Some how, you must have gotten air into the system. My guess is that when you pulled the lever which shot oil in your eye, the wave in the fluid must have allowed an air bubble into the inlet of the master cylinder right about the time you were releasing the lever. Air compresses, but liquid doesnt, so now when you pull the lever, you are just compressing the air bubble.

The good news is that to fix the problem, you should only have to bleed the system.

Since the air bubble is likely at the top of the line where it meets the master cylinder, I have a tip that may or may not save you some time from the usual bleeding method.


First cover any painted surfaces of the bike with some towels or something because dot 4 will eat paint.

Next, loosen the hydrolic fitting where it meets the master cylinder, then snug it just slightly (your just trying to make it so you can loosen and tighten it repeatedly with ease)

Now, slowly (so it doesnt shoot fluid everywhere, pull the leaver all the way to the handle bar and hold it there.

Next loosen the fitting just enough to let the fluid run out.

Now snug the fitting back up, then release the leaver.

You may have to repeat this severla times, and if that hasnt taken care of the problem, then you will have to go about the usual bleeding procedure which you can find in your service manual.

Dont forget to keep an eye on the fluid level while you do this, and fill it as needed. If you run it out of fluid then you will allow even more air into the system.

Also, clean any dot 4 off of anything it comes in contact with on the bike as soon as possible. If allowed to sit on a painted surface for a long time, it will ruin the paint.