Patience is a virtue it would seem. I tried it again and got the lever to passable, kinda. Weezle and I got rained out on trying the vacuum bleeder. Still want to do it but I have enough brake to ride on, for now. Rain sux, but a day and a half of it sux even more! Guess the new pads are taking up some of the slack. Anyway, it does stop in a reasonable distance. So I can be on the road till the next rain festival, tomorrow... Thanks for all the tips guys, much appreciated. Bike brakes are not the same as car brakes in reality, just in theory.