There is a cup on the front of many motorcycles. Don’t look at the yellow liquid inside. This is brake fluid commonly known as force fluid. Its function is to transmit the force of your brake lever to the brake calipers (abalone). Once there is a problem with the brake fluid, the brake system will fail, and the consequences will be very serious. This time Helmet King will introduce you to brake fluid!

When should I change my brake fluid?

Whether to change the brake fluid depends mainly on whether the brake fluid is oxidized. Today's motorcycles generally brake using hydraulic systems. When we usually drive on mountain roads, we often use the brake system to increase the temperature of the brake fluid. Oxidized brake fluid is more likely to boil and vaporize at high temperatures, making the brake system unable to work and causing accidents!

Generally, we will judge whether it has been oxidized according to the color of the brake fluid. Most of the new brake fluid is transparent or light yellow in color. If the color of the brake fluid in the oil cup turns dark yellow or even grayish black, then your brake fluid is likely to be oxidized.

It is safest to change the brake fluid once every 2 years

There are more and more brake fluids of different colors on the market, so judging from the color, it may not be suitable for everyone. Therefore, the second most important point of changing brake fluid is to change it every two years. Brake fluid is a liquid that easily absorbs water. Even if it is blocked by an oil cup, it will continue to absorb water in the air. After absorbing water, the brake fluid will deteriorate, which will also affect the braking performance. In particular, motorcycles are often exposed to wind and rain, and the brake fluid is naturally more likely to react with the moisture in the humid air and deteriorate. Generally speaking, if the water content of the brake fluid exceeds 2%, it has reached the warning line, and if it exceeds 4%, it needs to be replaced immediately!

How to choose brake fluid?

DOT certification is a certification issued by the US Department of Transportation. As far as brake fluid is concerned, most of them currently use DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 standards. DOT 4 is currently the most common specification on the market. The advantage is that it has a higher boiling point than the DOT 3 era, which means it is less prone to oxidation and can withstand higher operating temperatures of the brake system. DOT 5.1 is the latest standard on the market, with a higher boiling point than DOT 4, but it is more absorbent than DOT 4, so it needs to be replaced more frequently. In addition, DOT 5.1 standard brake fluid is mostly corrosive to rubber. If your car does not use metal brake oil pipes, you should pay more attention.