Speed Bleeders for the RS

[Grumpy Goat]

I would think there's no pressure under the ball when not pressing on the brake lever.
In your picture I don't see the spring on top of the ball. Surprised the ball does not pop out when pressing the lever.

There will be some small pressure on the ball when not pressing the lever or else it would not stay closed as it is right now. When the lever is pressed the system is pressurized (so as to move the pads) and the ball is further pressed up towards the nozzle of the bleeder. I have applied the brakes firmly (in my garage) and the system remained closed (ball did not fly out). Many posts suggest that the bike can be ridden with a broken Speed Bleeder in it until the owner decides to remove the broken bit. My experience supports this since the piece that is broken off is open to the atmosphere.

Here is an interesting thread on the BMW Sport Touring Forum that came up after I Googled "Speed bleeder breaking off".

I would not say that they are garbage, but their propensity to shear off calls into question whether the benefit is worth the potential aggravation. Like I said, it does not take much to shear one off, especially the tiny one like I did. I suspect even the right front would do better, and moreso the rear, since they increase in size in that order. The company admits that the speed bleeders are "not case hardened for a reason" but they don't say what this is, although it maybe has to do with extraction once sheared off.

Drama.