Quick anwers:
1- Suzuki recomments 15W forkoil, but to have a stiffer dampening 30W forkoil is oke.

2- Loosenup the Allen bolt on the RH leg (facing the wind) remove the front axle from the RH side. The tubes can be a bit tight in the upper- and lower tripple tree. Unscrew the topbolt a bit and hammer it down. Dont forget to have a bigger hammer as counterweight on the underside of the upper tripple tree.

3- Yes there are stiffer springs, but I only know a supplier in Germany.

For a partsbreakdown as always see Ron Ayers

Greetz
Kropatchek

Hey WD,
If you are thinking of using gear lube in your forks, why don't you just pour in cement? It will have the same effect.

I've done this job on mine. Top plug has to be removed before you try sliding the fork out of the triple tree. I did mine one side at a time. You will need a metric 3/8 or 1/2 in drive allen for the bolt that is above the axle in the fork. Also probably an air or electric impact wrench to remove it as it is loctited in. Use a old broom handle up inside the upside down fork to hold the inner parts while removing the retaining bolt. The special tool shown in the manual doesn't fit and the substitute looks like an old taper square style easy out. Local techs advised me of the broom handle trick as that is what they use. Saw an ad for lifetime warranty seals in a magazine the other day. I used dirt bike wet suit type material to make a wiper to help make the seals last I put in. Hard shell bugs dried on the forks took out the first set. For what it is worth, watch the turn signal wiring routing before you take it apart so it goes back the same way, the wire pinched in the fork stop will kill the bike as you park it making dignosis difficult.

WD wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:


But you said "125W150 gear oil sounds about right"...so you were kidding anyway.

As for stripped threads....one word, WD40.

My Savage Clymer manual, page 280, says:
"Fork oil type:  SAE15W fork oil or Dexron ATF"

Dexron is a buck a quart, Bel Ray Fork oil is $8/qt, so you know which one I'll use.

Phooey on those posers who say it has to be "fork oil".  Any hydraulic oil or motor oil will work, the viscosity is what changes things up of course.

Ain't done the Savage yet.  I Used 5W (manual spec) on my YZF600, but 15W40 on my neighbor's Sportster.  The latter was because he didn't like how the front end dived when he braked on the freeway.  It's much better now as you can imagine.

I just replaced fork seals on my YZF600.

I used the stuff recommended in the manual, 5W, that number seemed awful light to me but it works great.  Now that I've been inside the forks, I see why.  The damping holes are teeeeny-tiny.  The damper rod is probably 1/8" inside diameter, for all of its length of about 18" or so.  Not at all like the Savage or an HD.

It sure could Sunny. "A horrid jolt" as you described could cause the oil to be forced out between the seal lips and the fork tube. Clean up the oil and monitor the area. If it stays dry you may be alright.

15W40 did a great job of stopping the Sportster from diving, and that's 200 lbs heavier than the little Savage.  30W should do ya just fine.