Speedbleeders
As you may or may not know, you should replace your motorcycle and car's brake fluid on a periodic basis. This is necessary because brake fluid absorbs moisture and if left in the system the moisture will collect at the low point of the system - the calipers - and corrosion will soon follow. I do my autos every 2 years and my bikes every year. More often on the bike since the entire braking system is exposed to the elements. And always use the best brake fluid you can buy. Castrol LMF (low moisture formula) is a big favorite because it is DOT4 compatible and can be found almost everywhere. Buy only what you can use immediately so you can be sure you have fresh moisture free fluid.
I've bled brake using the 2 methods usually associated with the home mechanic. The manual method:
The manual method takes too long and to be honest is a pain in the ass. So much so that you'll probably just forget about it and neglect to change your fluids. The MityVac method seems pretty simple, but it has a few flaws. First of which it necessitates buying a MityVac ($35-$50 depending on kit size and where you buy it) and digging it and all its parts out every time you need to do a bleed. If you're a slob like me you'll misplace the MityVac and it's multiple parts and spend an hour or so just hunting down the tools. I've also found the MityVac is very good at sucking air in through the area around bleed valve or from around the plastic tubing you attach to the bleed valve. I started wrapping the valve with Teflon tape and/or using a zip tie on the tubing to eliminate air passages.
Admittedly, the MityVac does have other uses. Often times when diagnosing a motor problem you need to apply a vacuum to an engine devise or if you overfill a radiator or crankcase you can use the MityVac to pump out the extra fluid. So if you do a lot of your own maintenance you'll eventually need to buy a MityVac anyway
But the easiest and quickest way I've found to bleed brakes is to use Speedbleeders. Speedbleeders are special valves that permanently replace your stock bleed valves. Inside they have a one way ball valve that lets fluid out but nothing, i.e. air, in. To bleed your brakes with these babies all you have to do is attach a length of tubing to the valve, open it up and pump the brakes until you don't see any more air bubbles. No special tools, no digging around the garage looking for stuff, just open the valve and pump. If you don't have any tubing you could just wrap some aluminum foil around the valve to direct the fluid into the waste container. Tubing is better since you can see when you have no more air bubbles, but you could always just pump a large amount of fluid through and assume you got rid of everything.
Speedbleeders come in specific sizes for specific applications (application chart). A single valve is $6.50, so for the average bike (3 valves) you're looking at a one time expense of less than $20 and for a car (4 valves) $26. A small price to pay if you keep your vehicles and are fanatical about your brakes. And why shouldn't you be?
For ST1100 owners the proper valve should be SB8125L. So give Speedbleeders a try at 1-630-739-4620 or their website http://www.speedbleeder.com. You'll be glad you did since they make bleeding brakes almost fun. It's probably the best $20 you'll spend on your bike.