bleeders?

[alistair]

hi i have a 06 200 an this is the first bike ive had with bledders (last bike was a 1988 xr250)on the top of the forks, and i was wondering if you just unscrew them evry once in a while?

my dad rode my bike an liked it so much he bought one himself,he traded his drz250 in on another 06 200,
thanks

[skipro3]

You can just back off the screw until air pressure equalizes, but don't loose that screw!!! A better bet is to replace the screw with a bleeder that you push with your finger to release pressure.

Do search on eBay for fork bleeders and you will find about a dozen different brands. I liked the pretty red ones like these:

Be sure to get bleeders that are as short as you can find. Tall ones can snap off during a fall or from a tree branch or other object. Carry your old screw bleeders so that your day isn't ruined if you do go with an aftermarket bleeder and it gets busted.

[Indawoods]

And... bring a small EZ-out with ya...

[skipro3]

What Inda is saying is that the bleeders are hollow and do break easy if not installed carefully. There is another product; a finger screw like the pilot screw adjuster for a carb. It looks like this:

They are made from either titainium or stainless steel (your choice). They are not push button but instead, you unscrew them with your fingers and then back down after bleeding. I bleed my forks several times a ride and prefer the little red button.

[alistair]

ok thanks we dont have ebay over here in new zealand,an i dont have much spare money at the moment(im only 14),i think ill just stick with the screws, thanks for the info anyway,,

[skipro3]

Try and find a screw of the same thread and then find a tiny o-ring to carry as a spare. Believe me, you WILL drop one of those bleeders someday when out on the trail, and a spare will be handy. Otherwise, without that screw to plug the hole, you'll get a face full of oil on the first big hit your front wheel encounters. It's pretty funny if it's not happenng to you.
Cheers!!


P.S.
If you need stuff for your bike that you can't get over in your area, let me know and perhaps I can pick it up for you and mail out to your place.

[alistair]

ok thaks for the offer turns out we do have ebay(http://www.ebay.co.nz),(i never new) but when i did a search for fork bleeders there were 0 reasults.
we can get most things they just cost more usally. and my dad dosent really like putting things on our bikes unless it broke, hes one of thosse peole that will try and straghten the stock steel handle bars.

[canyncarvr]

MotionPro sells a set. Fairly long. Take care that you get the correct threads!!

You CAN get shorter ones that require drill&tap. The reason the MotionPro bleeders are longer is because part of them is an adapter to allow them to fit without drill&tap.

An entry of 'fork bleeders' on ebay got me 17 hits...

[alistair]

ok thanks,i ment wen i did a search on the new zealand version of ebay i got 0 results,.i did get 17 on the american(i think) version.

[IdahoCharley]

Just a comment - when you bleed the air out of your forks your forks should be unload i.e. like when your bike is on a stand with the front wheel off the ground.

Skipro3 - those were pretty neat thumb screws - I like that idea - no worries about a leaking push button valve, no tools, and harder to loose.

[canyncarvr]

And..as the ad sez...everytime I 'fill' mine after I get home from the wash-n-dry, I hear the spits...water where you don't want it to be.

BTW...I 'tune' my forks by venting them with varying loads. Sometimes with the forks unloaded, sometimes not. Not a huge difference, but something you can feel.