DOT #3 or DOT #4 brake fluid

Hi. I got the carbs cleaned, now the next project is the brakes. I saw an XJ750 service manual that said DOT #3 brake fluid is recommended.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/45118216/Yamaha-XJ650-XJ750-Manual-Pt1 (page 35)

Is that what you guys are using? (I'm not mechanically inclined at all, but a quick Google on the difference seemed to indicate that #3 is cheaper and has a lower boiling point than #4, and is, for lack of a better word, inferior. So I just wanted to get the right stuff for my 83 XJ750. Can I go wrong with #4? The only thing I read was to avoid #5, but that you can always go up to #4 from #3; not the other way around. Thanks.)

 

if you go with the specs you can not go wrong.
there is a thread where the brake fluids are discussed it even refers to what mixing them does to the properties of each. do avoid the dot 5


from info overload

- BRAKE FLUID:

Which type should you use? Good question! Here's a bit of an answer:

http://www.motorcycleproject.com/text/brake_fluid.html

NOTE: Yamaha specifies the use of DOT #3 brake fluid for all XJ models, but of course, that recommendation was made almost 25 years ago.........

 

Thanks. I searched first and saw a thread that discussed brakes and I saw the question asked about which DOT but didn't find the answer.

 

added more info to my first post

 

And therein lies the rub...



(I ordered a 12 ounce Castrol DOT #4 from Amazon which I hope fits the bill.)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093PHU9C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Dot 3 is THE brake fluid to use in the xj bikes . Dot 4 can be. Used but system will need flushed completely.

 

Why is DOT 3 THE brake fluid to use in XJ bikes?

 

Only difference is that dot 4 is a synthetic brake fluid with a higher boiling point. So if you drive you bike at race track speed this is a must. Also dot 4 will not destroy paint like dot 3

 

Because that is what it was designed to use . Unless you plan on racing bike there is little to gain to switching fluid . Google dot3 and 4 compatability good info on this.

 

"NOTE: Yamaha specifies the use of DOT #3 brake fluid for all XJ models, but of course, that recommendation was made almost 25 years ago........."

 

35 years ago. It's an 83. It's 2018. 35 years. And there are advantages to DOT 4. And any bike that can take DOT 3 CAN take DOT 4. (I know you understand that. I was really addressing that to another poster.)

 

yes , the above quote ( not mine by the way) is letting you read between the lines about the spec. DOT 4 is fine and will work for our needs.

 

http://www.motorcycleproject.com/text/brake_fluid.html
DoT 3 vs. DoT 4 vs. DoT 5.1
DoT 3 brake fluid was the standard for many years but is now obsolete. DoT 4 emerged with the advent of sintered metal brake pads during the early 1980s (first on police bikes, later on everything -- note the heat shims on the backs of your pads), and has replaced it, being still a glycol fluid but with a slightly higher boiling point. Glycol brake fluid containers now are labeled "DoT 3/4," as the two fluids are virtually identical and eminently interchangeable (though manufacturers insist DoT 4 is preferred, and with all pads now at least partly metallic it theoretically is...). However, this dual rating seems to have merely confused everyone. Technically, DoT 3 should be used only with organic brake pads (exclusively aftermarket, and hard to find). DoT 5.1, a glycol fluid, was develped to give ABS systems the heat rating of silicone but with glycol's preferred lubricity, something that wasn't possible until fairly recently. More on that later. DoT 5.1 then is actually the highest rated glycol fluid available today, and that chosen by most folks seeking the best available.

 

Exactly.

(And as an O/T aside...if it's not too much trouble...where the hell is the dipstick on the XJ750?!!! I opened the oil reservoir and all there is is that lid. Where is the dipstick?)

 

no dip stick. if you look low on the clutch cover there is a sight glass

 

Thanks. Just found it. (At least that's one use for the center stand. LOL.)

 

the glass is directly below oil filler on bottom aprox 6:00 position

 

changing the rear or front tire is another use

 

And other maintenance related issues.

 

checking/changing brake fluid in mc so it does not spill on your tank is a good one

 

Amen to that. Those tanks are pure gold.

 

now that the dot questions are taken care of, someone explain this

 

LOL.

 

http://www.motorcycleproject.com/text/brake_fluid.html

..... Glycol brake fluid containers now are labeled "DoT 3/4," as the two fluids are virtually identical and eminently interchangeable (though manufacturers insist DoT 4 is preferred, and with all pads now at least partly metallic it theoretically is...). However, this dual rating seems to have merely confused everyone. Technically, DoT 3 should be used only with organic brake pads (exclusively aftermarket, and hard to find).......