Brake Fluid

[JohnE1000]

What type of brake fluid do you use in your Kat? Should I buy a Suzuki brand, or others?

[WildKat]

Basic Suzuki brake fluid is fine for everyday riding. You can go to a more expensive brand that offers alittle better performance but for basic everyday riding, standard suzuki fluid will do you.

[Mojoe]

i just use regular car fluid....dot3..or is it 4? it says it on the resevoir cap...use dot whatever fluid.
if you do the research, bike companies use the same fluid. they just put it in a bottle with suzuki on it and charge you 50-100% more than you can buy it for at an auto parts store.

[Jax]

DOT 4...I believe that is what you need to use for bikes....at least that's what I use...I think Cyber recommends Castrol...I use generic Autozone Dot 4....probably will drain sometime in the future and replace with a brand name...

[Mojoe]

you won't find one bit of difference jax.....except for the price. there are like dozens of brands of fluid.....but only a few manufacturers of the stuff. castrol would be a good choice, and cheaper than sukuki.

[bobs]

I use ATE's DOT-4 synthetic fluids, alternating between "Super Blue" and "Typ 200". It's the same stuff, just different dyes (blue vs amber). That way you can tell when you've finished flushing the old stuff through the lines, because the new color starts coming through. It has a nice high boiling point and an unusually high wet boiling point, which is nice for street vehicles that might not get their fluid changed as often as they should.

[Black_peter]

All DOT 4 fluid is synth I think..
I like the Castrol LMA ($3.50)..
It pretty cheap.
And since the difference between top end
Castrol LMA and Auto Zone Dot 4 (at $3.49)
is like what $0.01??
And my brakes are like what?
the most important safety feature of my bike?

A bargin at twice the price..

[Jax]

Didn't know that about the manufacturers...good info..I'll be looking for the Super Blue...I like the concept of being able to see diffent color fluid when flushing it out...

[sexwax]

All good advice guys, but he ment break fluid not brake fluid.

Generally you cannot go wrong with something healthy like Gatorade, especially if your break is between workout routines. I like to try and squeeze in a beer or four during my lunch breaks from work, but that does depend on your type of supervision and the job expected of you. And you can never go wrong with some H2O.

[WildKat]

I use ATE's DOT-4 synthetic fluids, alternating between "Super Blue" and "Typ 200". It's the same stuff, just different dyes (blue vs amber). That way you can tell when you've finished flushing the old stuff through the lines, because the new color starts coming through. It has a nice high boiling point and an unusually high wet boiling point, which is nice for street vehicles that might not get their fluid changed as often as they should.

the last thing you need is to have left over old brake fluid left in the lines when changing it. Using the Super blue or similar product is a good way to upgrade your fluid and make sure you've gotten rid of all the used stuff before you head out on your ride.

[JohnE1000]

I use ATE's DOT-4 synthetic fluids, alternating between "Super Blue" and "Typ 200". It's the same stuff, just different dyes (blue vs amber). That way you can tell when you've finished flushing the old stuff through the lines, because the new color starts coming through. It has a nice high boiling point and an unusually high wet boiling point, which is nice for street vehicles that might not get their fluid changed as often as they should.

I don't know whether the current fluid I have in the master cylinders is synthatic or regular. If I decide to go synthatic, do I have to drain all the fluid first, or I can add to the resvoir as I bleed?

[The CyberPoet]

I think Cyber recommends Castrol...

Like Black_peter, I use Castrol GT LMA as my first choice. It's got high boil points (wet & dry) and it's 100% clear when new, so it's easy to spot both contamination and it shouldn't discolor your brake fluid reservior (or reservior window on the front brake) over time...

My back-up is Valvoline PowerSynth Brake Fluid, which is also crystal clear and whose dry temps are a degree or two higher (but wet temps are about 10% lower).

That said, neither's wet point isn't quite as high as ATE Super Blue. I'm curious as to whether SuperBlue is an actual 5.1 (extremely hygroscopic as a result), or simply exceeds 5.1 specs...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

speaking of brakes, i highly recommend a pressure bleeder. i just bought one for my volvo. it is a 1 gallon jug with a pump on the top cover and it has a pressure guage. mine has the adapter for the volvo resevoir, but it is just the basic round cap and will fit other makes I am sure. it came in damn handy when i changed all 4 brake hoses and calipers. just pump it up to 10lbs and start with the longest line...open the bleeder screw and it forces all the air out of the lines. pressure goes down, give it a couple of more pumps.

if you look at this one you will see it is just a rubber hose clamped to the resevoir cap. I am going to take an old resevoir cover for my bike and drill/tap so i can stick a nipple on it. no more pumping the brake and trying to work the bleeder at the same time. I did all for wheels on my car fater than the rear brake on my bike. i highly recommend one of these.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pressure-Brake-Bleeder-Kit-for-European-Cars_W0QQitemZ4603562966QQcategoryZ35625QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Zukiman]

Re: Brake Fluid

What type of brake fluid do you use in your Kat? Should I buy a Suzuki brand, or others?

You are kidding right? Now this ranks up there with some of the most stupid crap ever asked. Damn. I sound like Mojoe more and more everyday.

Do a search newbee!

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Brake Fluid

What type of brake fluid do you use in your Kat? Should I buy a Suzuki brand, or others?

You are kidding right? Now this ranks up there with some of the most stupid crap ever asked. Damn. I sound like Mojoe more and more everyday.

Do a search newbee!

That's just rude...

hmmm...
=-= The CyberPoet