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Fork Oil And Seal Replacement


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#1 JMC

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Posted 25 September 2018 - 08:38 am

I'm planning to replace fork oil and seals when the weather gets bad and I won't be riding so I'm doing some homework now :)

 

I've read lots of threads here about different weights of fork oil etc and I'll be following JBX method of changing https://www.tdm-yama...t.org/?page=FRK

 

So after the many years of research here what oil do you now recommend ?

10w or 15w ?

Any particular brand ?

 

Most of my riding is done on country roads in the west of Ireland so I'd like the forks just a little stiffer than stock if any of you have toured here you know what I mean ;)

 

Thanks  :good:

 


Edited by JMC, 12 April 2019 - 11:20 am.


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#2 fixitsan

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Posted 25 September 2018 - 11:26 am

I've gone with ATF, automatic transmission fluid, which has a very tightly controlled standard, and it's been really good in my 900


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#3 Hombre

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Posted 25 September 2018 - 04:57 pm

At ~100 Kg, I have maximum preload to get ride height correct.  With 10W I found that a hard edge such as a raised manhole cover or rumble strip caused shocks through the bars.  Just changed fork seals and went 5W and the front end is now magic carpet.  Such an improvement that It may be worth £££ to change the rear shock and sort out the back end. Mind, fork oil W is not precise so manufacturers' W can be different. Mine's 2004 model, Yam did change fork specs at some model years.


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#4 fixitsan

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Posted 25 September 2018 - 06:39 pm

 Mind, fork oil W is not precise so manufacturers' W can be different. Mine's 2004 model, Yam did change fork specs at some model years.

 

 

That isn't an overstatement....some manufacturer's 7.5W has the same viscosity (measured in cst) as another's 12.5W


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#5 JMC

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Posted 26 September 2018 - 07:24 am

I've ordered seals and some castrol 15w fork oil to try it out and see if I like it so will report back when done.



"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
Hunter S. Thompson.

#6 thelodger

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Posted 26 September 2018 - 08:49 am

FWIW I replaced the dust covers on my  2013   900 as the metal insert in them was rusting and distorting making a cosmetic mess.

 

I replaced them with Yamaha ones though ( not quite sure why I did that other than my bikes are very well looked after so I wouldn't expect a repeat of the problem in my ownership ).

 

Cheers



#7 JMC

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Posted 26 September 2018 - 09:50 am

N

 

FWIW I replaced the dust covers on my  2013   900 as the metal insert in them was rusting and distorting making a cosmetic mess.

 

I replaced them with Yamaha ones though ( not quite sure why I did that other than my bikes are very well looked after so I wouldn't expect a repeat of the problem in my ownership ).

 

Cheers

 

Dust covers ordered too,  I'd rather change everything as well so hopefully this change will be good for many thousand miles :)



"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
Hunter S. Thompson.

#8 MickC

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Posted 26 September 2018 - 05:21 pm

I've gone with ATF, automatic transmission fluid, which has a very tightly controlled standard, and it's been really good in my 900

I put hydraulic fluid (was for my JCB) in my KLR650 and I dont have a problem with It,but stick to 10w in my MK1 and MK2 850.

 

Some people do say (and this may be more offroad) If your forks dont botttom ocassionaly they are too hard,cant say I agree with It but thrown It In any way.



#9 fixitsan

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Posted 26 September 2018 - 05:27 pm

 

 

Some people do say (and this may be more offroad) If your forks dont botttom ocassionaly they are too hard,cant say I agree with It but thrown It In any way.

 

Hmmmm, that has a whiff of machismo about it !


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#10 dandywarhol

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Posted 26 September 2018 - 08:42 pm

 

 

Some people do say (and this may be more offroad) If your forks dont botttom ocassionaly they are too hard,cant say I agree with It but thrown It In any way.

 

................and that's why we can alter the air gap between the oil level and fork top  :pimp:


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#11 JMC

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Posted 27 September 2018 - 07:21 am

 

................and that's why we can alter the air gap between the oil level and fork top  :pimp:

 Have you played around with the air gap ?  :ph34r:



"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
Hunter S. Thompson.

#12 dandywarhol

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Posted 27 September 2018 - 07:59 am

Yep, the air trapped above the oil becomes an air spring, air can be compressed, fluid can't. Raising the level by 10mm gives a firmer spring and vice versa. 10mm is just a starting point, you can overdo it of course and the forks hydraulic lock and become soild


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#13 JMC

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 08:53 am

So I've a leaking fork seal on the rhs and don't like the 15w oil I used the last time so maybe will try ATF in there and see how it goes when changing the seal

Some old hondas used it so why not the tdm, worth a try I suppose :)

Time to visit the local motor factors down the road, the nearest motorcycle shop is an hour away for fork oil  :huh:  



"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
Hunter S. Thompson.

#14 dandywarhol

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 09:05 am

If there is no damage on the leg, then I've used this with success. Especially if the bike has been sitting for a while  https://pyramid-part...eal-repair-tool


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#15 fixitsan

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 09:22 am

So I've a leaking fork seal on the rhs and don't like the 15w oil I used the last time so maybe will try ATF in there and see how it goes when changing the seal

Some old hondas used it so why not the tdm, worth a try I suppose :)

Time to visit the local motor factors down the road, the nearest motorcycle shop is an hour away for fork oil  :huh:  

 

As well as using it in my TDM, I now have ATF in my KTM620 forks and it works just as well :)


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#16 TKH

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 09:59 am

planning on doing mine sometime. Is there a difference between abs and non abs kits? Looking on ebay, I've seen kits marked non abs and kits marked abs abs.



#17 JMC

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 11:16 am

 

As well as using it in my TDM, I now have ATF in my KTM620 forks and it works just as well :)

 

 

I've to change seals on a 95 honda magna as well cos they are pissing out oil so will do both bikes together, €30 for enough ATF to do 4 bikes is a no brainer compared to the price of fork oil

 

So mineral or synthetic and dextron 2 or 3 ?


Edited by JMC, 12 April 2019 - 11:25 am.


"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
Hunter S. Thompson.

#18 poppykle

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 11:39 am

ATF for forks, it is a long time since I heard that.  We used to use it in our bikes in the 60's and 70's and not just for light road use, also used it in my MX bikes. 



#19 TDM4ever

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 12:50 pm

Why not use the right stuff for the forks, instead of experimenting with ATF, motoroil (some use that...), etc..? Yes, it cost a little, but how often do you really need to replace it...


Edited by TDM4ever, 12 April 2019 - 12:50 pm.


#20 fixitsan

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Posted 12 April 2019 - 01:36 pm

Why not use the right stuff for the forks, instead of experimenting with ATF, motoroil (some use that...), etc..? Yes, it cost a little, but how often do you really need to replace it...

 

The right stuff always was ATF, before fork oil came along.

 

Which fork oil should I use ? A 7.5W of one brand has the same viscosity as a 10W rated other brand, and even a 12.5W fork oil can have the same viscosity as another brand 10W, or even 7.5W.....which leads me to conclude one thing - if there is no standardisation of viscosity, relative to the weight rating, and considering that fork oil performance is directly related to viscosity, not 'Weight' rating, then what we need is an oil that is seal friendly, designed for pressurised hydraulic systems, has low moisture absorption, wide temperature range,and no matter which manufacturer you buy it from it has much tighter viscosity ranges than any fork oil. For example Dexron 2 has an almost identical viscosity across all manufacturers, because it is rated and specified , properly, in terms of viscosity.

 

 

You know where you are with ATF, it is a safe to use, standardised viscosity, with a predictable performance range, which is useful.

 

Here's a table of different viscosities of fork oils - https://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/J/JakeSabre1_ForkOilCap1.jpg  Do you know which one you need ? Do you buy it by weight rating 'W' or buy lab tested viscosity ? Do you know that one manaufacturer's light oil is the same viscosity as another manufacturers mid weight oil ?

 

Dexron 2 has a viscosity of 37.5 at 40 celsius, and thins predictably with temperature. Meeting the standards set out for  General Motors Dexron II, Mercedes Benz and Detroit Allison C-3. In fork use, it is of about the same viscosity as Bel-Ray 10W. Possibly a bit too high for cartridge forks, but for TDM forks it's absolutely fine.


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