I had one on my R65 for a long time, and loved it.
Does it screw straight in?
Yes. It replaces the stock nipple (which I guess you don't have).
Does it appear the threads have been changed from stock?
To use the speed bleeder, you back it out a little way to allow the spring loaded valve to work.
You keep putting fresh fluid in the reservoir, and the old fluid is pumped out through the one-way valve on the caliper.
I think a vacuum would be more efficient on keeping, or getting air out of the lines.
I had one on my R65 for a long time, and loved it.
Does it screw straight in?
Yes. It replaces the stock nipple (which I guess you don't have).
Does it appear the threads have been changed from stock?
When I measured the bolt that came out the thread appears tapered but I think the thread is just worn at one end. After looking at the nipples on the site you provided they all have a straight thread so the one I have should work OK.I will still order one if they ship to NZ.
Cheers mate for taking the time to reply. Appreciate it.
I'm going to use Dot3 is this OK?
The speed nipples are good and will fit straight in. It's advisable to avoid messing with the brakes too much. The brakes will save your life, or not.
Dot 4, never dot 5. Use the best available, ie dot 4, and use it from a freshly opened bottle. The stuff is hydroscopic so old brake fluid from an old opened bottle will likely have some water contamination that you won't want.
DOT 3 is alright, as it meets the original requirements, but DOT 4 has a higher boiling point, so it's preferred. DOT 5 is silicone based and doesn't get along with the old brake design seals.
DOT 5.1 is also fine (DOT 5 is silicone, but DOT 5.1 is not), and it's even higher boiling point than DOT 4, but hard to find. DOT 4 is still better than what was around when the bike was built.
The boiling point goes down as the fluid absorbs moisture from the air, so it's not that DOT 3 might boil on you, it's that DOT 4 can absorb more moisture (get older) before becoming dangerous than DOT 3 can. It's just about maintaining a safety factor.
I used DOT 5.1 for a while on the basis that a higher boiling point must be better. I never had a problem with it but later heard there are some trade off's vs DOT 4.
There was a bad tempered debate on the Airheads list about 5.1 being unsuitable but at least in the first instance very little explanation about what was wrong with it. Just the guru's saying don't use it. The things I remember are it has a lower viscosity than DOT 4 although I'm not sure why that might be an issue and it needs changing more often than DOT 4. I don't remember the reason for that either but my guess is that because DOT 5.1 can contain some silicone it has less capacity to absorb water than DOT 4.
