Do you know how often you should change the brake fluid on your motorcycle? Discover the importance of changing brake fluid on motorcycles.



Proper maintenance is absolutely essential for the proper functioning of your motorcycle, and within maintenance, one of the most important parts that is worth paying more attention to is the brakes, since they will be the ones that will take care of stop your bike when necessary and slow down.


So far everything is clear, and surely many of you think that you are maintaining good maintenance on your motorcycle and that you are paying the necessary attention to the brakes. But this is where most of us make the mistake, which is to pay attention to the brake pads, noting their wear, but completely forgetting the brake fluid , an essential element for the proper functioning of both the brakes and the motorcycle.


There is an erroneous belief that leads many people to think that it is not necessary to change the brake fluid of a motorcycle , that it does not suffer any type of wear or that it is simply necessary to make sure that it has the correct level. And this is where the problems come.


Should I change the brake fluid on the motorcycle?

The answer is a resounding yes. It must be taken into account that the brake fluid lives exposed to high temperatures that cause it to gradually deteriorate and lose quality, so that with the passage of time it no longer performs the same . It must be taken into account that it is exposed to air, which causes the liquid to gradually lose all its properties.


To this must be added the sudden changes in temperature , which also affect its properties and characteristics. For all this, changing the brake fluid periodically is absolutely essential, since otherwise you will notice how your motorcycle brakes a little less every day, increasing the danger of driving.


What liquid must be used and how often must it be changed?

When we have already decided to change the brake fluid, another question arises that for many has an unknown answer: what fluid should be used and how often should it be changed?


First of all, it must be borne in mind that depending on each motorcycle, one type of liquid or another will have to be used , so the first thing to do is consult the manufacturer's instructions. There they will indicate the type of liquid that we must use in our motorcycle. You should pay attention to the DOT (Department of Transportation) specification, a measure that marks the quality of our brake fluid and is classified based on the boiling point.


We must not forget that brake fluid is highly corrosive , so if we use a type of fluid with a specific specification that does not suit our braking system, it could end up damaging it and putting our safety while driving at risk. So make sure the fluid has a suitable specification for your braking system.


Regarding the periodicity of the change, everything will depend on the specification of the liquid itself, but in any case the liquid will have to be changed once a year or every two years at the most . Below we show you how often you should change the fluids with DOT 5.1 and DOT 4 specification, the two most used in motorcycles:


· DOT 5.1: once a year.


· DOT 4: once every two years, maximum.


Now you have to decide between replacing the fluid yourself or taking your motorcycle to a specialized workshop so that they can take care of the change there. The truth is that it is not too complicated a task, so you can carry it out yourself without problems.


Of course, it is important that when changing the fluid you make sure that no air remains inside the braking system , since otherwise the bubbles will compress excessively when the pump is operated again, losing capacity and effectiveness in the braking in a major way.


And finally, be aware and collaborate with the environment, taking your used brake fluid to a container or a clean point so that it is treated appropriately and responsibly.

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