I noticed that the brake fluid reservoirs are located high enough to be above the brake levers. why is this? Does it have something to do with gravity pushing the brake fluid down so the system is filled with brake fluid at all times?
No idea. You don't tell us what you NEED. What is your budget? Where do you drive? How do you drive? Weather?
You have pretty much answered your own question here. The fluid is there to maintain a flooded area right above the master cylinder which is a small actuating piston that applies pressure to your brake pistons when your fingers apply force. If this wasn't here your master cylinder would suck in air and your brakes would be rendered useless as al you would be doing is compressing the air in your brake lines. Very dangerous. Also, when your bike consumes brake pads the material that disappears is taken up by the fluid from your resoviour to compensate. As time goes by you will notice a drop in your resoviours fluid and this would be the cause. Force Pressure X Area You could work that sum anyway you like as it is being applied everytime you squeeze the front and rear of your brakes. Hope this helps.
This Site Might Help You. RE: why are brake fluid reservoirs located so high on motorcycles? I noticed that the brake fluid reservoirs are located high enough to be above the brake levers. why is this? Does it have something to do with gravity pushing the brake fluid down so the system is filled with brake fluid at all times?
I have a 1978 BMW that has the brake master cylinder and reservoir under the gas tank. You pull on the brake lever and it pulls on a cable which pulls a lever which actuates the master cylinder. A year or two after that, BMW began putting the master cylinder and the reservoir on the handlebar, so when you pull the lever, the lever itself pushes on the master cylinder. You get much better control that way, and the brakes feel firmer. The master cylinder and the reservoir are usually located together (I'm not sure if they need to be, but I've never seen them in different places, have you?) Today motorcycles have anti-lock brake systems, but the BMW also had anti-lock brakes, in a way. No matter how hard you pulled the lever, the brakes wouldn't lock up. That's the disadvantage of a cable-operated hydraulic brake.
