New brakes (once again)

[jdhreiss]

 So, I'm putting in a new set of OEM front rotors and the EBC "HH" pads on my 120,500 mile 2008 C14 ABS.  The last brake change (pads only) left the rear brake feeling mushy, at best.  I believe I bled the brakes properly, as I've done it before and everything was fine.  After a couple attempts to get the rear brake to feel better, I put a weight on the pedal over night, holding it down until I again  bled it in the am.  That did seem to help.  I do have a hand held vacuum pump and have not tried it yet.  Gettting to the question.... Does it matter which side of the rear caliper is bled first? And, does holding the brake pedal down with a weight help in getting the air up to the bleeder nipples?  I've also heard that wrapping a small bungee around the brake and clutch levers for a period of time does the same.  I'll probably attempt to use the vacuum pump to see how well that works too.  Any tricks of the trade/suggestions/recommendations appreciated!

Joe Reiss
Kelso, WA

[jirod]

I don't see why bleeding one side first would make a difference, but never tried it. Vacuum bleeder works well. I wrap some Teflon tape around the threads of all the bleeders to minimize air leaks around the threads when using vacuum. It might not let air in the circuit, but it pumps better and avoids false bubbles that don't come from inside the calipers so you know when you're done. Don't forget to bleed the clutch and front brake master cylinders when you work on them.

[VirginiaJim]

I've never had an issue with the rear brake as far as bleeding goes.  In fact, after I bought the bike I bled the rear brakes and they got better.  There isn't anything in the manual about which bleeder to open first that I can find.  It's kinda strange to have two bleeders on one caliper I guess...