changing oil front forks gl 1000 from 1976

[pedrocorreia27]

hello want change oil from front forks because are very heavy not conforteble todrive my gl1000!!!
if sameone can hep me!!!
and what tip of oil????

[scotterichmond]

175 cc (6oz.) ATF as per the service manual
That would be drain and refill. dry they take more. 200 cc (6.8oz)

http://www.gl1000.info/Manual.shtml

[Fred Camper]

I run 5 weight fork oil. There was no such thing in the 70's so Honda recommended ATF in the day. ATF works fine, but I like the response of 5 weight fork oil better. Progressive recommends 20 weight for a GL1000. Best to jack up the bike and fully rebound the front fork, take the caps off the top of the forks and the fill to 140 mm of the top.

[RBGERSON]

Jack the bike up so the front wheel is off the ground, remove top oil fill bolts of the forks..be careful they are under pressure from springs, open drain at the bottom of the forks, some will put some solvent in there to help get all the oil/crud out, reinstall drain plug, fill with ATF or 5-10-20 wt. oil up to you, between 5.8 and 6.1 oz.

[sfruechte]

I recommend a fork oil with a seal conditioner. I used to run automatic transmission fluid until it leaked, I replaced the seal and it still leaked, then I tried fork oil with a seal conditioner (without changing the seal) and it sealed.

[scotterichmond]

I recommend a fork oil with a seal conditioner. I used to run automatic transmission fluid until it leaked, I replaced the seal and it still leaked, then I tried fork oil with a seal conditioner (without changing the seal) and it sealed.

Thanks for the info . Mine started leaking too after ATF was added. I will try the conditioner / fork oil.
By the way where did you get that product and what is it called?

[sfruechte]

It was about 20 years ago I don't remember the brand of fork oil, it was in a white plastic bottle that looked like a motoroil quart. The oil itself was quite dark, kind of turquoise. It came in different wts. It claimed to have a seal conditioner and it did work. If I find the bottle, I will re-post, but it would be 30 miles away if I still have it so it will be at least the weekend.

[dingdong]

I recommend a fork oil with a seal conditioner. I used to run automatic transmission fluid until it leaked, I replaced the seal and it still leaked, then I tried fork oil with a seal conditioner (without changing the seal) and it sealed.

Same here on my 76. There usually is no way to know the weight of ATF. Any mc shop will carry different weights of fork oil. I use 10w in my 76.

[scotterichmond]

Do you think the dealer would carry that stuff?

[Fred Camper]

Every motorcycle dealer has fork oil I think, but none will have ATF. ATF has changed over the years, so the stuff available today may not match what honda had in mind. But then again, honda could not spec fork oil until it was available in the market either.

[dingdong]

Your dealer will have it.

[scotterichmond]

There are a lot of fork oils out there, non say they condition oil seals.
I would love to hear of a place online someone knows of with that .

[Fred Camper]

I have only bought fork oil twice, and I never saw a product that said it conditioned fork oil. Changing the seals is not a bad job the second time, so might just as well get to that point if you ask me.

[pedrocorreia27]

thanks four all you!!!
gone try to do my self
regards pedro

[mk197523]

Hey! I recommend a fork oil with a seal conditioner. I used to run automatic transmission fluid until it leaked, I replaced the seal and it still leaked, then I tried fork oil with a seal conditioner (without changing the seal) and it sealed.

[prc]

I can see that this discussion is some months old but interesting and timely for me and my 82 Interstate.
When I first took ownership of the bike last Sept. the first thing I did was drain all fluids and replace them, sure enough the forks had some nasty old crud in them and I was glad I flushed it out.
I went to the shop and specifically purchased Bel Ray fork oil (10wt) installed that and took off down the highway for a week. I didnt want to "cheap out" and use ATF although the 2-3 lifetime bike mechanics I know say that ATF is just fine.

Although the fork seals needed replacing right away, I didnt have that done until Winter set in.
At that point the forks had been flushed and filled twice, several months later I installed Progressive springs which meant another flush and fill. Using Progressive springs means altering the amount of fork oil used in each tube, their own printed caution states that the level shouldnt exceed 5 1/2 inches from the top of the tube when fully collapsed.

I took their oil weight recommendation with some skepticism (20 wt) and compromised on Bel Ray 15wt, and zero air pressure.
The forks felt MUCH stiffer and overly sensitive to bumps, potholes and such, so....I drained an oz out which didnt seem to help so I tried it again, repeating this several times with not much improvement. I rode it like this for most of the last 3 months.

This week I replaced the 10 yr old Metzler on the front and having the wheel off, drained and opened up the forks (getting better at dealing with that darned air hose and fittings) carefully measuring oil and distance from the top of the tube, I settled on 8 oz of ATF which brought the level to about 6 1/2 to 7 inches from the top of the tube. The front end is so much better now, lots more fun and predictable.

The new tire, an Avon Venom, (thanks to members here recommending the Avon tires) surely helped but the forks feel more supple now, just my imagination?
Is it possible that 8 oz is still too much oil? when I measured it with 6 oz in, it was 9 inches or more (fully collapsed) from the top and that seemed a far stretch from the 5 1/2 in. recommendation I got from several mechanics.

At this juncture I am a believer in ATF, I hope it doesnt cause my newish seals to leak as some have reported.
All I know is that I tried several weights and volumes of fork oil with less than satisfactory results.
I was a diehard fork oil guy until now, at $12-$15 per bottle I dont relish buying it anymore.
I read somewhere that ATF is good at reducing stiction in fork seals, any way it worked for me so far.
Im pretty sure that Bel Ray used to print "With Seal Swell" on their bottles, claiming that it helped the seals swell up and seal better, I am old and some of that info may be outdated by decades of oil changes

[Fred Camper]

Keep in mind that mixing fork oil with seal swell may work with ATF but I have never tried that cannot say it is compatible. I run 5 weight fork oil and like that.

[prc]

I dont think there was much if any Bel Ray left in the forks when I put the ATF in, I pumped and cycled the forks a bunch of times when I got the front wheel off, enough that i could hear air gurgling around in the bottom of the fork, hope that did it.
At this point Im willing to take my chances and just ride it around for awhile and enjoy the early Fall weather, gonna ride up to Mt Hood area this afternoon.
If the seals need replacing (again) this Winter..so be it.
Thanks, have a good Labor Day weekend.