scott s. Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 how important is it to change the fork oil when you install new springs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajjer9 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I went a full year after popping my hyperpro springs in without changing oil...when i did change I noticed a small difference but i assumed it might be because the oil i put in may not ahve been the same viscosity as what was in there prior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Involute Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Not really important at all IMO unless the oil is old and needs to be changed anyway. You will lose a very small amount when you pull out the old springs just because some oil will stick to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Change the oil. You have teflon slidders against aluminum. As soon as the oil gets contaminated, a great deal of wear can occure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beondwacko Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 What are the service intervals for changing the fork oil? I'm sure I'm overdue by now. Also, if I were to just change the oil, what's the easiest way to drain the fork tubes? I never noticed a drain screw. I guess I would have to pull the front wheel, and remove the center allen bolt that runs up the middle of the fork tube via the saddle in the leg that the axle sits in. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I just removed the factory fork oil at 65k miles with my Hyperpro install. I expected the stuff to be black. It came out looking brand new! As much of a maint. freak as I am, fork oil is the one thing I slacked on. Now I don't feel so bad about it. The Hyperpro oil might be in there a long time to come. The correct way to service our forks is to remove them and turn upside down to drain. Hardest part is securing the bike so the front wheel is off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott s. Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 can you use a fork oil guage to suck out the oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warchild Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 can you use a fork oil guage to suck out the oil? The proper way is to bite the bullet and remove the forks. Doing so is considerd an ass-pain to some, but it's the way to go if you care about doing the shit right, getting a thorough, proper drain. You can, if you want to, opt for leaving them in place and draining them via a cartrige retaining bolt at the very bottom of the fork leg. It's an option, though I personally don't recommend it. After you remove the fork off the bike, thoroughly clean that slider tube since you'll be pumping the fork leg quite a bit during this exercise, and you don't want any crusty bugs or other debris to dork up your fork seals as you work the forks: Hopefully you remembered to loosen the 24mm top cap prior to removing the fork from the bike: After the fork is removed and the 24mm top cap loosened, you can pull down the spacer tube to expose the 14mm locking nut. You (obviously) need to hold the top cap with the socket while you take a 14mm wrench to loosen the locking nut: Now that the top cap is removed, you can remove the long spacer tube: And pour out that nasty-ass old fork fluid (pour it in a measuring device if you want to know the exact amount of fluid you removed): After the tube is close to being upside-down, get ready to catch the spacer ring and fork spring and they emerge from the slider tube. Pump the tube (and the damper rod) many, many times to try to get every last drop out that's going to come out. Some guys hang their forks upside down overnight (over a container, obviously) to get a uber-thorough fork oil drain: As you can see, I only got about 15oz of fork oil out this fork: Basically, the procedure for obtaining the 150mm air gap height is to dump around ~375mm of fluid in the collapsed fork leg, reach in and pull the damper rod, and pump the damper rod up and down, *slowly*, a good 15-20 times so that the new fluid is thoroughly dispersed throughout the fork's inner workings. Now, again, with the fork springs NOT in the tube, and the fork leg *fully* collapsed, add suspension fluid until the level is exactly 150mm from the top edge of the fork leg. Once this is done, you reach in for the last time and pull out the damper rod to it's max extension, quickly slip the fork spring over it and "catch" the damper rod before it slowly settles back down into the tube (as you can no longer reach it if it settles to the bottom since the springs are now in the way). Now slip in the spring seat washer, and finally the long spacer tube. Thread on the top cap and lock it down with that 14mm lock nut seen above. Now just raise (extend) the slider tube up high enough so that you can thread that top cap down into the slider tube. Torque down the top cap to spec, re-install the forks, and you're done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in PA Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Great write up Warchild (as always) It needs to be put in the Important useful threads section. My Fork oil looked nothing like that at 65k miles. What was the mileage when you took those pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprack Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Are you guys using the Pro Honda SS-8 10wt for fork oil or having success with heavier oils? Rich at Sonicsprings is telling me that since its a cartridge fork oils heavier than 10wt will flow too slowly and make damping too harsh. Experience with heavier fork oils? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Involute Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Are you guys using the Pro Honda SS-8 10wt for fork oil or having success with heavier oils? Rich at Sonicsprings is telling me that since its a cartridge fork oils heavier than 10wt will flow too slowly and make damping too harsh. Experience with heavier fork oils? Most folks around here seem to either stick with Stock or go to lighter weight fork oil. I'm going to try 5WT next myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBXX Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Are you guys using the Pro Honda SS-8 10wt for fork oil or having success with heavier oils? Rich at Sonicsprings is telling me that since its a cartridge fork oils heavier than 10wt will flow too slowly and make damping too harsh. Experience with heavier fork oils? Most folks around here seem to either stick with Stock or go to lighter weight fork oil. I'm going to try 5WT next myself. I use 5wt with race-tech valves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprack Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXTi Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I went with 10wt. Silkolene "Race" fork oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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