event in May (Summit Point!!! Woohoo!!).

I watched this video https://youtu.be/T-N4AFNnpek and it seems pretty straight forward.

I'm looking on Revzilla and Amazon for a good pump system, any recommendations?

 

[aayp]

^^ This
I am in the same boat as you are.. I picked up my bike this past weekend and want to switch out the clutch, brake fluid.
Looking forward to suggestions!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dingo]

here are some manual pumps you can use

and here are some electric for you fancy ones!

the fuel pumps are the ones you would want...

 

[D-StyleNZL]

Why do you need fancy pumps and the like?

 

[Kev242]

After looking at a few different videos, which are all basically the same, I ordered this Mityvac Pump and going to give it a try this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[PatrickR]

You don't really need the pump but it makes it easier. I have a plastic mityvac hand pump and my brother has the metal one. They aren't best but they do work.

My brother also has a mityvac brake bleeder for his work, like the mv6830, that makes fluid changes a 2 minute job. It connects to a compressor and you just open a valve for vacuum, no pumping. Those are nice.

At the end of the day, I still prefer the traditional pump/hold method. I just use the hand pump to empty the reservoirs and prevent spills at the bleed nipples.

 

[Rinzlr]

i'm at 3500 miles and i've done the front brake and clutch fluid 3 times

 

[Kev242]

Banged this out yesterday, pretty simple task. My Mityvac worked fine though I did use a second pair of hands, my 10 year old daughter who loves to wrench. Clutch, front brake, and rear brake took about an hour and used just under one 550ml DOT 4 bottle.

I thought I would be clever and take the windscreen off for easier access to the clutch and front brake reservoirs, beware that the little rubber bolts on the underside are not attached and will go into the black void of the front cowling. I spent another 3 hours stripping the fairings off and looking for the 4 buggers near the nose. Finally found them all and put it all back together then off for a test ride.

 

[Ak47bravo]

Is the clutch fluid the same as the brake fluid? I tried looking through the service manual and could not figure out. I assumed it would be the same fluid used in the brakes?