Morning all! Well yesterday I noticed the mess, cleaned it up by taking the cap of the res and cleaning that, and wiping the residue. Looks like it's slowly dripping. But this morning when I got to work, there was brake fluid again. And upon further inspection, it seems like there is a lot all over where the pin pushes into the piston from the front brake lever. That entire area is coated. Not only am I fearful for the fluid damaging the body work (can it?) but also what could be causing such a leak? There doesn't seem to be any drips from the actual cap. But where the screw holds the res in place, that's covered in fluid as well. Any ideas? I have a Multistrada 1200S '11
I assume this isn't a cheap fix? If it's any consolation, the brakes are still solid, don't feel like there is air in the system...
Full replacement will be needed of the master cylinder as Ducati do not sell any spares for them. You might be able to get them from elsewhere though, KTM do sell Brembo spares if you can match up their master cylinder with yours.
Ok mate, will give Moto Rapido a call, might pop down on the weekend. Problem is, I don't get home until it's dark. At work before it gets light So can't have a proper look until the weekend.
Just had a quick clean with tissues. It seems it might have actually just been a little pool around the rubber grommet that the rez sits on... I am going down again shortly to take it all off and give it the best clean possible. If it still sprays on the way home to the same level. Then there is an issue haha.
If you are going to dismantle it use a brake fluid that is safe with paintwork, like a silicone dot 5.
I gave it a proper good clean a minute ago. As best I could anyway. There wasn't much fluid residue left. As it stands, I cant see ANY left at all now. I'm going to pop out at lunch to fill the bike up. I will have a quick spirited ride and see what happens. I did give the brake lever a good squeeze. Obviously when in motion, the lever only needs a delicate touch due to the brakes being so ferociously sharp (I like that). But when I squeezed them stationary, the lever almost touches the grip. I would normally bleed them if that was the case on my 748S or 1098S but are the cables braided or not? Anyway, all will be revealed later I guess. Let's hope it was just excess built up which has now been blown out by spirited riding.
Do not under any circumstances use DOT 5 silicone brake fluid! It is immiscible with all other brake fluids and can damage the seals in systems not designed for it. This could be very expensive with an ABS equipped bike.The brake lever travel on the MTS is a bit longer than non-ABS bikes because of the very long brake lines; from the handlebar to under the seat and back to the front wheel. Fortunately most of it is hard pipe.
I will bleed the system on the weekend then. And I always use DOT 4. I normally just get the basic Halfords stuff, always does the trick. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_162663_langId_-1_categoryId_255218
Interesting comment about silicone dot 5, i must be missing something here. i have never experienced a problem using this fluid, and how can it give an immiscible reaction when you have stripped the darn thing down and got rid of all the other fluid as i said in my post. My assumption was that it was going to be stripped and rebuilt clearing all the old fluid and debris out of the system, clearly some do things a different way, i was wrong. Do you think the manufacturers of this DOT 5 fluid have not done their homework?
I'm not saying you can't change to DOT 5, but it is important that all of the glycol fluid is removed as any remaining can create a sludge in the system. I can't see any way that you could thoroughly flush an ABS system unless you could operate the valves in the ABS pump to allow the fluid through it. Any moisture in the system, instead of being absorbed by the fluid, will form into blobs which will find their way to the lowest point. If you do convert it is not a good idea to change back again as it is almost impossible to remove all traces of the silicone. I believe that there is some compatibility between DOT 5.0 and DOT 5.1, but definitely not with DOT 3 nor DOT 4. DOT3, 4 and 5.1 are completely compatible. Have a read of this decide and for yourself. The Great DOT Brake Fluid Controversy
Be cheaper to do used off ebay if you can than a new one. No idea if aftermarket ones work with ABS (if you have ABS)
No leak after a thorough cleaning yesterday. I'm going to order a new rubber cap from Moto Rapido. Only 12 quid.
