[tomw]

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Somewhere along the line in my search for answers on bleeding the brakes on my '83 Aspencade I read about "de-linking" the brakes.

Seems to me that someone had done this perhaps in frustration over the torture of bleeding the linked system.

Has anyone done this?

What would it take?

Advantages/Disadvantages?

Seems like the linked system was added just because they could.I remember working for NEC in their engineering dept back in the early '80's and some of what we did was done just because we could and then the salesmen had to go out and sell it.Motorcycles have been stopping since the beginning without linked systems.I was trained to use both front and rear brakes each time I braked.

I'd consider doing this if it were simple enough and did not cost an arm and a leg to do and if there was some benefit to it.Of course I would not even be considering it if the darn system would just BLEED!

Whadayathingk?

 

[EDDIE W]

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imo i wouldnt de-link the brakes, they work far better being linked, the rear brake works with the front right caliper and the handlebar brake is front left,

 

[RB]

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This is just my thoughts thinking about it..never done it.

The how to isn't two hard..get a complete front brake system from an older 1100 81, 82 including the master, splitter, tubes etc. I think you could use the old calipers..are they the same size. if they are it's Ok; that way no mounting issues. But if smaller youi need to go with early model calipers.

Seal off the rear and use it lightly the master is now over sized for just the rear brake.

That's it.

Trying to unlink and use the old front system is not a good idea master is too small, you'd need the front splitter to add the second line and a new hose anyway.

Whether this is better or not..personal choice in my opinion

 

[BlackGW]

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The instructor at an ERC I attended commented that the attitude of my bike in a hard stop was perfect and asked if I had linked brakes because it took a lot of practice and experience to get the same results without them.

They are not linked just because they can. It is for safety and control.

my opinion.

 

[goldtop]

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I have an unlinked gl1100 and man thats one scary dude to brake quickly. Only my butt gripping the seat is keeping my pants clean.

Don't do it.

 

[GSMacLean]

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I agree - one of the hardest things I found at the ERC course I took this summer was emergency stops - I would either lock the rear wheel (no problem) or the front wheel (scary). Getting the balance just right between the two was very tough and took some practice.

 

[William_86]

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since you dont bleed the brakes every day. i wouldn't de-link them just cuz it gets harder to bleed when its time to.

linked brakes to me work good. my other bikes have had regular independent brakes and i can tell that i cant feel any difference but a better braking.

 

[exavid]

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Makes no sense to me to change a well designed system just to make bleeding the brakes easier. Honda went to the linked brake system in 1983 and has continued making all Goldwings with linked brakes right up to the present day. They did it because it works well. Much easier to make quick panic stops without locking up a wheel. Like ABS brakes where so many people think they can do a better job of handling the brakes themselves, linked brakes have a lot of people bragging they can stop better with independent brakes. Yeah, sure. Just how cooley and quickly can you modulate your brakes with a non-linked system if a deer pops out in front of you? You might be able to outperform linked brakes under ideal conditions but like ABS brakes, it's more likely the built in systems will handle the situation better than a startled rider.

The linked front caliper on the '83 has smaller pistons so if you want to unlink or isolate the system you'll need to replace the caliper too. Otherwise you'll have less braking power than the '82 or earlier bikes did. It would be simpler and cheaper just to have some one bleed the linked system for you. One of the important things about bleeding the linked systems is to bleed the front one first. Then do the rear. Also you can speed up the job with an inexpensive vacuum bleeder from Harbor Freight.

 

[Sprdtyf350]

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I think that if you are having trouble bleeding the brakes you probably have something wrong in the system. I had no problems getting them to bleed on my 83.

The manual specifies that you need to bleed them in a certain order. This is the note from the Clymers, in Chapter 3 of the 1980 and later supplemental..

"When bleeding the unified brake system, first bleed the right-hand front caliper and then the rear caliper. Do not try to bleed both front caliper assemblies at the same time."

And no, I would not try to unlink them. The piston sizes are different, master cylinders are different, and at least on my bike they work really pretty well..

 

[tomw]

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O.K. the delinking idea is dead on arrival.Got it.Now someone tell me why I can't bleed these bloody brakes.They want to bleed.They give me milimeters of progress.I can see about an inch and an half of fluid attempting to pour into the cup as it leaves the nipple but they never really BLEED. And of course I have no pressure in the foot pedal.
Why,Why,Why?

 

[thessler]

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Hi tom

I had a ridiculas time bleeding mine I never did figure out why. Tried every trick in the book including a power bleeder. In the end I just started riding the bike and slowly but surely the lever started getting harder. I have a theory that there was air suspended in the fluid and the vibrations settled them out, but its just a theory. I feel your pain just keep your head up it will work out. People that say its easy have never run across this, I have bled many bikes and cars and never came across this untill the Goldwing. Good Luck Tom H

 

[wing ding]

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Rebuilt all 3 of my calipers on my 83 Aspencade. Took 15 min. tops using this:
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KDT3578&source=froogle&kw=KDT3578

 

[sandiegobrass]

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HI Tom... Front first.... and keep in mind there are high points in that line... bubbles can collect and you are not going to move them out without some significant fluid movement. I did mine without the "power" bleeder but I did force a lot of fluid through.. and quickly (takes some help coordinating pedal pushs).. Also, it has been mentioned, but I found the banjo bolt can hold air too, so I had to bleed that also... SDB/Jim

.. and as thessler observed, small amounts of air will eventually get absorbed into the fluid, but that means driving with spongy brakes for awhile... not necesarily the best idea...

 

[tomw]

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O.K. guys.I'm nothing if not diligent,persistent and tenacious.So I'm back on the bleed process.
Thanks for the encouragement.
But I still think its a poor design.My old boss Keiji would never approve something that is as "Plob-um-attik" as he would say."Simple is best" he would say.
Any way I'm on it.

 

[exavid]

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One thing that might help is to bleed the rear master first before trying to bleed the brake system. Just crack the fitting at the master and get it pumping fluid before working on the calipers. Be careful with the brake fluid it's an excellent paint remover and plastic eater.

 

[Sprdtyf350]

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One other thought.. Are you sure the ports in the master cylinder are clear? Both the big one, and the little tiny return one?

 

[tomw]

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Sprdty yep! Had the mc off yesterday just to check that very item.Saw daylight through both.

 

[dvjac]

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I am not sure if you are starting from scratch but when I rebuilt mine it was obviously full of air. I had to let air out on the right side under the false tank where the line from the rear proportioning valve changes from steel to synthetic. It comes from under the bike in front of the rear wheel then up under the false tank shell then back down to the front caliper. A long way to go with a mountain in the middle. dj

 

[tomw]

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dv when you say let air out you mean you disassembled the solid line from the front flex line and pulled brake fluid through it?Like a siphon effect? But didn't air just rush back in when you were reattaching the two lines?

 

[dvjac]

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Cracked the fitting while applying pressure to the rear brake pedal, then closed, like bleeding. I refilled with Dot 5 though so I wasn't too concerned about brake fluid. I did drape plastic under the fitting but all of the painted tupperware was off the scooter too.