I used dot 5 in my suzi's back in the 80's and early 90's. thinking of giving Shoodaben the treatment. To those who are running dot 5 (Teecro ) did you notice any spongyness when you went to the dot 5? And yes, I know the proceedure - I'll be disassembling and cleaning everything before the change. THX - steve
Never replace Dot 4 with Dot 5 as one is mineral and one synthetic. The seals and rubber components of your system will fail due to contamination that no amount of cleaning will remove
Spongy will be the least of your problems
Really? Strangely enough I've been using DOT-5 Silicone based brake fluid in my bikes since the 80's sometimes with nothing more complex than a healthy double flush with DOT-5 without any unwanted results granted a full take down and cleaning is the preferable route....
Yes Steve there will be a small amount of "softness" in the system this is due to the entrained oxygen (IIRC) bubbles in the oil to which I've grown quite accustomed to the softer feel and rather like it is it allows a bit of forgiveness to ham-fisted grabs of brake without causing lock up. Once you get past the initial soft bite your brakes will be just as strong as you need them to be.
FYI
http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/tech-articles/Brake-Fluid-Explained.pdf
http://www.advancepetro.com/differentbrakefluid.htm
Yes Charlie I'm quite aware of the information and believe me I've read the articles on brake fluids but I'll reaffirm my above comment with empirical knowledge dating back to the 80's to present day..... NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER WITH A PROPER FLUSH AND/OR CLEAN...
Charlie, your second link specifically states that dot 5 is compatible with different rubber formulations.
I researched the Dot 5 issue before posting this; it seems the idea of seal incompatibility is a wive's tale. And if it's not, so what, I can rebuild the brakes and return to dot 4 if I so choose.
OTOH, I SAW a couple drops of Dot 4 literally shatter the fairing on a 98 connie. The owner had a couple drops get behind the windshield and he didn't remove the shield to clean it . A couple days later, the mirror broke off and a huge hole cratered into the side of the fairing, all shattered in little brittle pieces. The replacement fairing was over 500.00 plus labor. Makes brake seals seems cheap...JMO, steve
BTW, thanks Tee -
... May I tactfully suggest that we agree to differ on this one and enjoy the banter friendship and information sharing that this site brings ?
The replacement fairing was over 500.00 plus labor. Makes brake seals seems cheap...JMO,
Failing brakes cheaper then 500.00+ labor, what happens with medical bills or possibly something worse? Just thinking out loud here, but messing with a possible brake failure doesn't seem cheap to me at all(maybe I'm missing something).
I'm not knocking switching brake fluids it may or may not be an issue. If it is an issue or even has a small percentage of failure is it really cheaper/better in the long run?
What your missing here is where is percentage of failure? Thus far in 30 plus years of real use I'm batting a 100 percent success rate...
To this day I've never started a thread trying to get people to switch to DOT-5 brake fluid but when the subject does come up I'll give my opinion and I will stand by it like a momma bear...
T Cro; No disrespect intended, heck I do things all the time that are questionable. You seem to have a heads up on this with experience, but I still have to question. If the manufacturer has proven without a doubt there is a possibility(even if it's a small percent) of failure switching fluids, then is this truly safe? To put it another way, would a kawi dealer risk their business, practicing procedures that could be unsafe? Again not saying it would not work but would someone lay millions(or even possible jail time) on the line to do it? You have 30yrs with no problems, but their is still that scientific proof that it could cause failure. Like I wrote no disrespect intended, oil always seems to be an ongoing debate. Overall I've found folks that will be sticklers on mechanics, swear up and down to do this don't do that, than turn around and say don't pay any attention to the manufactures data, why?. I am not saying anyone on this site does this just pointing out an overall observation that I've noticed through the years.
Don't worry I've thick skin and perceive no disrespect nor do I'm imply any either... I'm not the only person in the world using DOT-5 fluid, perhaps I'm one of the few here that does but I know many classic car buffs who use this fluid. In fact H.D. saw fit to use DOT-5 likely for the same reasons I do in that it is not harmful to painted finish and that silicone oil has been proven to not cause detrimental results to rubber seals and such. The failure only results when the two fluids are intermixed with each other and a gel or gum results...
I didn't sense any disrespect with your post. What is the easiest way to flush out the system, any tricks?
.... Dot 5 is non-hygroscopic (which is why it doesn't need to be replaced regularly). Here in high humidity states I think we should use hygroscopic fluid just in case somehow moisture did get into the closed system- basically a safety thing....
yes Tony your are correct, I think it is every 2 years AND it says to replace all the rubber brake lines and clutch line every 4 years.
Here in Florida 2 years is too long. It will be tan to brown colored by then.
I spilled some brake fluid when I installed new pads. I pushed the pistons back in and overflowed the reservoir onto the silver handle bar base (trippled tree) and it peeled the paint off before I got to it in just a few minutes.