SFV4S Brake Bleed

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skidrumr

skidrumr

Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Messages
103
Location
Colorado
Anyone take a crack at bleeding the brakes on these bikes themselves? I understand with the ABS module it is difficult to get the fluid fully bled without actuating the module. I hate to make the trip to the dealer and pay their labor rates when I bleed all my other vehicles, but it sounds more involved with the ABS systems.
 
If you aren't changing the fluid completely, no need to worry about the ABS, it only holds a couple teaspoons worth. Bleed as normal
 
I guess I should have clarified a little, unless you are changing the fluid from DOT 3/4/5.1 to DOT 5, you don't need to worry about the abs. DOT 5 doesn't mix with the others and, iirc, requires different seals also
 
Like my previous Ducati the rear brake of my SF V4 S feels about "useless"... you have the same issue?
 
TwoWheels said:
Like my previous Ducati the rear brake of my SF V4 S feels about "useless"... you have the same issue?
Click to expand...
Every Ducati I have owned has had a very loose rear brake (Scrambler, Monster 1200s, Panigale 1299s, and Streetfighter V4s). I replaced the rear caliper, pads, and rotor on the Panigale which improved the rear brake power by about 50%, but overall, the rear brakes on these Ducati's are essentially useless. If you want better braking on the rear, you probably need to upgrade the whole system, from rear master cylinder through the caliper.
 
I've found that moving to a really nice set of adjustable rearsets helps the rear brake feel considerably; the OEM units come with a ton of slop, and don't allow any adjustment. I typically set up the master plunger so the slightest touch of the pedal stops wheel rotation first, then move the pedal up as high as possible without interfering with normal foot position. At that point anything but up against the stop means pad contact, so even resting your foot on the pedal has an effect, and you can really mash it without reaching. Then you can back it in if you want (ABS off of course).
One thing to consider on these bikes is the front weight bias and track intention- on the track you might as well just take the rear brake off as it does nothing, but on the street with far less aggressive braking (if you are a smooth rider) the rear will contribute a bit. It's a good habit to use the rear on the street as the surface conditions are always a roll of the dice, and you need as much effective contact patch as possible, so I agree getting the most out of the rear is helpful. Full system upgrade is $$ tho.
 
Had to bleed the rear anyways after installing the necessary hydraulic pressure switch to replace the OEM lever switch for the new rearsets; pushed a ton of fluid through with the caliper set up with the bleed screw on top, and wasn't super impressed with what I was getting but got to a point where I wasn't feeling any further improvement. I decided to remount the caliper and see how it felt, amazingly once bolted back on I couldn't rotate the hub by hand even with the lever fully retracted (stop at lowest position). I fabricated a new plunger for this setup since the OEM was to be reused, but limited thread length created an ugly angle, and ended up adjusting it all the way in to the rod end.
Now with the wheel mounted back up, rear brake lever is hard as a rock and requires virtually no stroke to lock the wheel, so I'm interested in how it feels when riding. There's still a ton of adjustment to add pressure/reduce stroke.
 
skidrumr said:
Had to bleed the rear anyways after installing the necessary hydraulic pressure switch to replace the OEM lever switch for the new rearsets; pushed a ton of fluid through with the caliper set up with the bleed screw on top, and wasn't super impressed with what I was getting but got to a point where I wasn't feeling any further improvement. I decided to remount the caliper and see how it felt, amazingly once bolted back on I couldn't rotate the hub by hand even with the lever fully retracted (stop at lowest position). I fabricated a new plunger for this setup since the OEM was to be reused, but limited thread length created an ugly angle, and ended up adjusting it all the way in to the rod end.
Now with the wheel mounted back up, rear brake lever is hard as a rock and requires virtually no stroke to lock the wheel, so I'm interested in how it feels when riding. There's still a ton of adjustment to add pressure/reduce stroke.
Click to expand...
Nice to hear you got a solid rear brake working...when I bleed the rear on mine I try to get the caliper as high above the rear wheel as possible, and use an air pressure vacuum to pull fluid, as well as while I push lever. Usually go through a lot of fluid, but this has been the best way so far to ensure I get as much air as possible out of the lines. If you can get the caliper above the ABS unit when bleeding, you will get most of the air out using conventional bleeding method. It's definitely a pain in the ... to deal with the ABS, but most bikes now have these systems so you got to adapt.
 
I'm glad to hear other people are having trouble with the rear brake. I just got a V2 and I'm changing to Rizoma reservoirs. I started with the rear and thought it would be a fairly straight forward procedure using a hand held vacuum pump. However, the pump would barely suck any fluid thru the lines so I went back to a traditional method of pumping the pedal while still using the hand pump for added suction. I managed to get plenty of new fluid thru the system with no visible air coming out but the feel and performance from the brake seems almost useless. There is the possibility of some air still in the lines and admittedly the brakes only have 50 miles on them so might not be bedded in yet , but still.... Hopefully the front are a little easier.
 
nevets77 said:
I'm glad to hear other people are having trouble with the rear brake. I just got a V2 and I'm changing to Rizoma reservoirs. I started with the rear and thought it would be a fairly straight forward procedure using a hand held vacuum pump. However, the pump would barely suck any fluid thru the lines so I went back to a traditional method of pumping the pedal while still using the hand pump for added suction. I managed to get plenty of new fluid thru the system with no visible air coming out but the feel and performance from the brake seems almost useless. There is the possibility of some air still in the lines and admittedly the brakes only have 50 miles on them so might not be bedded in yet , but still.... Hopefully the front are a little easier.
Click to expand...
My method to get mine to feel decent:
-vacuum pump on bleed nipple with caliper upside down & fixed to rotor (top of rotor, nipple as high as possible)
-pump cranked as high as possible
-left hand on bleed nipple wrench
-right hand on brake lever
- compress lever & crack screw very slowly until fluid movement is visible, then close screw again
-every handful of these sequences, use a pad spreader to push the pads back out fully (they come in a bit to contact the rotor); my theory is that this would help any air migrate through the ABS pump
-repeat, like 100 times. Be patient.

This is obviously with the rear wheel removed, and in a comfortable position to be able to access & move everything easily.
Once OFT is out, I might ask Shiv to add a service option to be able to turn on the ABS pump which would move this process along at a much better pace.
 
any thoughts on how much fluid I might need to install new Rizoma reservoirs ? I only bought one bottle thinking it would normally be enough to complete the job, but it sounds like I might need to push a lot of extra fluid thru the system to remove any air. I have a compressor pump on order to help create as much vacuum as possible. thanks.
 
1 bottle is plenty. I flushed the front and rear lines with different fluid as soon as I got my SF(01/21). I installed a new rear reservoir as well as RCS 16 & RCS 19 master cylinders and moto corsa reservoirs and still have a little RBF660 left over. I did the install last night(3/16/21).
 
on/off said:
1 bottle is plenty. I flushed the front and rear lines with different fluid as soon as I got my SF(01/21). I installed a new rear reservoir as well as RCS 16 & RCS 19 master cylinders and moto corsa reservoirs and still have a little RBF660 left over. I did the install last night(3/16/21).
Click to expand...
How long u think that RBF will stay crisp looking?
BA739C03-0EB0-4F02-A303-0EC4E9BA5EE9.jpeg
605D4B25-989B-4D15-8EFE-6B95FFBEEABC.jpeg
 
DucatiKev said:
How long u think that RBF will stay crisp looking?
View attachment 36529
View attachment 36530
Click to expand...


It appears you have more experience than I. I've had my R1 with RBF600 for almost 1.4 years of almost daily riding (12k miles) and the fluid looks damn near new. I can't speak for the SF since I just did the fluid and master upgrade.

I will say, for those talking about a loose rear brake on the SF. I replaced my rear reservoir with a Bonamici 8ML and the rear brake is very firm. I daily my SF too. It currently has RBF660.
 
on/off said:
It appears
Click to expand...
appearance can be deceiving sometimes.
I’m just a farm boy red neck piece of .... that habbens to suffer terribly with ocd which means renewing my brake fluids with quality RBF still only means 1,000 miles until next fluids renewal

2,000 out of a set of Pirelli SC V3
2,000 miles the oil is low and beat looking

spray the chain after every ride

run the tyre pressures low like 30 up front and 26 out back. The dealership will tell u to pump them up but that’s only so they can sell u more tires as you wear them out much faster with too much pressure

41B69E79-F11E-4CA0-B080-BF70A4F32036.jpeg
My rear fluid was shot after the first 60 miles.

u better buy a mityvac and some of those fancy one way bleeder valves cause it’s a $187 job at the dealer for all 3

I did experiment with Dot 5.1 but it’s not worthy of being in a hot bike like this. Ima try THIS next time aroind
 
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Get the Chinese knock offs I’m sure it’ll work out nicely

better renew the oil while yer @it

EECF841D-27F9-4A22-B0A5-AF95695D346A.jpeg
spanked it for 2k miles and now there’s no oil left. It definitely didn’t all leak out
 
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Maybe I got lucky, but I replaced my reservoirs and did the standard vacuum bleed for brakes and clutch and now they feel better than how the bike was delivered.
 

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