fork oil

[Keef]

Can some one tell me how much oil, what kind of oil, and what weight of oil to put in my forks? (1997 GL1500 Aspencade) Can you put that in oz?
Also i have read, not this site, that depending on what kind of springs you have determines the amount of, true or not?

thanks Keith

[virgilmobile]

As far as I can tell...The right fork gets 12.7 oz and the left one gets 12.6 oz...
The difference is due to one fork having different parts....
Either way,when fully compressed after a few strokes and the oil settles,it should both be 7.6 inches from the top....fully compressed stroke...
As far as what to use....If your forks are in great shape,there is standard fork oil....I actually use ATF fluid....My worn forks on my 80 needed a bit thicker oil.It bounced on every bump..I mixed ATF with 30w synthetic..50/50.
The purpose of the oil is to dampen or restrict the slide action...without it the front end can bounce all over the place...
The springs...I suppose if heavier springs are used,you may want to increase the viscosity of the oil to control the rebound ....Thicker oil will make the front end "stiffer"....much slower to recover from bumps....really thin oil and the front end becomes unstable...not keeping the tire in contact with the road...
Double check the amount in a manual and yes it's near impossible to change the fork oil without pulling the springs out...
I did this and after finding out how hard it was to put the caps back on,I decided to drill and tap the caps for the next oil change...

[WingAdmin]

Have a read through: How to rebuild your front forks

[Keef]

Thanks virgilmobile. Mine are already tapped with tire valve, so i just wanted to change the oil....Going to g o with 12.7-12.6 and see what happens.

Read the link don't want to rebuild them yet, just want to change the oil...........thanks

[RBGERSON]

Yes it's could be true about diff springs = diff oil amounts progressive have more coils so take up more space in the tubes which to me = less oil but only a bit..check with progressive I am sure the amounts are on their site but only way to know if you have them is to pull them and look at the coil structure.

[Keef]

Thanks for the info every body.................

[Bluewaterhooker0]

Just did the fork oil on my 97 yesterday, for the second time (last time was 1.5 years/9K miles ago). Worked great both times. I followed these instructions using the syringe, connected to 1/4" copper tubing via rubber surgical tubing. I have also been pressurizing the forks to 10psi (while fully extended) for all this time with no ill effects. I think 6psi max is what is recommended.It really provides a nice ride with no 'diving' upon braking. I put a tightly fitting O-ring on the copper tubing at the specified distance to make measuring easy. Used Honda SS8 10w oil.

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/2-g ... right.html

[cwscoobyman2500]

Hi are the fork oil quantities as you sit on the bike,or looking at the bike from the front?
Left/right

Thanks.

[Rambozo]

On any vehicle, left and right are always from the operator's perspective.

[cwscoobyman2500]

Thanks for your response.