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It's been about a year since I changed out my brake/clutch fluids so I decided this was the day. I have a three day southeast GA jaunt next weekend to collect some courthouse photos and I wanted to get it done before that ride also.

I bought me a fresh bottle of DOT 4 fluid yesterday along with some nifty sweet-smelling "Fast Orange" hand cleaner.

This morning I got up and got started about 8:30 with the sky looking ominous. (I don't have a garage right now). The right side of the case supports came off easy enough, as did the painted side panel of the bike. I would like to add here, for those who haven't had that panel off yet, there are 4 screws (T-25 Torx) that have to be taken out. One up front by the tank. Two on top under the right side of the rear seat, and the third is up underneath. (see the photos that Whaycoc posted a while back). Then the panel slides forward a bit for the little round plastic catch to come out of the groove at the rear.

I wanted to do the rear brake line first. Here is everything ready to go. Notice the dark brake fluid in the reservoir!

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340631-M.jpg

I used paper towels to soak up the old fluid in the reservoir and disposed of the dripping towels in a plastic bag. Then I just refilled with fresh new clear fluid prior to bleeding. DO NOT TOUCH the brake pedal while the fluid is out of the reservoir. This will suck in air! Same thing with the clutch handle and front brake handel! When you get all that old dark fluid removed with paper towels...or a turkey baster, as some have used, quickly refill with new fluid and don't touch that handle!

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340635-M.jpg

This is what the fluid looks like that has been in there since last year.

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340638-M.jpg

After doing the rear brake I got the clutch bleed nipple ready and took off the clutch fluid reservoir cover up front. I already had the nipple attached, which I bought last year.

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340633-M.jpg

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340639-M.jpg

The clutch fluid wasn't too bad. I think they recommend that be done only every 2 years, but hey...I was there, and it was fun!

The front brakes went pretty fast. I did the right side as it is closer to the reservoir. Then jumped over and did the other side. I highly recommend this little Mityvac tool. It makes the job so much easier for one person.

This is the dirty mess from the front brake lines! Quite a bit darker than the rear stuff. And this had some of the nice new clear fluid sucked in with it.

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340634-M.jpg

Nice little Sunday morning maintenance project and I don't have to worry about it again until next May.

good job!! maintenance is what we do to make our bike healthier..

Hi Boxer
Read your post on replacing brake fluid and wanted to see the pics but the web site (below) does not seem to be up. Are they posted on another web site?

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/23340631-M.jpg

I'm a fan of changing / bleeding my brake fluid every year. So with a new Rockster and an unknown maintenance history, I dove right in a few weekends ago. My bike is a non-ABS model so the process was pretty straightforward. Bought the bleed nipple for the clutch line and pumped up the vacuum in my Griot's Garage Multi-Fluid Extractor. The biggest hassle was that my windscreen had to be removed to access the reservoir screws on both sides.

All the fluids had a dark hue to them - it was definitely time for replacement. Sucked out the old fluid, refilled with new, clean stuff, and bled each line until the drainage was clear. Afterwards, I noticed an appreciable difference in braking and my clutch operation felt smoother. All in all, it was an easy process that provided improved performance.