Motorcycle Repair: brake cylinder resevoir,brake lines, clutch master cylinders, clutch slave cylinder

Question
When I purchased my 84 Honda Magna (supposidly that bike has sat for 2 years).I found out that problems with old fuel,brakes,clutch and brake cylinders made the bike unsafe too ride.The problem with the bad fuel was easly fixed.But the problems with the brake and clutch master cylinders are still a problem.There is hard caked on crust in both master cylinders reservoirs.I tried using clean brake fluid and a tooth brush on the the brake cylinder,After hours of brushing and spraying with compressed air i was able too get the brake master cylinder  somewhat clean.But it took forever,is there a solution that is more suitable for what I am trying too do,the clutch master cylinder is twice as bad as the brake master cylinder was.Also should I assume that the brake and clutch fluid lines are in the same condition, and also the slave cylinder for the clutch ,or will that sort of build up not happen in those locations?

Answer
Mark, commercial spray can brake cleaner will help dissolve the gum inside, as will alcohol, generally. From the sounds if it all, you will need to change out the hydraulic lines.. may as well go to braided stainless ones from aftermarket suppliers. You need to disassemble the clutch and brake master cylinders and soak them until they are clean, then look down the bores to see if there are pits inside. If there are, the cylinders are history and you will need to get new/good used ones with good bores, then install new cylinder kits from Honda or K&L suppliers.
You may need some special long tipped 90 degree snap ring pliers to get the retainer clips in and out of the cylinder assemblies.

Once you get the master cylinders squared away and the lines changed out, you will have to overhaul both the brake calipers and the clutch slave cylinder. Bleeding motorcycle components like these is generally a real challenge, so invest in a Mity Vac type vacuum pump to help suck the fluid through the lines to remove the air bubbles that will form in the hose joints and connectors.

Patience, Grasshopper...... patience... you will need it!

Bill Silver