Don't Do What I DiD Bleeding Brakes

Glad to hear you got it resolved. I've got the Stop Techs also (great brake system).

Smart man not to blame it on the wife..........I've done that before......sad.....sad....ending.

I agree with you - there is nothing easy about getting to the master cylinder fittings or anything else in that area including the dipstick mount bolt and the various wires zip tied to same.

I have a rating scale similar to Scoville rating for heat or Fujitsu scale for tornado's.

Honda cars have long held my top rating for the most difficult engine bays to work on (engineered extremely well but Honda are masters at packing in the most amount of stuff in the smallest amount of space possible within the laws of physics) but the SS is a close second.

One thing I have learned about the SS, moreso than pretty much any other vehicle I have worked on, is that sometimes the obvious method of accomplishing something is not the easiest or fastest. You think you see the forest but you are seeing the trees.

For future reference, the fuel rail and intake manifold is fairly easy to remove (especially after you've done it multiple times like I have) and greatly frees up space in that area. In hindsight I wished I'd have just done that to begin with when removing and reinstalling my dipstick.I would have save 75% of the time it took trying to get at bolts you can barely see much less reach.

I use Brake Bleeders on my Goldwing. Makes the whole process super easy and no chance of getting air in the system. If air does get into the system because you bled the resevoir dry the bleeders will purge the air. They probably make them to fit the SS.

We did a normal 2 man bleed on mine to fill the line (I replaced my rear brake line so the master cylinder and line were bone dry) and then after got the line filled I Mighty-Vac'ed it.

Took about 15 minutes and a full can of DOT4 but my brakes are tighter than a drum now.

I can also reverse flush with the Mighty-Vac I have but never had much luck with that. I just keep the master cylinder reservoir nice and full and suck it through with the Mighty-Vac until she is running clear and clean with no bubbles.

I have read the SS ABS sometimes will need a secondary bleed after some miles. I think that is what is going on with the guys whose brakes are fine new and then after a couple hundred miles start getting spongy. This does not concern me too much and just means another bleed is in order to get everything 100%.

This is the kit I have. I've had it for maybe 15 years now and it's never let me down.

Amazon.com: Actron CP7835 Vacuum Pump/Brake Bleed Kit: Automotive

Has anyone installed the Alpha mastercylinder brace on their Ss? I'm not liking the fact that you have to pump the brake 2 or 3 times to get a good solid brake pedal. I don't know if it came from the factory with air in the line or that's the way it normally feels.

Quote from fullthrottle

Has anyone installed the Alpha mastercylinder brace on their Ss? I'm not liking the fact that you have to pump the brake 2 or 3 times to get a good solid brake pedal. I don't know if it came from the factory with air in the line or that's the way it normally feels.

I've got a M/C brace installed and it does help stiffen the M/C for a better brake feel, but that alone may not fix your true issue. You may have air in the brake system. If that is the case, you need to get it rectified, so you can enjoy good brakes with added benefit of the M/C brace thrown in for good measure. (My Sling was plagued with air in the ABS assembly and was a bugger to get purged correctly)

So do you think the dealer will purge brakes under warranty when I bring it in for the first 1000 mile break in service?

Quote from fullthrottle

So do you think the dealer will purge brakes under warranty when I bring it in for the first 1000 mile break in service?

The first service should be at 500 miles not 1000 miles. Yes, they should bleed brakes under warranty but some dealers are competent at this while others aren't...

Thanks for the break in mileage info. The dealer wrote 500 miles on my paper work but I thought I read in the user manual it said 1000 miles. Always seems to be contradictions with everything.

Quote from fullthrottle

Thanks for the break in mileage info. The dealer wrote 500 miles on my paper work but I thought I read in the user manual it said 1000 miles. Always seems to be contradictions with everything.

When in doubt, check your owners manual, page 51; it shows 500 miles...

Yep I think all these critters come with air in the brake system, three bleeds later, have a fairly reasonable pedal, but not as firm as I would like.
Dealer suggested the Master Cylinder support might help.

Ok here it is Tripod, I was starting to question my sanity. The paper work verifying the vin invoice # and other relative info including recommended initial service states 600 miles and again at 1000 miles est labor cost 189.00 plus parts. Why it varies from your chart who could say. I will go with your chart. Thanks

They also have it listed as the sl model when I believe it is sl le.

Quote from fullthrottle

Ok here it is Tripod, I was starting to question my sanity. The paper work verifying the vin invoice # and other relative info including recommended initial service states 600 miles and again at 1000 miles est labor cost 189.00 plus parts. Why it varies from your chart who could say. I will go with your chart. Thanks

They also have it listed as the sl model when I believe it is sl le.

Interesting. Just check your Owner's Manual for the chart in the Maintenance section. The chart I posted was from a 2015 Owner's Manual...

Ok will do. Thanks

Quote from fullthrottle

Ok here it is Tripod, I was starting to question my sanity. The paper work verifying the vin invoice # and other relative info including recommended initial service states 600 miles and again at 1000 miles est labor cost 189.00 plus parts. Why it varies from your chart who could say. I will go with your chart. Thanks

They also have it listed as the sl model when I believe it is sl le.

Uh Oh....I sure hope their service dept is more competent than their sales dept!!!! Quality is found in the details!!! Getting the brake system bled properly can be frustrating or it can be fairly simple if they know what they are doing and also have knowledge about the unusual issue with our Sling brakes. Sometimes it's not as easy as the normal brake bleed or flush. Some Slings require having the ABS system engaged and cycled 3-5 times to purge the air trapped in it, then bleed the system. Once the air is purged you should have the strong brake pedal. Hopefully your service manager has some knowledge about this particular circumstance, or is open to performing the unusual "ABS Cycling" steps if needed to get you the proper brakes these Slings have. My service manager had performed many repeat brake bleeds in an effort to fix this issue for his customers, but until I described how I fixed my own brakes (took several discussions before it sunk in), he gave it a try and now performs the ABS Cycling on all the weak/soft brake issues he receives. Oh, and this should be performed free under warranty as well. Believe me, you will like your brakes if they get the air out first. Then consider the brace. The brace alone will not give you the strong pedal you're expecting, but it will help once the brakes are free of air!!!!

I just sent an email to the Speed Bleeder people to see if they have them to fit the SS. I see they list the victory mc on the site so maybe they will add the SS. Bikers who have these will swear by them. I can bleed my Goldwing in 1/2 hour and do not have to worry about getting air in the system.