rear brake help!

ok, so I've read quite a bit about our brakes... and there's a lot out there... but I still have a problem/question.

-when I follow the bleed procedure, I'm ok, and I understand how most of it works, but my question is... the very rear bleeder on the rear brakes (the last step, step #7)... I don't see how the smc and the rear brake pedal both put fluid out of that bleeder?? -or is that a problem? -my smc has turned into an air pump, and I ordered the piston kit hoping that solves my air issues, but should both the smc and the brake pedal pressurize the rearmost bleeder?

-thanks ahead of time, you guys are a great source :biker:

Not sure if this will be of any help to you but see below for a diagram that illustrates how the brake hydraulic system is divided.

jcc said:

I don't see how the smc and the rear brake pedal both put fluid out of that bleeder??

Click to expand...

The hydraulic circuits that Honda developed for this brake system can be difficult to get your head around, or at least I had difficulty. So I sketched the system out in a manner that allowed me to get a better grasp of how the individual circuits behave, and how they combine into the complete brake system. Here's the link to the sketch that I developed, hopefully it can provide some insight for you.

-i have seen both of these... and the top drawing (thank you andrew shadow) is the one that i think incorrectly shows (yellow & green) that the fluid of the smc and the rear brake pedal are separated... if that is the case (or i'm reading it wrong??), then i have a problem -i'm glad you put that drawing up mr shadow, as that is the drawing that led me to believe that i have a problem. -Anna's dad, your drawing and text i believe is more informational and accurate, unfortunately, i read the version before the smc note. i think the smc note begins to answer my question... so the pedal pressure will mix with smc fluid pressure at the smc (also answering my other question as to where the smc brake fluid comes from if the pedal fluid and the smc fluid don't mix).

-let's simplify... if someone is bleeding their brakes, let me know... the very rear bleeder,... just the smc pressure, or both smc and rear brake pedal pressure??

-oh, and if anyone's wondering where i'm going with this...
to bleed the brakes on the ST1300 you need three pieces of information:

1) what bleed screw (in order)
2) what pressurizes that bleed screw (lever, pedal, smc, or a combination)
3) what reservoir (front, rear)

-i'm planning on writing myself a cheatsheet to simplify the process... as i have not seen all three of these items correctly presented in one place.

I recently had my rear brake freeze up on my 2010, when trying to bleed the rear most bleeder. To make sure that I covered what I thought I needed, I bought a rebuild kit for the SMC, the Rear MC and the Rear Caliper.

Byron and I started off with the SMC, rebuilt that, then tried bleeding the system. Rear caliper still froze up. Next we rebuilt the rear caliper and then the rear MC (Big PAIN to get to). I also installed new brake pads all around.

After bleeding the entire system, we finally had the rear caliper acting like it should. I was pretty sure the problem all along was the rear MC.

When bleeding the SMC and the rear caliper (and the front as far as I'm concerned) I pump the pedal (or brake handle for the front). Without pumping it, nothing comes out of it. Anyway, that's been my problem.

After going through this, I bought myself a vacuum and I'm building my own vacuum system to bleed the brakes with. My little hand pump will get the pressure up to about 25 lbs, but trying to get good solid connects is also a bit of a pain.

Good luck!

Don't overthink this....it isn't rocket science. The rear reservoir foot brake pedal pressurizes the rear caliper outer brake bleed valve. These tell you what you want to know in your three questions:





I have a brake bleed tutorial that I've used every 12,000 miles or so for 153,000 miles flush and bleed my 2005 ST1300. It's through and has text and pictures with a step by step process that has been easy for me to use. If you want a copy send me a PM with an email address. These pics are from the tutorial.

-thanks, that's what i needed dduelin! -guess i should stop putting off the buying of that service manual, lol... that is where that is from, no?? ...and yes, i tend to over think a bit. -i did start at the dealer, asking questions, but they were less than helpful... not nearly as knowledgeable as the guys on here (or at least they weren't giving it up for free). -went to the dealer to have the bike bled, and was told there were 300 bikes ahead of me -so thanks all, for the $200 savings, and the free knowledge.

I have a service manual but never used it for a brake bleed. A former member created the tutorial and I kept a copy when the original was taken down. It's been very helpful to me and others for about 10 years.

Also head over to the article section on here when you need step by step information.

Here are 2 good articles that helped me walk me through my first brake bleed.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?68913-ST1300-Brake-Fluid-Replacement

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?109878-ST1300-Brake-Bleed-Procedure-VIDEO