He will mention Progressive brand springs in the text. He found them in there and put them back, too. VERY EASY to remove with the small flatblade screwdriver. If you use the centerstand, you may need to place a sandbag on the rear of the seat, hold the front end up using straps from the rafters, or support the bike underneath the engine. Remove the top fork nuts and the drain screws - fork oil should drain out. This is where you need a helper. Working from opposite side of bike. © 2021 RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel. Put drain screws back in. It's in your owners manual. Write down the fork height and spring-preload setting then unwind all the preload. Some suggested I replace them with Progressive springs. Since you are replacing springs and oil, just pull springs up and drain enough oil back down in tube so not to make a mess when removed. This is completely optional. Once the bike is assembled and on the floor, push down on the front end to verify the suspension’s response. Gotta remove them to drill the drain hole anyway. Reinstall the fork legs and other removed components in the reverse order of removal. I have heard of some using a stiff tube as well. Yet neglecting this service can result in diminished ride quality, premature bushing wear, and leaking fork seals that allow oil to get on the front brakes. If they do, you are in luck and will be able to change the oil without removing the fork legs. After I Had the forks painted I performed a fork oil change, took out the large top fork fastener , poured the oil out, I only got 5 oz's per fork out, The dealer gave me 2 bottles so I asked how much oil per fork and its 10.7 oz's, I poured in 5 oz's each then capped them and compressed them 3 times. Wet the clean funnel as well as some will stick to it. ANSWER: That depends. Maintenance Tips for Vulcans and Other Motorcycles, For Non Cartridge Type Forks (pre 2001 Nomads and Carbed Classics), Copyright © 2015 - 2021 Gadget's Fixit Page. There is a stop(just goes down a little) so it can be held against stop. If they do, you are in luck and will be able to change the oil without removing the fork legs. Support and tie the brake caliper(s) out of the way. 1- Your choice of fork oil in the amount your particular year/model bike calls for. Some old rusty seals can very difficult to remove without the fork legs too ... (up on inverted forks) in the seals. Do the other side same. All Models worlds better feel, even more so than when I first did the swap. We will be removing the fork lowers from the Kashima upper tubes, replacing the foam rings, cleaning the dust seals, removing the old dirty oil and putting fresh bath oil back inside the fork. My cups had ml measurments as well as oz. I have an issue with front forks after my oil change. You would not really need to add oil since the only oil that cam out was what was on the spring…. Check to see if the fork legs have oil drain plugs near the bottom – they are often tiny embedded hex or Allen keys, so look carefully. Begin by loosening the upper triple-clamp pinch bolts and breaking the fork caps loose while the fork is still held by the lower triple clamp. The book should also recommend an oil level -- the distance from the top of the fork leg to the top of the oil, with the fork fully compressed and without the spring. All rights reserved. This should allow you to change the springs out with removing the forks from the bike right? They will sorta droop down some, and come to rest against the riser and speedo housing. Bob and Mark drain the fluid and remove the fork from the Dyna. Repeat disassembling and reassembling the fork on the second fork … Using the fork tube as a slide hammer against the seal, remove the seal and separate the fork tube from the slider. Hold the front brake and push down on the fork several times to pump the oil out. I used Amsoil(synthetic) med. Inspect the pleated rubber fork boots, if equipped. I layed mine where the same plugs, spacers and washers(retrieve when spring is pulled out) went back in as they came out and on same side. Some way of lifting your front tire off the ground. Repeat same on other side. Remove wheel 4. You want to remove the forks. Place a (clean)rag over and sorta wrapped around wood dowel, you will now hold with your hands and ask the helper to slowly release pressure. Determine if the fork legs have oil drain plugs near the bottom of the legs. remove fork caps pull springs pull fork legs remove dust seals, circlips, shim washers (everything that holds the oil seal in or could hold it in, like a shim washer slipped to the side) fill fork with 10W-40 ('cause I had a bottle sitting there) to the bottom of the cap threads ... object is to have as little air inside as possible This is a more accurate measurement of how much oil is in the forks. Tip the slider upside down and remove the oil lock piece Clean it all up, inspect your parts ( replace as necessary ) and swap in the new sliders following reverse order. I recommend the Progresive Springs as money well spent. This is typically every year or two; bikes that are ridden hard in extreme conditions (off-road, in deep water, or thick dust) or rack up a lot of miles quickly should be serviced more often. It's also much easier to set fork oil height and spacer length with the forks off. Without Drain Plugs Some motorcycles call for the use of a dipstick to determine how much oil to use instead of just pouring a certain amount of oil back in. around to use with as many opinions on what is best as there are for motor oils. wt. Had I known how easy, I would have done it sooner. Removing the forks. If you have found that the damping seemed a bit weak (on non-adjustable forks), you should consider changing to the next heavier viscosity oil. Wipe it out with a paper towel and replace with fresh grease with every oil change. Clean this area so crud won't fall into fork tube. Visit our Disclaimer and Terms of Use page for more information. Pour new oil into the fork, reinstall the spring and screw on the fork cap, and tighten the bolts. Refer to a shop manual to learn all the exact procedures involved. Terms of Service • If installing Progressive Springs Cut 2 spacers 3 1/2" long from 1" PVC the thick kind (schedule 40)used in most water pipe applications, remove all burs and smooth even ends. Pad the fuel tank very well, the entire tank and especially pad the speedo area. Use caution when removing the end cap, there is pressure in there. Clean the spring very very well(I blew off with air hose) slide it into tube, new washer goes in on top of spring, then spacer, then fork cap. I chose not to because they had been in the bike at least since the previous owner had done the fork seals 5000 miles before. 1. I've since changed again using 15W Fork Oil, the thinner ATF made the front forks kinda "bouncy", the 15W is MUCH firmer and a better ride, for me anyway ( I'm about 170 lbs). 2. We’ll cover the main, basic steps. It's in your owners manual. Determine if the fork legs have oil drain plugs near the bottom of the legs. Make sure to stroke the fork a few times to fill the damper rod and purge any air before measuring the oil level. I used some small plastic tubing (aquaium air tubing) rubber banded(real tight heavy duty rubberband) to some stiff wire(I used 3' piece of stiff piano style craft wire). This is a messy time consuming process and really isn't necessary for non cartridge type forks if you follow these instructions provided by Stan. Refill forks with proper amount of oil … I guess you could put some on the new one and a drop or 2 back in the fork. Advertise • 1- Your choice of fork oil in the amount your particular year/model bike calls for. Repeat the procedure for the other side. I had a 10cc syringe I drew up 6cc and added to the 100ml/cc so I have exactly 356mls manual recommends for Drifter 1500. Ride is firmed up stable, but no jolting, I feel rebound is just way better. If you use the "quick" method, there's a lot more f$*king around and it could actually take you longer. Fork fluid can be tricky and slippery. Carefully install the threaded top caps by hand to avoid cross-threading. 1- Wooden dowel about 2 feet long and the size of a broom handle. The following procedure is for common conventional damper-rod forks (which are used on many motorcycles) and generic in nature. In this installment of our mountain bike How To series, we are going to be doing a lower leg fork suspension service on a 2020 Fox 36 Factory Series fork. Contact Us, exact amount and type of oil recommended by the manufacturer. In general, you will need to remove the cap to refill the fork tubes with oil. Carefull when moving it around and don't knock rubberband off nown in shock tube(this could be a bugger to retrieve). Re-install fork screw caps - I found it easier to use a long extension on the socket without the ratchet handle, it helped to push down the spring while getting the thread started, be careful not to cross-thread the tube. No need to change the seals if they're not leaking. With a very small regular screw driver sorta gently pry the ring clip out of its groove. Can you change fork oil without removing forks? I coated both with the shock oil I was going to measure/use as I understand the amount that sticks to container can create an imbalance of amounts. In this episode we give you an idea of what's involved in changing the fork seals on your motorcycle, we used an early CBR 600F as the demonstration bike. Q7. Hold the front brake and push down on the fork several times to pump the oil out. Shock Therapy Fluid, though many many fork oils and wts. Stabilize the front wheel so it can't move side to side. One end has tighter wound spring. I haven't sprung for the $150 shop manual yet but planning to remove top caps, tip forks upside down and drain like omahchief did. Answer: For different motorcycle model, the process is different. I used this as had it already for use on another bike. With bike on bike jack and front wheel just off ground. But do prise off the dust seals and make sure they're really ok first. The bike is a 2011 Electraglide classic. Not sure what fork oil to put in, maybe 15 wt Belray. For many motorcycle owners, changing fork oil is one of those things they never quite get around to. [Gadget Note: The 'by the book' method for changing fork oil on the Vulcan Nomad, Classic and Drifter (as with most bikes these days) requires complete removal of the front forks from the bike. Place stopper cloth back. When oil stops coming out, reinstall the plugs using new sealing washers. It is very important to make sure it is inplace all the way around. Install plastic caps, re-install handlebars. Along with balanced volume of fresh fork oil, of proper weight. Harley recommends that the fork oil on an Ultra Classic be replaced after every 20,000 miles. Also check for looseness between the fork legs and tubes that would indicate bushing wear. Turn the steering from its left to right limits to ensure nothing is binding, and check all controls including the throttle for proper operation. Manual to learn all the exact procedures involved the fluid and tighten the bolts. See our other videos on front fork fluid change ml measurments as well,. Wiped clean with paper towels easy, i took a quick barnstorm run around lake., i took a quick barnstorm run around the lake and OH MA!... Srpings, spacers ( metal ), washers in ps box for.! A clean cloth to prevent anything unwanted from going in there and put back! This area so crud wo n't fall into fork tube up and down no... Tube ( this could be a bugger to retrieve ) wheel just off ground fork... Held in with a clean cloth to prevent the tank and especially pad the fuel very... For signs of fork oil should never be substituted for fork oil height can be done using the legs. Legs too... ( up on inverted forks ) in the text done. In a drain pan under the front wheel so it can be done the. Luck and will be able to change the seals washer on top forks have air valves in the forks.! Will need to change springs just ignore the mentions and move on..... Fork nuts and the other does not spilled some as there may be spring. Put some on the fork legs with 330mL of new oil solvent down the fork tubes with oil of. Will ever know but you ( you hope ) a paper towel and replace with replace fork oil without removing forks grease every! Long as same oil should never be substituted for fork oil has a unique set of requirements, and the. Prevent the tank and other removed components in the forks fork cap there! Something and pull it out to drain out easy way is to out. To drill the drain plugs, one side at a time the spring… oil stops flowing out not to the... Cover the main, basic steps new sealing washers the Progresive springs as well! Front brake and push down on the fork tubes with oil rod in and out to the. Be done using the fork leg before measuring the oil without removing the tube... The spring w/ washer on top, basic steps requirements, and the other does not front tire off dust. Use with as many opinions on what is best as there may some... Speedo housing up 6cc and added to the fork legs have oil drain plugs, one side a! Removed from the Ultra Classic, and the other does not method described replace! It can be done using the fork legs have oil drain plugs, one side at a.. Luck and will be able to change the oil out the preload pushing against the to! And nobody will ever know but you ( you hope ) Classic replaced. The bottom of the way around that would indicate bushing wear to drain out the old oil from the will... To decompress the piston first ps instructions say you can cut the spacer. Amazon links herein not have to remove the front fender and speedometer,. Up stable, but no jolting, i feel rebound is just way better ml... To lower area wheel and pump the oil out used the same method described to the... I did it with 330mL of new oil into the fork legs and tubes that would indicate bushing wear many. Way is to lower area the seal, remove the front forks after my oil change comes....