What brake fluid should look like

[GoldWingrGreg]

Below is a picture of rear brake fluid with 12k of use. The Wing came in for a 12,000 mile service with about 12k on the ODM. Notice the "crud" in the bottom of the reservoir ... it's really assembly lube and nothing to worry about. If its wiped out, and the brake fluid changed again at 24k, more will probably be found. After that, there should be very little residual left. Note how clear the fluid is.



Below are examples of brake/clutch fluid that is not changed every 12k.



Here is the same from a Wing that has regular fluid changes every 12k. Notice how clear the old fluid is. This fluid has 12k on it, and the Wing has over 155k. This Wing gets regular services according to Honda's maintenance schedule.

[rhino65]

Don't know when last mine were done but brake fluid is nice clean color no dirt in bottom.

Question tho regarding brakes. The other day on a ride I turned the dial on top of front brake lever to #2 setting When I used rear brake pedal I had almost no brake. Pedal was soft. Front brakes were super firm. I turned it back to #5 setting on dial and had firm rear brakes again. I guess the wings have brake bias?

[GoldWingrGreg]

Don't know when last mine were done but brake fluid is nice clean color no dirt in bottom.

Question tho regarding brakes. The other day on a ride I turned the dial on top of front brake lever to #2 setting When I used rear brake pedal I had almost no brake. Pedal was soft. Front brakes were super firm. I turned it back to #5 setting on dial and had firm rear brakes again. I guess the wings have brake bias?

Glad to hear your brake fluid is clean and clear. Basically even at 200,000 miles, a well maintained GL1800 should have fluid that always look like that.

As for your inconsistent peddle/lever. Had you done anything like replace brake pads, or work done were your caliper pistons were moved inward ???

If not, you should have your brake system inspected.

[tfdeputydawg]

Dials on clutch &,brake levers are for adjusting distances to grips, i.e. for different size hands. Braking performance should not change, imho

[rhino65]

Glad to hear your brake fluid is clean and clear. Basically even at 200,000 miles, a well maintained GL1800 should have fluid that always look like that.

As for your inconsistent peddle/lever. Had you done anything like replace brake pads, or work done were your caliper pistons were moved inward ???

If not, you should have your brake system inspected.

Replaced front pads couple weeks ago. After replacing pumped lever twice and had firm brakes. Test rode to break them in. Week later is when I played around with dial on lever. That's when rears went soft. Put the dial back on 5 and front & rear both were firm. Front being the firmest of the 2 which from what I've read is normal after being triked

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Nice info ... I have lots of friends that only do oil changes on their wings. They feel they are "bullet proof".

One of the asked me to do his brake fluid swap at 48k, never been done before. Fluid was really cloudy, almost milky. I also asked him if he wanted me to do a coolant swap too (since I figured it was really bad and hadn't been done). When I drained the coolant I notice the lower hose was almost totally clogged with corrosion.

Moral of the story ... even a "bullet proof" bike needs love.

[bikerbillone]

Greg, good to see you posting here.

[GoldWingrGreg]

Replaced front pads couple weeks ago. After replacing pumped lever twice and had firm brakes. Test rode to break them in. Week later is when I played around with dial on lever. That's when rears went soft. Put the dial back on 5 and front & rear both were firm. Front being the firmest of the 2 which from what I've read is normal after being triked

Adjusting the lever distance will make no difference in the lever feel. It only changes the distance from the grip to the lever allowing the Wing to be operated by people with smaller hands. Just like setting your seat position in the car ... pushing your car seat more forward or rearward does not affect it's controls.

To me it sounds like your brake system needs a full inspection. In the front, after the pads were replaced, was the reservoir level inspected ???

[GoldWingrGreg]

Adjusting the lever distance will make no difference in the lever feel. It only changes the distance from the grip to the lever allowing the Wing to be operated by people with smaller hands. Just like setting your seat position in the car ... pushing your car seat more forward or rearward does not affect it's controls.

Opps ... just read what I wrote, and it's true when we're talking about the front brake lever. However, a clutch lever that is adjusted to far inward can clutch creep on a GL1800. Therefore, when adjusting the clutch lever, follow the steps as printed in an Owner's Manual.

1. 
   
   
   
   
   1. Turn the adjuster dial while pushing the clutch lever forward.
      
      
      
   2. Align the index mark on the clutch lever with the numbers on the adjuster dial.
      
      
      
   3. Start the engine, pull the clutch lever in, and shift into gear. Make sure the
      
      engine does not stall and the motorcycle does not creep. Gradually release theclutch lever and open the throttle. Your motorcycle should move smoothlyand accelerate gradually.
      
      
      
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

[GoldWingrGreg]

Here is my Wing. It's a 2007 with 157,000 on the ODM. My brake and clutch fluid is changed every 12k, and this fluid has roughly 12k on it.