SuzukiSavage.com - How's Your Fork Oil?

SavageWahine

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #30 - 10/05/07 at 12:01:03

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

IW, your use & inclusion of cookware in your project pics has made it so much easier for me to gain permission to use the cookware in the garage. Thanxalott!

So what happened, you showed your wife the picture??
Well, as long as you don't tell her that those are old pans that I had not planned on using as cook ware ever again you're safe!

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Savage_Greg

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #31 - 10/07/07 at 08:37:24

Dr_Jim wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

A turkey baster and graduated measuring cup work, they're just messy - especially if you've got tremors, old eyes, and a tendency to knock things ":!@#$%^&!!@!!" over ....

Since I'm messing with suspension mods this week - just mounted a set of 12.5" H-D Dyna shocks on the rear for more tire clearance and better stiffness in right-hand corners - and am planning to also modify the fork pre-load too - it made sense to get a better tool to adjust the oil levels with.

Cheers

Jim

The graduated pitcher that I use only cost about $5 at the bike shop. Good for measuring all kinds of stuff like premix oil.

I preloaded our front springs a bit too. Did it a while back by adding 6 hardware store washers under the fork cap. They were about 1" diameter and added up to 3/8". Makes it just a tiny bit harder to get the caps on, but I figure that my "mature" frame needs the extra support Tongue

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barry68v10

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #32 - 10/07/07 at 08:43:09

Savage_Greg wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

I preloaded our front springs a bit too. Did it a while back by adding 6 hardware store washers under the fork cap. They were about 1" diameter and added up to 3/8". Makes it just a tiny bit harder to get the caps on, but I figure that my "mature" frame needs the extra support Tongue

I cut a piece of 3/4" PVC for the same purpose in my dirt bike forks. Has worked great for about 2 years now...

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petc0ck mod, white spacer removed, 150 main jet, 12.5" shocks, 16" turnout muff, oil cooler mod, chain conversion, Tkat brace, external fuel filter, fuel screen removed...

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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: How's Your Fork Oil? Reply #33 - 10/07/07 at 08:45:36 barry68v10 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10: I cut a piece of 3/4" PVC for the same purpose in my dirt bike forks. Has worked great for about 2 years now... Yep. I just measured my fork springs and they are still about 3/4" longer than the service limit...so, I didn't mess anything up either
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WD

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #34 - 10/07/07 at 09:45:17

My fork oil looked like old motor oil. Exactly like the 1974ish Pennzoil my grandfather used as storage oil in what is now my 1949 Dodge truck. Kind of a yellowish blue with bits of metal dust and carbon chunks, a few larger metal chips, and man, what a smell...

I pulled the forks, removed the springs and let the forks sit upside down over a drainpan. Over night.

Refilled the forks with Dexron 2 ATF. Improved feel, very smooth action, no more serious rain groove tracking. And, the minor seal leak went away.

Still wishing I had done a flush with acetone, MEK or something similar though...
-WD

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Odar

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #35 - 10/14/07 at 13:55:04

Greg that synthetic fork oil you show in the picture is that sae 10, I cant find any synthetic fork oil that have higher figures then 10 then its all mineral fork oil for sae 15-30 and I want at least 15 or higher?
Do you think that is going to be even softer with the sae 10.
I have made spacers for 4 cm at bottom damper to lower my bike and then I going to cut the top spacer 2,5 cm, so I have some extra preload but if I put in a lower sae oil then it might be softer anyway, any thoughts about this with synthetic oil or mineral?
Odar

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Odar
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Savage_Greg

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #36 - 10/14/07 at 14:34:20

Odar wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

Greg that synthetic fork oil you show in the picture is that sae 10, I cant find any synthetic fork oil that have higher figures then 10 then its all mineral fork oil for sae 15-30 and I want at least 15 or higher?
Do you think that is going to be even softer with the sae 10.
I have made spacers for 4 cm at bottom damper to lower my bike and then I going to cut the top spacer 2,5 cm, so I have some extra preload but if I put in a lower sae oil then it might be softer anyway, any thoughts about this with synthetic oil or mineral?
Odar

The oil that I just used is 15W. Same brand. Is that what you mean?

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Odar

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #37 - 10/14/07 at 22:15:41

Yes Greg that was what I meant, now that I zoomed you picture I saw that on your bench was a bottle of racing forkfluid 15w, I have been to several MC stores and all they got is forkfluid 2,5w - 10w and I wonder how big difference it might be if I go down from 15w to 10 w, my plan was to increas the preload with a thicker vicositet of the forkfluid.

Odar

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Odar
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Savage_Greg

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #38 - 10/15/07 at 07:57:49

Odar wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

Yes Greg that was what I meant, now that I zoomed you picture I saw that on your bench was a bottle of racing forkfluid 15w, I have been to several MC stores and all they got is forkfluid 2,5w - 10w and I wonder how big difference it might be if I go down from 15w to 10 w, my plan was to increas the preload with a thicker vicositet of the forkfluid.

Odar

The back of the bottle has all kinds of specs on a reference table for different fluids, but honestly I only barely understand it. I'll try to photograph it today and post it for you.

I put 10W in my spouse's Savage because I had it for a different bike, but it was a real improvement over the old stock crap that was in there.

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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: How's Your Fork Oil? Reply #39 - 10/15/07 at 08:10:22 I think you should stick with the 15 weight with slippery oil it might bob up and down to much with 10 weight and, parts are worn a little too. unless you think the fork is stiff I think they are about right.
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: How's Your Fork Oil? Reply #40 - 10/15/07 at 08:18:47 I'll post the specs for the oil. That synthetic oil states various equivalences to other weight non-synthetic oils.
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LANCER Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Savage Beast Performance Parts Posts: 10661 Oklahoma Gender:	Re: How's Your Fork Oil? Reply #41 - 10/15/07 at 10:09:35 Before I replaced my stock forks with the Ceriani's I was using 20W Amsoil fork oil...good stuff, very smooth and and noticeably firmer in its action from top to bottom.
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Savage_Greg

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Re: How's Your Fork Oil?
Reply #42 - 10/15/07 at 21:14:21

LANCER wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:

Before I replaced my stock forks with the Ceriani's I was using 20W Amsoil fork oil...good stuff, very smooth and and noticeably firmer in its action from top to bottom.

Might be the same kinda thing. Our forks feel pretty good now. I have 15W and the Spouse has 10W.

(the guy at the shop asked me if I REALLY wanted that weight, and I said that it was for a street bike. He said, okay)

Odar, here are the specs on the back even though I don't know what it means Tongue

If you right click on it, I think that you can view it larger too...

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klx650sm2002 Serious Thumper Offline The more I learn the less I know. Posts: 2041 Cumbria,England Gender:	Re: How's Your Fork Oil? Reply #43 - 10/16/07 at 02:58:13 KLX runs 7.5/10 (7.5 std.) but i think she gets away with it cos she has 11" of suspension travel. Off road bikes I think use 2.5-7.5 Clive W
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: How's Your Fork Oil? Reply #44 - 10/16/07 at 08:25:08 Can I get an English translation???
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