Last week we had an ultra classic come into the shop for a spring maintenance, during the routine check over of the motorcycle we noticed bubbling paint on the master cylinder. This is a common sign of brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder. Brake fluid will eat away and ruin paint, so we knew this needed to be checked out immediately!
Once we had the top off, we made a not so pleasant discovery! The Brake fluid had started turning to jelly inside the master cylinder! We believe the cause of the fluid congealing to be the original brake fluid, as well as moisture getting into the M/C, if fluid is leaking it is a pretty good indicator of moisture getting inside as well.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic which means it can absorb moisture, as the fluid absorbs moisture over time it can cause some serious problems. During extreme braking your brake fluid can actually begin to boil and cause you to lose the ability to brake!
As soon as we came across this issue, we informed the customer of the problem and then got to work fixing it up for him. We sandblasted the two pieces that were impacted by the leaking fluid and repainted them. So his M/C is fresh with no bubbling paint or chips!
This ultra is now fully serviced and the rider can have peace of mind knowing his motorcycle is going to perform properly on the roads all season. Brake fluid is just a small part of motorcycle maintenance. Keep yourself and others safe by properly caring for your bike on a regular basis!
Check out the before and after photo’s of the master cylinder below!
Thanks for reading! and ride safe!
