Clutch fluid turning really dark

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I believe it's very hard to clean off the track and is slippery just like standard coolant, which is also usually not permitted.

It varies by racing body and location.
 
My clutch fluid turned dark very quickly.The reason for this is the heat coming off of the engine. While the colour did not affect performance, I have had to bleed the system every 1,000 miles or so when he clutch stops working. (It becomes difficult to shift into neutral, and progresively worsens shifting among gears.)
I have had my entire clutch assembly, including master and slave cylinders, replaced and sent to Ducati NA for evaluation. They did not find anything wrong with them, and so the only thing we can think of is the heat.
And yes, I have used replacement brake fluid designed for extreme heat applications, and it made no noticable difference.
The only exception to this was during the break-in period; thus, if you are using the bike as it was designed to be ridden, you will likely have to bleed the clutch every 1,000 miles.
 
-- carry an 11mm open end, or the new mini bleeder wrench from motion-pro, with you on the bike - it will come in handy :)
 
Both my Multistrada and Pani's rear brake fluid are quite dark, nothing like the color of the fluid up front. Well documented in the case of the Multi.

I'm in the "it's due to the rear reservoir placement/heat generated by the motor" camp.
 
Don't you like the ability to go back in time and correct your former self - hey nut bags, its AIR in the system. It happens it every single hydraulic Brembo clutch/brake for all ducks, BMW, April. This is not normal and total ........
 
The stock fluid is utter crap!!! When I took delivery of my 1299, my fluid had gone totally black within 600 miles on ALL reservoirs. I changed to Castrol SRF and no issues since, and the fluid stays nice and clear yellow and more to the point, I have never had to bleed my brakes.
 
This may be a dumb question but is the bleeding procedure the same for ABS bikes as bikes without ABS?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I think bleeding an ABS system is more involved because you need to make sure all the air is bled out of the pump in addition to the lines. Probably a good idea to use a vac system vs just lever pressure. The owners manual says that ABS can send pressure to the rear brake through the front lever so the two are linked which also makes things more interesting.

I'm just going to flush hydro fluid at the same time as oil change every 4-5k. This bike just roasts fluid.
 
Interesting. I use the Motul 660. Granted i have aftermarket calipers front and rear. Aftermarket clutch, front and rear MC. at 2500 miles, my clutch, front and rear fluid looks like it did the day I put it in. Never had to bleed anything so one could conclude by this that the engine heat in this scenario plays no role in degradation of any of the systems or fluid. That being said maybe there is something going on in the OEM Brembo stuff or other parts of the OEM system that is a chemical issue with the fluid? Maybe it is a heat issue and the aftermarket stuff I am using is less thermally conducting heat to the fluid? Dont know but i have zero fluid issues even during all the rotor testing we did and zero air ingress issues even with QR lines.

Bike has:

Brembo GP 34/36 Monoblocks
Brembo P2 34 rear
Staubli QR
Brembo GP billet clutch
Brembo GP billet brake
Oberon Clutch slave
Aeroquip lines
EVR slipper
 
Mine was dark within 200 miles, and black before the first oil change. I will be flushing and putting in Motul RBF600 brake fluid. Fluid of choice. I usually change it every 10,000 miles, or once a year, whichever is sooner. Typically mileage. In the past, it stays just like out of the bottle until I change it.
 

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