Brake and Clutch Fluid Flush
Bikes

Easy Brake & Clutch Fluid Flush for your Ducati 848


I was initially planning on recording a 10 minutes video documenting the process of doing a brake fluid flush on my 2012 Ducati 848 EVO, but I got carried away and also documented the process of flushing the clutch fluid as well.

I am a big fan of the Speed Bleeder valves products. They are drastically simplifying the process of doing a fluid flush on your bike. It’s even more interesting with the 848 since the bike has a hydraulic clutch, and you can use some Speed Bleeder valves to replace your OEM valve, and your next fluid flush will be s much easier (and faster).

This is a simple process, and you don’t need a lot of tools. In my case, I’ve used a few metric and SAE wrenches, you’ll also need a lot of shop towels or rags and something to catch the DOT4 fluid. I normally use a MightyVac, but you can do the same with a small piece of Tygon tubing and a receiving container. As you will see in the video, I am using the Motul RBF600 DOT4 fluid, but you can obviously use your preferred brand as long as it’s a DOT4 fluid.

Do not discard your OEM valves… They will be needed if you ever need to do a full flush (or replacement) of the brakes and/or clutch lines.

The rear caliper on the Ducati 848 is very unique (in a bad way) therefore, if you have any issues getting some solid braking power, you might need to remove the caliper from the bike and turn it upside down (nipple pointing up) to be able to get the air out of the caliper fully.

These are the part numbers I got from Speed Bleeder:

  • Front Brake Caliper: SB8125L – need 2 units
  • Front Master: SB1010S – 1 unit
  • RearCaliper: SB1010S – 1 unit
  • Clutch Master: SB1010S – 1 unit
  • Clutch Slave: SB6100 – 1 unit

** Note that I have an aftermarket clutch slave cylinder. I am using the Oberon Performance Clutch Slave Cylinder.

Geek during the day, wine and cigar aficionado in the evening. You can find me on a race track in the summer time and wrenching on motorcycles during the winter months.