Front brake bleeding

[red2000]

I just replaced my front and rear brake pads and while I was at it I disassembled the calipers for a good cleaning and replaced the fluid with DOT4.  Now I'm having some difficulty with getting the lines bled.  The rear line was easy but the front is where I'm having some trouble.  I'm using Murph's spped bleeders which help a lot.  The fluid is coming from the bleeder nice and clear (no bubbles) and the brakes pump up and squeeze the caliper good.  But the brake lever comes almost all of the way to the grip when I pull real hard on it.  I think there must still be some air in the line between the master cylinder and the calipers.  I've seen discussions (old forum maybe?) where people had trouble with air near the manifold where the lines split.  Any suggestions for getting this last bit of air out of the line?

I did a search but didn't come up with anything.

[Daytona_Mike]

I just replaced my front and rear brake pads and while I was at it I disassembled the calipers for a good cleaning and replaced the fluid with DOT4.  Now I'm having some difficulty with getting the lines bled.  The rear line was easy but the front is where I'm having some trouble.  I'm using Murph's spped bleeders which help a lot.  The fluid is coming from the bleeder nice and clear (no bubbles) and the brakes pump up and squeeze the caliper good.  But the brake lever comes almost all of the way to the grip when I pull real hard on it.  I think there must still be some air in the line between the master cylinder and the calipers.  I've seen discussions (old forum maybe?) where people had trouble with air near the manifold where the lines split.  Any suggestions for getting this last bit of air out of the line?

I did a search but didn't come up with anything.

Yes that can happen. the trick is to wrap the brake lever  with a bungee cord to hold the brakes on  (tight) over night.

Do you have S.S. lines from Murph? If you dont  you should try a 2 line set. Those really firm up those lines.  The Kawasaki manual says you have to replace those soft black rubber hoses after so many years (every 4 years) so it is better to replace them with S.S. lines and forget them.
I have a 2000 and recently had to put rebuild kits in my brake and clutch master cylinders. The manual says every 2 years if I read it right. that seems a little aggressive to me. You may need the same. It is an easy job if you have a good pair of snap ring pliers that can reach into a small deep hole.

[George R. Young]

Another technique that may assist. Make sure that the two little holes in the bottom of the master cylinder are clear. Position the bars so that the master cylinder is at its highest point.

With all the slave cylinder bleeders closed, squeeze gently on the brake lever, you should see some bubbles rise out of the master cylinder bleeder holes. Allow the lever to snap back.

Repeat until you see no more bubbles or your hand gets sore.

This is what normally happens to air bubbles generated in the vertical lines in everyday use. They rise to the top and get squirted out when the brake lever is applied. The bottom bleeders are only there to release pesky bubbles trapped in the slave cylinders. And of course to allow flushing out old brake fluid with new.