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[FAST380]

I have a 2009 RG, I added new steel braided brake lines and need to bleed. I have a power vacuum bleeder but am having trouble. Any suggestions on bleeding 2009 with ABS? Back bleed, or do I really need to go the dealer?

[Dan_Lockwood]

I have a 2009 RG, I added new steel braided brake lines and need to bleed. I have a power vacuum bleeder but am having trouble. Any suggestions on bleeding 2009 with ABS? Back bleed, or do I really need to go the dealer?

I'm not sure if this is a ploy to get the bike back to the dealership for ABS bleeding, but when I bought my first ABS bike, '08 SERK, they said that to bleed the brakes you need to have the bike hooked up to a dealer service PC.  This was supposed to be so the ABS could be cycled to bleed the air of the lines and the PC did "some" electrical tweaking of the ABS to allow the bleeding to take place.

Other than that, I don't have a clue how to pop the air through the ABS module, which is what you would have to do to get the fresh fluid in and the air out.

Good luck and let us know what you ended up doing.

[grc]

Unless you have access to a scan tool that will work with the Harley system (I'm not aware of a readily available one like the ones you can buy for cars), then yes you will need to visit your "friendly" Harley service department to bleed an ABS system.  One of the many prices we pay for "new and improved" technology, but fortunately bleeding the brakes isn't usually something that needs to be done often.


Jerry

[TexasBowhunter]

You can bleed the brakes as you normally do...get the tight pedal and leaver that you desire and your brakes are good enough to stop you...What you will have is standard brakes working for you...Take the bike to the dealer and have them hook up the ABS equiptment up to the bike and have the air removed if any from the system...Going this route will in tale about .5-1.0 hr for there time to do the work...You can enjoy your bike in the mean time until you get over to the dealer to have this done...It wont hurt nothing...No ABS but you can stop with standard brakes
paul

[Limited Lou]

I had a rear brake switch go out under warrantee, took it to dealer and they changed switch. I left in a hurry and found out my brake pedal felt like it had air in system, so I took it back the next day. I think they changed the switch and didn't bleed system. Didn't get to talk to anybody as I was kinda Pissed they let it go like that. But I kinda over heard something on the computer hooked up....??

[Twolanerider]

You can bleed the brakes as you normally do...get the tight pedal and leaver that you desire and your brakes are good enough to stop you...What you will have is standard brakes working for you...Take the bike to the dealer and have them hook up the ABS equiptment up to the bike and have the air removed if any from the system...Going this route will in tale about .5-1.0 hr for there time to do the work...You can enjoy your bike in the mean time until you get over to the dealer to have this done...It wont hurt nothing...No ABS but you can stop with standard brakes
paul

The various ABS bleeding instructions that have rumored about since Harley released their current system have always left me a bit perplexed.  It's still a closed system.  If the air is out the air is out.  If you've got solid pedal prior to engaging the ABS pump you should have when needing the ABS pump as well.  If the air is out the air is out.  Makes no sense to presume that the ABS pump's hydraulic circuit either picks up air when the rest of the system is purged or maintains it. 

Harley's own instructions on this don't actually suggest always bleeding by way of Digital Technician.  Nor even actually using Digital Tech for the bleeding itself per se.

Stumbled upon the following HD tech doc a couple months ago that details a bleeding procedure.  It does not specify using Digital Tech for bleeding unless the ABS pump itself has been removed (i.e., lines off the pump) or unless multiple brake lines have been off the bike. 

It's easy enough to visualize and understand a circuit within the pump that might be opened up in such a circumstance and wouldn't be otherwise.  In that case I'd buy the "digital tech for bleeding" instruction.  But just for swapping a line on and off calipers I don't.  Bleeding a couple of them myself hasn't proved it be necessary either.  And the ABS system worked fine after the fact.

In the doc see the last bullet point before the numbered instructions.  The same guidance is then repeated as numbered instruction 11 on the second page.  Even there they aren't describing actually bleeding with Digital Technician.  But apparently just confirming a system status.

[Twolanerider]

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