How To Bleed Motorcycle Brakes The Simple Way (NO SPECIAL TOOLS)

How to bleed motorcycle brakes manually without the use of special tools. No vacuum pump, no air compressor, no weird reverse bleed stuff, just an 8mm wrench, clear tubing, and an old plastic bottle is all you really need.
DISCLAIMER:
Due to factors beyond the control of Nick Buchanan Racing, I cannot guarantee against improper use
of this information. Nick Buchanan Racing assumes no liability for any property damage, injury, or death incurred as a
result of the information in this video. Use the information in this video at your own risk. Nick Buchanan Racing makes
no guarantee of any particular result that can be achieved using the information in this video. Nick Buchanan Racing
recommends taking all necessary safety precautions when working on motorcycles, working with tools, and operating motorcycles.
Nick Buchanan Racing recommends following all manufacturers recommendations and local laws. Any damages, personal injury,
or death, as the result of the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility or the user, and not of
Nick Buchanan Racing. I am not an expert technician or qualified instructor of any kind.
This video is for entertainment purposes only.

[@Blackhart50]

One trick I do is put zip tie over leaver over night and the rest of the air escape and in morning you have a hard brake with no air in it

[@wyattvanneste6634]

Do you do that with the reservoir cap on or off?

[@rapaent]

@@wyattvanneste6634 I would like an answer to this as well.

[@annettetuszynski2191]

BEST VIDEO! I am a 66y/o F and miss riding so I purchased a 2020 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, really like the cafe racer look. The back brake was soft so I had to bleed the line. Never doing this before, this video was a great teacher. Thank you so much!

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome. And nice choice for a new bike. Royal Enfield has some pretty cool stuff lately. Thanks for watching.

[@badbwoy8768]

This video couldn’t be any more straightforward I swear! Thank you bro!

[@nickbuchananracing]

youre welcome. I aim to please.

[@irfanaziz3303]

Literally one of the best guiding and clearest video I've seen. I was having a lot of trouble with my front brakes. I'll try this.

[@alexchr380]

I have been searching for a week now on how to change my bike's break fluids. This is the most helpful video I have found, it is as clear as my new break fluids, don't need to look further. Thanks a lot!

[@DCAT180]

This is by far the best brake bleeding instructions video out there. Thanks!

[@cursebreaker666]

Best brake bleed tutorial ive seen on youtube period. Thanks for sharing!

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks man. youre welcome👍

[@eric_b_3975]

One of the best straight forward videos I’ve seen. Great video.

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks man. thats great to hear!

[@racebmw]

Great Explanation!! The brake fluid bleeding process is easy to understand. Keep it up! Thanks.

[@nickbuchananracing]

youre welcome. thanks for watching! more how to videos coming soon.

[@harmoniousembodiment7203]

One of the clearest, to the point videos. Thank you

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks! Im glad u liked it.

[@elmo3575]

This is the best and most simple video. Thank you very much.

[@pchoy7854]

Thank you, great explanation you did there. I just finished bleeding mine and it's working great!

[@D4RKxM34T]

Thank you for the straight to the point instructional video!

[@nickbuchananracing]

youre welcome. thanks for watching

[@binerjitsingh7990]

Easy to understand easy to complete my pending work. I was headache about this bubbles things after watching this it's really easy now thank you sir

[@joe2479]

Excellent, clear guidance on bleeding brakes. Particularly helpful about the hose and thread air leaks. Thanks very much.

[@niconine268]

Such a concise & aptly brief tutorial. Great job

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed my video!

[@CypressVintage]

Zen. Very clean work and confident instructor. Keep up the good work.

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks. I appreciate that.

[@danbell1278]

Great video, Clear and to the point. Good job 👏

[@Joshtube911]

Cheers for the video. I've made a playlist of your videos to use as a guide to service my bike, I'm a new rider so it all makes the learning process alot smoother. Thanks alot from Australia.

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome glad it helps. Ill be making more how to videos soon. Been super busy but more time to make videos is coming soon

[@Jeff82556]

Good job on the video, especially the tempo. Oh... and ignore idiots that suggest some other channel did a better job than you. What a putz!

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks Jeff! Thats nice to hear. I was a little annoyed about that guys comment but I suppose its constructive criticism, disguised as a dumb comment. lol. Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching

[@hectorbabantojr.9073]

This tutorial doesn't get me bored watching.. thank you man! You deserve more subs.

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks man! more subs will come. just gotta keep making good videos and Im sure I can get there one day. thanks for watching👍

[@hectorbabantojr.9073]

@@nickbuchananracing See you at the top man.

[@davidbreen4353]

great video. i am changing pads and break fluid on my honda rebel 500 this weekend. the other videos on brake pad replacement helped also. thanks for this.

[@TheMadMonkey3]

Best video ive seen, even has troubleshooting and clear explanations. Thank you so much

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome !

[@Thundercatt600r]

If you were my teacher i would have stayed in class. Speechless! Very informative love the part about troubleshooting etc. saves the end of the world feeling when something is wrong! Thanks

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@hemsmar]

Done with authority and clarity. Thanks

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome

[@atomicdmt8763]

great vid! solid reminder............ I was pumping w the valve open/ vs close on EACH level pull.

[@deangdmppajj4692]

I like your video thanks. When I have bled my breaks if not changing the fluid I prefer to use a longer bleed tube and loop it back to the reservoir

[@mehdimirza8777]

Excellent Explanation good service

[@psychopao3582]

finally. a very detailed bleeding Thanks a lot.

[@nickbuchananracing]

you're welcome. Glad it helped

[@viksboodoo8382]

Thanks buddy your video helps me today,was having same issue with my 150cc scooter,now it's more smooth

[@nickbuchananracing]

youre welcome. glad I could help

[@TroyaE117]

You will find it helps to stop for a while and tap-tap the brake lever. Often you will see air bubbles rising to the top of the reservoir level. Better that than pumping them down the whole way to the bleeder screw. Certainly bleed as normal, but stop occasionally and try the tap-tap on the brake lever.

[@giodc8599]

Or, and it's a bit painful, remove the caliper and lift it above the master cylinder somehow overnight, you'll have all your air rise to the top now ready to exit the system.

[@Ed-lz4jv]

saw that in another video on here GOOD tip too

[@jondoough]

No nonsense and straight to the point.

[@nickbuchananracing]

damn straight. thanks for watching👍

[@ragada58]

Wow, very impressive direction! Well Done! Great details very methodical direction! Thank you.😀😀😀😀

[@itsmypl3azure]

Great information. Thanks

[@bronzestarvue]

That's how I learned to bleed motorcycle brakes 40 years ago, still do it that way today (on non-ABS bikes). Only things I would mention is you should put some brake fluid in the catch bottle so that the end of the hose is immersed in fluid (that will prevent air from getting sucked back into the hose), and make sure the end of the hose is below the level of the bleeder. Gravity will help pull down the fluid and bubbles, in addition to the pressure from the brake lever.

[@bronzestarvue]

@@JuneAtHomePH The pressure from squeezing the brake lever to force the fluid and air bubbles down the hose will be orders of magnitude more than what you could do with a syringe.

[@traviswhitworth6506]

Great directions. This helped me understand the process. I will be doing this tomorrow as i struggled trying to do it tonight before watching this. I'm confident I'll get it done correctly tomorrow! Thanks.

[@nickbuchananracing]

im glad it helps. let me know how it goes or if you have any questions. 👍

[@JOSEBAUTISTA-ml2ly]

very nice and clear explanations

[@coltonfears1604]

Best explanation I’ve seen so far

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks man.

[@mostafa6944]

Crystal clear explanation

[@carreteras101]

excellent video. i like how you explained how we can be tricked that air is in the hydralic system, when the air is actually entering through the bleeder hose. very good point to be aware...don't ask how i know. :-)

[@djbgatekeeper]

Best video on this subject 👌 many thanks 😊

[@nickbuchananracing]

thats great to hear! you are welcome. thanks for watching.

[@ThatThrottle]

Great video. Thank you!

[@markcoulson3162]

Good video. Little tip once finished pull the lever back as far as it will go and place a tie wrap around the lever and bar and leave overnight, this will force any tiny amounts of air in the system to the reservoir then release next day and loosen the reservoir cap to allow any excess air pressure to escape and recheck fluid levels.

[@denesealayon8182]

Thanks for this video man. It really helps me a lot. I'm planning to bleed my brakes for the very first time on my 2021 Yamaha R3. It'll cost me around 400 Philippine Pesos for the service plus the tip when i get this serviced on a dealership. This helped me saved a few pesos 😁 Thanks man.

[@nickbuchananracing]

youre welcome. so glad you could get it done yourself and save some money. I hate paying another man to fix my stuff! sweet bike btw. I sometimes regret not getting the r3

[@jamal8336]

Nice detailed instructions 👍🏽

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks! ..hopefully it wasnt TOO detailed and boring

[@Cake...]

Excellent step by step guide!

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks!

[@tiagoguerreiro6625]

Great video Very good explained👌

[@thedaydreamer7972]

Good video, I will say that I find it much easier to reverse bleed brakes with a 150ml syringe, you essentially pump the fluid straight through, then you can open and close bleed screw and pump the brake to build pressure, I always found I had more luck with that method

[@jamescrabbe6933]

Video really helped me out thank you

[@davideulivieri5138]

Excellent video, great explanation!

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks. glad you enjoyed it!

[@eldonjakeenerio8634]

Thanks mate! Very useful.

[@BrazLins]

Thank you so much for this amazing video!

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome for sure

[@kishalaykumarrana]

Thanks . Very helpful

[@Midwesthookset]

Excellent video!

[@noahmichaeljohnston6504]

solid & detailed video

[@pavlovauk9162]

The best video I never watched how to correctly bleed the brakes.

[@miket7657]

Great video !!! thank you for doing that so clear . Good job

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome. Glad it was helpful for you!

[@roeva2]

Good video straight to the point

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thank you. I try not to waste peoples time with dumb stuff.

[@marvin86047]

Thank you! You saved me money, i hope the Can-Am Ryker has the same setup.

[@nickbuchananracing]

Luckily whether its cars or bikes or 3 wheelers, if it used hydraulic brakes, should be very similar to the video. Might need some long arms though to reach if thats a 3 wheeler though lol. If you cant reach, get another person to help or maybe try a speed bleeder. Ive never used a speed bleeder but i think they have a check valve so that you can do the job without manually turning the bleed screw. If you need it look it up and see if thats the case

[@lriper4702]

Great video mate!

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks mate!

[@user-vd4nx6sp6q]

This is awesome, thanks a lot

[@StewsChannel]

Excellent video! I was going to buy speed bleeders, but I think I will flush my system with this method and just use a velcro strap to keep the brake lever depressed while I tighten the bleeder. Big touring bike and I can't reach the caliper and brake lever at the same time, lol. Thanks again for the great video! 👍

[@nickbuchananracing]

Get an assistant and bribe them with beer lol. Good luck 👍

[@Cfierro1342]

Great video brother. Way to not over complicate things!

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks, I tried my best to balance not too much or too little, glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching dude.

[@superstarfred]

Really appreciate this video 🙏🏾👌🏾

[@fabiancorrea2945]

Thanks, really nice video, I really appreciate it.

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks, youre welcome

[@lhagvaabold3283]

Thank you It was very clear

[@nanoglz]

Great explanation 👌

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks

[@erickgonzalez7418]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@nickbuchananracing]

You bet

[@koleporter4641]

Great video well done!!

[@souravde970]

Best video ever I am a novice biker but learnt a lot from thia video

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks man. Glad it helps. You can learn alot from youtube and repair manuals. I highly recommend Cyclepedia repair manuals

[@Scoodee17]

Straight forward video well done 👍

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks man

[@Texasphotoguy]

Perfectly explained process man!! Now I need to figure out how to get a stripped screw out of my master cylinder cover

[@nickbuchananracing]

To get that screw out, if theres any bit of the head left that isnt stripped, if you can the key is to use a lot of pressure into the fastener, like all your weight. Sometimes I will put a bit of the correct size into a 1/4 socket and use a ratchet, that way i can really lean of the back of the ratchet wrench and put a lot of force and hope it will grab. If that doest work you may need to drill the head out, remove the cover, and grab whats left of the screw out with some locking pliers. Hope that helps you get the stripped screw out! Good luck👍

[@Texasphotoguy]

@@nickbuchananracing ordered a back out kit and hex head screws to replace. Going to bleed those brakes this weekend. Thanks again!

[@talkingshite]

Great video, cheers😊

[@fishsamak]

Top video and clean work very nice

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks

[@zzxx33mh]

Although the process is easy but need to remember some details,Really cool work..much thank,👍

[@nickbuchananracing]

no problem. glad I could help give a refresher

[@zzxx33mh]

@@nickbuchananracing pls,keep on with same way..its useful for some mind like me..😁

[@gonzalovenegasgomez349]

Great video!!

[@irocss85]

Great job. Thanks.

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome!

[@Mac-bn]

nice content. I have been trying for my KLX150, took 1 hour but still my brake not working. I dont know whats wrong with it?

[@tommyc1493]

Good video.

[@glennthompson4166]

I found putting a little grease around bottom of bleeder screw will aid in not drawing air in by the threads at the base .

[@nickbuchananracing]

good idea. it helps? no tiny bubbles?

[@andrescaradepez]

Great video.

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks

[@captainoates7236]

Thanks. I've done this many a time just the way you said. The one bit I didn't know was those stupid little bubbles were likely coming from the bleeder screw threads. That might help thanks.

[@nickbuchananracing]

Yes I assume the really tiny bubbles come from the threads or possibly from the velocity of the fluid, sort of like how a boat propeller will make bubbles from speeding up the fluid. Ill have to seal the threads one time and see if it still happens and figure that out for sure.

[@captainoates7236]

@@nickbuchananracing Before this I had the idea I was entraining air by pouring the new fluid in too quickly though pouring it slower never seemed to stop it. I prefer your theory. I'm overdue changing my fluid, front and back. I see an experiment coming.

[@user-bp7iq4vo2i]

Thank you so much

[@nickbuchananracing]

Youre welcome🫡

[@gencoglu]

Great tutorial. Thanks.

[@Docv400]

You don't need to close the Bleed Nipple (Screw) between Pumps of the Lever. Simply open it just enough to allow Fluid to flow, and keep pumping the Lever, slowly and smoothly. Keeping at least 200mm of Tubing above the Bleed Nipple helps, but it's not entirely necessary.

[@jodie8067]

Hi Nick, thank you for the video. it helps me understand better. My scooter requires DOT 4. When it's the time to change, can I mix the manufacture fluid with another brand as long as it has the same rating?

[@nickbuchananracing]

Thanks. Yea as long as youre using the correct type like dot4 in your case, you are good.

[@TheCherrybomb0824]

good video...thanks

[@Mr04hayabusa]

Great video, Well explained

[@johnhughes7491]

Great video

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks

[@PankajMittal17]

I overhauled the entire Disk brake system including the master cylinder and the caliper. No brakes whatsoever afterwards. Tried bleeding air watching some other videos. No success. Then, your video and voila! Did the process almost 30-40 times. No effect perceived for 25 cycles. Got disappointed but didn’t stop. And then suddenly, you get the pressure! Thanks bro!! Awesome!

[@nickbuchananracing]

your welcome. when the system is completely dry it helps to open the bleed screw up a full turn or two, so that its opened up more than usual, then just pump the lever many times to get things flowing. Then just bleed the air from the lines as usual as shown in the video. Also have a video on changing lines if that interest you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYLbf2h-odN6eJY

[@PankajMittal17]

@@nickbuchananracing Actually I dismantled the brake line as well. Cleaned it and used it again. Thanks for the link though!

[@nickbuchananracing]

@@PankajMittal17 youre welcome. thanks for watching. have a good weekend✌️

[@PankajMittal17]

@@nickbuchananracing Dear Nick, I am experiencing a small issue with the brake. The disc pads are slightly touching the disk even when brake lever is not pressed, causing the wheel to not move freely. Can you suggest something?? Thanks!

[@nickbuchananracing]

@@PankajMittal17 1 rotor or 2 rotors? it is normal for motorcycle brakes to slightly drag. put the bike up on a stand so that the front is off the ground and give the front wheel a good spin. see how many rotations it makes before coming to a stop. for 1 rotor brakes it should make at least a few rotations. for 2 rotor brakes its normal to only get 3 ish turns before the brake pads drag and make it stop. nothing to worry about. if its real bad make sure the calipers pistons are not hanging up and being sticky. if they arent freely retracting into the caliper they could be the problem. either clean around the pistons better or rebuild caliper seals. also check and make sure the reservoir isnt overfilled. an overfilled reservoir can cause some pressure build up if the fluid gets too hot. that could cause some brale pad dragging issues. also check that the discs arent badly warped. although that should be obvious as you would clearly hear the dragging noise get loud as the bent part of the rotors pass through the pads. good luck. let me know what you discover.

[@sagutxo82]

Which internal diameter tube would be perfect to have a tight but doable fit?

[@yeahrightmate]

Why have they in all these years never reshaped the bleed screw to take a hose securely instead of that stupid fitting.

[@yeahrightmate]

@Luii Laxo Yes I guess someone like you could not come up with a better idea so you just put up with the stupid thing.

[@DB-zk1tw]

That stupid thing has worked perfectly for decades.

[@caryd67]

@@DB-zk1tw true, but anything can be improved wouldn’t you agree?

[@lillnemo1]

​@@DB-zk1twwell, actually it didn't. EVERYONE hates how badly the bleedingtube "fits/stays" on (or not)

[@Errol.C-nz]

@@caryd67 there's you're opportunity then.. bleed screws have always worked for me & it's been a successful industry std.. manufacturer quality is a different thing again though..

[@onecookieboy]

Pro tip, suck or otherwise remove the old brake fluid from the master cylinder reservoir and clean the inside before adding new brake fluid, it will make the whole process much easier and quicker.

[@sfeld02]

Turkey bastar works well!

[@marlanstuntahughes1224]

Work properly respect

[@vibes_4207]

Perfect video

[@nickbuchananracing]

thanks

[@ka0skontrol504]

Good video and good info. But what if I've done this but I'm still getting a squish lever? Basically, I pull the lever and the front brakes engage but if I continue to hold the brake lever for a couple more seconds it slowly sinks into the handlebars. I have an old '81 Kawasaki KZ305-A CSR.

[@nickbuchananracing]

you may need to replace or rebuild the master cylinder. If the seals inside arent holding tight it might casue that issue. rebuild kits are pretty cheap and arent too hard to do for motorcycle master cylinders.

[@iansmith6086]

Helpful

[@silviofontana5144]

I think that doing it in reverse is better, with NO air bubbles to deal with. Syringe pressure from the bottom, open the reservoir and suck it out

[@DiscoverwithAnis]

Thanks

[@tagelorder]

Thank you

[@nickbuchananracing]

youre welcome