SuzukiSavage.com - Print Page

SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Fork Oil
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1524280523

Message started by MMRanch on 04/20/18 at 20:15:23

Title: Fork Oil
Post by MMRanch on 04/20/18 at 20:15:23

Well , the light bar I bought for the Harley didn't fit on the Savage very well . I got it mounted ,but the new lights were not in line with the original light ... the new ones were way way out in front ... so much so that the original light would have bounced off the back of the new lights and reflected like mirrors .
So , off it came and I put the original stuff back on. While I was tapping some 6mm threads into the bottom of the triple tree to mount the light bar on ... I had the forks out of the triple tree and hung upside down draining .

I looked in my shop manual to see how much oil to put back in and was sort of surprised at the recommended amount (14.9 oz) ... ::)

Then went looking on Utube to see what other folks do for fork oil changes. Come to find out (best I could figure), the amount of air space is just as important as the amount of oil.

I had to go get some "Fork Oil" anyway so ... I went to Lynchburg Choppers where Versey got that Regulator last summer. The guy (Pat) does a lot of moto-cross and works on bikes all the time. Well first thing Pat ask was : You want a Cloud Ride or a Sport Car Ride ?
I thought about the floorboards dragging on NC. 28 down near Fontana area and said Sports car !
Pat fixed me up with 16oz (each) of 20-w fork oil.
-----------------------------------------------

I took the Savage for a twisty ride late this afternoon ! :)

the sagging/diving front end is gone ! and , it don't bounce too bad on ruff stuff either ! ;)

So , I'm wondering ... why did I wait so long to "tune-up" the front end ! ::)
.................................

If this needs to be moved to Rubberside down , I'm Ok with where ever it lands.

Title: Re: Fork Oil
Post by verslagen1 on 04/20/18 at 21:10:48

Well, it's savage related in't it?

I put 15wt in the stocker.
Beast has red stuff cause that's what came in it.

Title: Re: Fork Oil
Post by Dave on 04/21/18 at 03:41:59

Two things.......

1) Are you tuning up the bike so you can keep up with us when we go to Suches? You should read the suspension thread in the Cafe section and work on setting your sag......and the amount of oil and resulting air space is what controls the last 1/3rd of movement as the suspension reaches the bottom of the travel. You add more oil to stiffen the travel at the bottom, and less oil if you want to soften it. Here is Gary's thread on suspension settings......read through it for the adjustment of the sag and oil settings.
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1421689358

2) With all the riding you do at night, and to improve the way folks in cars see you in the daytime - you really need to improve the front headlight on your bike. I will pack one of the headlight kits when I go to Suches and bring along some LED bulbs.....and we will see if we can't convert your bike to having a real 7" headlight. I am currently out of the adapters and Armen is machining some more......if I had any right now I would try and get it to you before you leave for Texas.
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1502309868

Title: Re: Fork Oil
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 04/21/18 at 05:49:25

The suspension feels stiffer because there is greater compression damping on low frequency/amplitude bumps, but you now run the risk of hydrolocking. On smooth pavement it will work great, on a sharp edged bump or g-out it will knock the fillings out of your head. Hydrolocking the forks is potentially dangerous as it can lead to a loss of control.

The OEM air gap is 75mm (spring out, fork compressed). It's too high for 20wt oil. If you like the 20wt, at least have an air gap of 100-120mm.

Title: Re: Fork Oil
Post by MMRanch on 04/23/18 at 10:30:44

Thanks Dave and Gary for the info .

If I'd never had the forks off to tap the bottome triple tree , then I never would have changed the fluid (if it ain't broke ...). ::)

Gary , that adjustable top fork thing look like a very good thing ! 8-)

So , if the front bottoms out (hydrolicly) then I need more air space ? I weigh near 200 lbs. and that extra stiffness feels good ! :) The rear shocks are after-market , 12" made for a Sportster weight bike and they feel good too.
I had a (very well used) Honda 175 years ago that had "NO" travel in the front . In hindsight I'll bet it was plum full of oil ! ;D

Title: Re: Fork Oil
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 04/23/18 at 10:56:46

In a properly set up and adjusted fork, you should be able to use 85-90% of available fork travel under heavy braking. We have 5 inches of travel, so you should be using 4-1/4" to 4-1/2". You can confirm this by placing a zip tie, lightly zipped so it can move, on the upper fork above the wiper and see how much it moves.

This is a good read as well
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1498156004