You can throw a lot of money into not riding a motorcycle any faster. After spending $1000 on a shiny new exhaust system, would you have the courage to tell your friends let alone yourself that the bike doesn't go any faster? To get the most miles per hour from your buck spend more time than money to go faster on the cheap.
Over time, brake fluid absorbs water from condensation in the air, which makes your brakes soggy and less responsive. Stop quicker for fifteen dollars and fifteen minutes by revitalizing your braking system. Obtain some DOT 4 brake fluid ($10), an 8mm box wrench, a Philips screwdriver, clear tubing ($5) that fits snug around your brake bleeder nipple (silicone aquarium tubing works great), a rag and a generic container to catch spent fluid. Remove the cover on the master cylinder, place a rag below it and top off the brake fluid. Avoid getting any hydraulic fluid on your bike as it will corrode chromed, painted and anodized parts. Place the 8mm box wrench over the bleeder nipple located on the brake caliper and place one end of the tubing on top of the nipple and the other end inside your catch container. Depress your brake lever a couple of times to build up pressure in the lines before you press and hold the brake lever. With the brake lever depressed, crack open the bleeder nipple. As fluid flows past the nipple and into your catch can, pressure will lessen on the lever. Close the bleeder nipple completely and release the lever. Repeat this process while remembering to top off the master cylinder every couple of opening and closing sessions to avoid introducing air into the system, which would cause you to start over again.
Remember to never release the lever while the bleeder valve is open, as you will draw air and contaminated hydraulic fluid from your overflow tube back into the sealed system. Keep repeating this process until you have flushed out all of the old brake fluid. Besides trying to evict all of the old brake fluid we are also ridding the system of any air bubbles. Use a screwdriver to tap along the brakes lines and dislodge any stubborn air bubbles, as air tends to get trapped where hoses bend or branch off. Varying the way you open the bleeder valve by applying a lot of pressure on the brake lever and cracking the valve open slightly will help evict air from the system. If you have dual brake calipers in the front, repeat this process for both calipers. When you are done with the front brakes move on to the back brakes and repeat the process. An 8-ounce container of brake fluid is enough fluid to bleed the rear brake and both front brakes. Ride faster on the cheap by spending fifteen minutes and fifteen dollars.
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