I let gravity do it's job and open the bleeder while the master cylinder is full. With new lines, it'll take longer. I pull the lever about 1/4 inch repeatedly, and you'll see very small bubbles coming up from the plunger. Don't let the cylinder run dry, or you must start over. Also you can use a rubber tool to tap on the master cylinder, line, and caliper to free the air. Then when you have a good feel to the lever, use the pressure you are building to bleed the brakes. DO NOT RIDE UNTIL YOU HAVE FIRMNESS ON THE LEVER. I am in Camarillo....is that close to California?

 

I do it similar to the DR. put to speed things up a disconnect the brake line from the caliper and hold the end up but keep it just a couple inches lower than where it connects to the master cylinder..when it fills(4 or 5 minutes) attach it to the caliper while it is dripping fluid. Then i pump the brake lever for 15 minutes, alot of air will bleed back through the master cylinder. After that is when I use the bleeder on the caliper, usually only have to do it 2 or 3 times, and its good to go, replace master cylinder lid and take off.

 

I've replaced the lines on other bikes before, but last week was the first time for me installing and bleeding dual caliper brakes. I pumped fluid through to one side until I just started getting fluid through the lines and then went to the other and did that one completely before going back and finishing the bleed on the first. I don't know if it would have been an issue, but didn't want to be pulling air from the other side while I was bleeding the first. The whole process only took about 20 minutes. Oh, and it was a good opportunity to teach my son a new skill that doesn't involve a video game.

 

the biggest thing I have found to help is to wait a second or 2 between squeezing the lever. if you don't get a nice air bubble each time, then you're squeezing too often. I just put a whole new system on mine a couple weeks ago and took 10 mins to bleed the brakes.

note: my wife is becoming a pro at helping with this... lol.

 

Just did a front master cylinder rebuild, and needed to bleed from calibers back, as I purged as much old fluid out of the line as I could, via air.

I utilized this method:

http://www.moccsplace.com/images/brakes/bleeder/bleeder.htm

But I adapted and improvised to make it quicker and easier.

Instead of "gravity feed", which would take froever, I made it pressure feed.

my ingredients:

1 empty, but clean, DOT 5 brake fluid bottle (my bike utilizes DOT5, you would use whatever empty bottle held your fluid). A clean and dry 16 oz. water bottle will work for this, but the empty fluid bottle eliminates much concerns for contamination.

Approx. 18" of radiator overflow hose, like the kind that attaches to your bleed off tube near the radiator cap of your car back to the overflow. Autozone sells it in 2 foot lengths for a couple bucks.

How to assemble. Drill a hole in the cap of the empty fluid bottle about 3/4 the diameter of the radiator hose. Drill the hole large enough to get the hose through, but small enough so that it is difficult to do so. Drill small to start with and adjust up. If the hole pinches the hose pretty good, but not completely, it will make an airtight seal, which is important.

Pull one end of the hose through the cap about 1/2" inch. Use some needle nose pliers.

Fill the empty bottle about 1/2 of the way with clean fluid. I am assuming this bottle is the 10-16 oz. variety, and not a quart. You need about 8 oz. of fluid, more or less. You can always add more clean fluid during the operation if needed.

Attach the cap, and attach the other end of the hose to your loosened bleeder valve on the caliper.

Open the master cylinder cover.

Hold bottle upside down and squeeze. You are now forcing fluid up through the caliper, into the hose and up to the master cylinder. it doesn't take much squeezing, so don't go bionic man on it. Just a nice squeeze, like a test feel on some female cantaloupes.

Keep a watch on the master cylinder until it starts to fill and it gets to the correct level of fluid. This may take some squeezing and maybe a refill of fluid. If you squeeze the bottle till it won't push anymore fluid, due to vacuum, just hold it slightly sideways and upright and loosen the cap a bit til you get air inside it. The continue on as above.

With just a few squeezes (like a minute or two, no more than that), your master cylinder is going to be full, and your about 95% of the way there.

With the bottle still held upside down and fluid still "on top" of the system, via the bleeder valve, hand tighten the valve. You don't need to remove hose to do this, and you can do it one handed and still hold the bottle.

Turn bottle right side up, and remove hose. Be careful not to sling fluid all over from what is in the hose. Just hold hose up and let it drain back into bottle. Tighten bleeder valve down.

Now, you need to pressurize the system. Replace the cylinder cap and tighten the screws. Start compressing the brake lever. Long slow pull, release, long slow pull, release, and continue. At first it is going to feel like you have wasted your time as the lever is going to be loose. But after 20 or 30 lever pulls it will be tightening up well. Do this until you get a nice and firm brake squeeze.

You still will have a bit of residual air in the system, but it will be a lot of little bubbles in the line. With time and (riding) vibration, they should gravitate upwards to the master cylinder and displace the fluid in it, so you may need to top off the cylinder a bit after a good ride.

Take it for a test drive around the neighborhood and make sure your brakes are good.

 

I had good luck with removing my master cylinder from the handlebars and having it at ground level while doing my pumping and filling. The air goes upward toward the bleeder valve because I am below it. This method ain't really doable on a fairing bike, or other bike that has too much stuff to remove, but it worked great on my Heritage.