Page 1 of 2
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:01 pm
by greenmachine_a13
Looking for an economical way to improve the front suspension. I know
replacing the fork springs is the right way to do it, but can't do
expense right now. As anyone found the right setup in oil weight, oil
level or adding spacers that will improve the stock front suspension?
Currently it seems OK on the street, but when I take it on the trail
the front end bottoms out occasionally with my 190lbs bod & gear.
Also the factory manual calls out for SAE 10W20 (motor oil?) set to
190mm with the forks fully compressed. Should I first try going to a
10W30 motor oil or go with one of those pricey fork oils that is only
available in a single weight?
Mark
a13
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:27 pm
by Mark St.Hilaire, Sr
> Also the factory manual calls out for SAE 10W20 (motor oil?) set to
> 190mm with the forks fully compressed. Should I first try going to a
> 10W30 motor oil or go with one of those pricey fork oils that is only
> available in a single weight?
*I* would suggest that you NOT use motor oil, save your money somewhere
else! I replaced my fork oil with PJ1 15 weight, and found it had made the
front suspension stiffer than it was with the stock oil. I think Just
experiment with the weight to see what works best for you...
I've got a fork oil change procedure at:
http://klr6500.tripod.com/forkoil.htm if that helps any,
Mark
Glitter is coined to meet the moment's rage;
Genuine lives on from age to age.
- Goethe's "Faust"
KLR650 Motorcycle Pages:
http://klr6500.tripod.com/
HomePage:
http://home.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html
My Adelphia Email can be "iffy." If
you don't get a response, please try:
KLR6500@...
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:54 pm
by david gay
DO NOT USE MOTOR OIL. Go to 20w fork oil, and you should notice a significant difference, at least until you can afford new spring. Also install spaces to preload the fork, and get the recommeded sag within specs, or use air pressure for the same reason since they are air forks. But use a low pressure pump, the seals can be easily blown with too high a pressure.
Also check smaller shop, some sell fork a lot cheaper.
Hope this helps, Dave
greenmachine_a13 wrote:Looking for an economical way to improve the front suspension. I know
replacing the fork springs is the right way to do it, but can't do
expense right now. As anyone found the right setup in oil weight, oil
level or adding spacers that will improve the stock front suspension?
Currently it seems OK on the street, but when I take it on the trail
the front end bottoms out occasionally with my 190lbs bod & gear.
Also the factory manual calls out for SAE 10W20 (motor oil?) set to
190mm with the forks fully compressed. Should I first try going to a
10W30 motor oil or go with one of those pricey fork oils that is only
available in a single weight?
Mark
a13
List sponsored by Dual Sport News at
www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at:
www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html
Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to:
DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com .
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more
faith.yahoo.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2002 10:55 pm
by Zachariah Mully
On Sun, 6 Oct 2002, greenmachine_a13 wrote:
> Looking for an economical way to improve the front suspension. I know
> replacing the fork springs is the right way to do it, but can't do
> expense right now. As anyone found the right setup in oil weight, oil
> level or adding spacers that will improve the stock front suspension?
> Currently it seems OK on the street, but when I take it on the trail
> the front end bottoms out occasionally with my 190lbs bod & gear.
More preload (cut new spacers from sch40 PVC), and heavier oil are the
only two things you have control over.
>
> Also the factory manual calls out for SAE 10W20 (motor oil?) set to
> 190mm with the forks fully compressed. Should I first try going to a
> 10W30 motor oil or go with one of those pricey fork oils that is only
> available in a single weight?
Funny you should mention this, I torn down the front end on my Concours
today, and drained the oil from them before I remembered that I had no
fork oil and being Sunday, that I wasn't going to get any. Big K specs the
same for the Concours (SAE 10W20), so I figured WTF? and I dumped in 10W30
motor oil. Works great, a bit heavier, but then again I was bottoming out
on the potholes in the city, so that's all good. You could try ATF, but
ATF isn't spec'ed by weight, so I am sure that it differs between brands
and formulas, but I think it's around 7.5 (which is probably lighter than
you want it).
>
> Mark
> a13
Z
DC
A2 (for parts)
A5 (in pieces)
A11 (on it's way!!!)
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 12:56 am
by Lawrence Risley
Hey Mark, I had a quick look at the manual regarding fork oil, then looked at your website for comparison. Why do you recommend removing the caliper, wheel and forks from the bike? I had pretty good results following the manual, seems a lot easier. When you list the folks that contributed to your procedure, you credit Bogdan, Devon, Mr. T, Fred, RM and Ted Palmer. Given that these folks have forgotten more about KLRs than I will ever know, I have to ask myself this question, What am I missing here?
Alohas, Larry
> Also the factory manual calls out for SAE 10W20 (motor oil?) set to
> 190mm with the forks fully compressed. Should I first try going to a
> 10W30 motor oil or go with one of those pricey fork oils that is only
> available in a single weight?
*I* would suggest that you NOT use motor oil, save your money somewhere
else! I replaced my fork oil with PJ1 15 weight, and found it had made the
front suspension stiffer than it was with the stock oil. I think Just
experiment with the weight to see what works best for you...
I've got a fork oil change procedure at:
http://klr6500.tripod.com/forkoil.htm if that helps any,
Mark
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 4:55 am
by Mark St.Hilaire, Sr
> Hey Mark, I had a quick look at the manual regarding fork oil, then looked
> at your website for comparison. Why do you recommend removing the
caliper,
> wheel and forks from the bike? I had pretty good results following the
manual,
> seems a lot easier. When you list the folks that contributed to your
procedure,
> you credit Bogdan, Devon, Mr. T, Fred, RM and Ted Palmer. Given that these
> folks have forgotten more about KLRs than I will ever know, I have to ask
myself
You're not really missing anything - (I assume you going by the manual's
procedure of using the fork oil drain bolts near the bottom of the tubes?)
I admit to being a bit of an anal retentive, and I just didn't see how using
those drain holes could possibly do a thorough job of getting out all the
old oil. In a nutshell, my suggestion is to pull the tubes off the bike,
dump the oil, flush with clean oil a couple times, and turn them upside down
overnight to completely drain. If you can live with just unscrewing the
drain bolts, that's fine, but like many listers, I found a fair amount of
sludge in there that I doubt would have come through the drain holes...
Mark
Glitter is coined to meet the moment's rage;
Genuine lives on from age to age.
- Goethe's "Faust"
KLR650 Motorcycle Pages:
http://klr6500.tripod.com/
HomePage:
http://home.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html
My Adelphia Email can be "iffy." If
you don't get a response, please try:
KLR6500@...
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 3:38 am
by Lawrence Risley
You're not really missing anything - (I assume you going by the manual's
procedure of using the fork oil drain bolts near the bottom of the tubes?)
I admit to being a bit of an anal retentive, and I just didn't see how using
those drain holes could possibly do a thorough job of getting out all the
old oil. In a nutshell, my suggestion is to pull the tubes off the bike,
dump the oil, flush with clean oil a couple times, and turn them upside down
overnight to completely drain. If you can live with just unscrewing the
drain bolts, that's fine, but like many listers, I found a fair amount of
sludge in there that I doubt would have come through the drain holes...
Mark
Mark
The internals of a fork are a mystery to me. If the sludge buildup is resting quietly, I will let it be. If the sludge is pumping through, and wearing out, some damping gizmos I will find the time to properly drain it. I was planning on waiting for a seal or a boot to wear out before draining the fork, but... Do the old farts think it is a good idea to drain them out every so often?
Alohas, Larry
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 6:33 am
by dooden
I'm kinda a old fart, and after a year still have the OEM Fish Oil in
my forks. Reckon if you got the time,energy & resources to pull them
apart. Go for it, it wont hurt them, unless you drop a tube or nick
it.
I know on anything I change oil on, I always search out a 1/2 qt
leftover from something and pour it in with the drain plug out, to
flush top to bottom and out into pan. Is that "anal retentive" ?
Of course some folk lube there chain everyday too, I managed to use a
hose and wash off most of the mud off mine the other day, might even
hit it with some WD40 one of these days. Will my chain last as long
as others, kinda doubt it. Heck my bike needs a oil change, anybody
want to come over and change that for me ?
Dooden
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Lawrence Risley" wrote:
>
>
>
> You're not really missing anything - (I assume you going by the
manual's
> procedure of using the fork oil drain bolts near the bottom of the
tubes?)
>
> I admit to being a bit of an anal retentive, and I just didn't see
how using
> those drain holes could possibly do a thorough job of getting out
all the
> old oil. In a nutshell, my suggestion is to pull the tubes off the
bike,
> dump the oil, flush with clean oil a couple times, and turn them
upside down
> overnight to completely drain. If you can live with just unscrewing
the
> drain bolts, that's fine, but like many listers, I found a fair
amount of
> sludge in there that I doubt would have come through the drain
holes...
>
> Mark
>
> Mark
> The internals of a fork are a mystery to me. If the sludge buildup
is resting quietly, I will let it be. If the sludge is pumping
through, and wearing out, some damping gizmos I will find the time to
properly drain it. I was planning on waiting for a seal or a boot to
wear out before draining the fork, but... Do the old farts think it
is a good idea to drain them out every so often?
>
Alohas, Larry
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 12:16 pm
by david gay
Your sure getting lazy dooden. Get off yu massive butt and change your oil. Dave
dooden wrote:I'm kinda a old fart, and after a year still have the OEM Fish Oil in
my forks. Reckon if you got the time,energy & resources to pull them
apart. Go for it, it wont hurt them, unless you drop a tube or nick
it.
I know on anything I change oil on, I always search out a 1/2 qt
leftover from something and pour it in with the drain plug out, to
flush top to bottom and out into pan. Is that "anal retentive" ?
Of course some folk lube there chain everyday too, I managed to use a
hose and wash off most of the mud off mine the other day, might even
hit it with some WD40 one of these days. Will my chain last as long
as others, kinda doubt it. Heck my bike needs a oil change, anybody
want to come over and change that for me ?
Dooden
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Lawrence Risley" wrote:
>
>
>
> You're not really missing anything - (I assume you going by the
manual's
> procedure of using the fork oil drain bolts near the bottom of the
tubes?)
>
> I admit to being a bit of an anal retentive, and I just didn't see
how using
> those drain holes could possibly do a thorough job of getting out
all the
> old oil. In a nutshell, my suggestion is to pull the tubes off the
bike,
> dump the oil, flush with clean oil a couple times, and turn them
upside down
> overnight to completely drain. If you can live with just unscrewing
the
> drain bolts, that's fine, but like many listers, I found a fair
amount of
> sludge in there that I doubt would have come through the drain
holes...
>
> Mark
>
> Mark
> The internals of a fork are a mystery to me. If the sludge buildup
is resting quietly, I will let it be. If the sludge is pumping
through, and wearing out, some damping gizmos I will find the time to
properly drain it. I was planning on waiting for a seal or a boot to
wear out before draining the fork, but... Do the old farts think it
is a good idea to drain them out every so often?
>
Alohas, Larry
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
List sponsored by Dual Sport News at
www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at:
www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html
Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to:
DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com .
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more
faith.yahoo.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
fork oil & stock springs
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2002 12:31 pm
by RM
On Mon, 7 Oct 2002, Zachariah Mully wrote:
>on the potholes in the city, so that's all good. You could try ATF, but
>ATF isn't spec'ed by weight, so I am sure that it differs between brands
>and formulas, but I think it's around 7.5 (which is probably lighter than
>you want it).
Dunno about type-F, but Dexron III has a kinematic viscosity of about 35
cSt @ 40C, which puts it right in with the 10w fork oils. I plan to try
it next time I do my forks. Just fer the halibut.
RM