fork oils?

[buck91]

Im Just curious what everyone likes to run in their forks? Doing the oil in my XS850G and while I ail be sticking with factory spec id like to get the best protection and longevity I can. So far I'm looking at either 10wt yamalube or medium weight amsoil suspension fluid...

 

[Silk]

ATF, for like, ages.

 

[AndyinAL]

Synthetic ATF (overkill I am sure) for me in my Goldwing 1800. I compare the cold viscosities to pick the desired weight. Not saying it is better than fork oil, but it works well for me.

 

[Mackelroy]

With fork oil, every brand of the same weight differs, so if you want to keep the way it is, stick with the same oil.

Most people think stock fork oil is [censored], but thats not true. Cause when they drain the oil its very nasty. But thats just due to brand new forks trash oil quickly the first go round.

 

[sunruh]

i've tried quite a few fork oils over the years and like whats been said above they can all feel different as the viscos are all different.

another thing to consider is exactly what type of fork you have and how it works.

M1 ATF is a hair thicker, but seems to last the longest.

i've run race tech, enzo, kyb, amsoil, belray and golden spectro.
and thats just off the top of my head.

 

[buck91]

Well picked up some belray 10wt locally so unless I find a good reason to go another route thatswhats going in.

 

[BigCahuna]

A while back I changed the fork oil in my friends older Goldwing. Honda recommended ATF for the forks, so that's what went in. A while later I changed the fork oil in my '96 cop bike. I went to the dealer and bought their brand of fork oil ,standard fork oil nothing fancy. It looked and smelled just like ATF lol. Sure you can spend 3 times what its worth for official "fork oil", but store brand ATF seemed to work like a charm for my friends bike.,,

 

[buck91]

Ive heard that about honda, cant imagine yamaha forks are that different but ive not heard of people running atf in them.

 

[ddtmoto]

If you are wanting to fine tune your forks you need to use a syn top line fork oil. Redline is as good as it gets. Flows better in the cold and the heat. It's in a line of weights that can be changed to alter the forks damping actions.
But most just change their suspension fluids as a part of regular maintenance and put in something close. Look in the repair manual for your bike and use a quality syn fork oil that is the 'correct weight'. The good fork oil is cheap insurance over the long term. It less affected by temp extremes and lasts longer...

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted By: buck91
Ive heard that about honda, cant imagine yamaha forks are that different but ive not heard of people running atf in them.


You have now. I've used fork oil sometimes, but as I see no difference in performance always go back to ATF. Always got some ATF around, having the correct grade and amount of fork oil on hand is not so common in my shed.

 

[Clevy]

I use 15 grade in my forks once and they felt like they were filled with sand. 7.5 was perfect

 

[Ken2]

Here is the real story on fork oil viscosity--look at the viscosity at 40°C. Fork oil actually should be sold according to this 40° viscosity, not the "weight." Engine oils are sold by the "weight" grade, not hydraulic oils.
http://mahonkin.com/~milktree/motorcycles/fork-oil.html
http://www.peterverdone.com/wiki/index.p...heir_properties

I've noticed the difference in the feel of the forks from a cold day to a hot day. I prefer synthetic fork oil for this reason--less viscosity change due to heat. Showa fork oil is probably standard in most Japanese bikes regardless of the brand label. My Suzuki uses Showa SS-8, listed as 10 wt.

If the old oil is really dirty, try removing a fork, draining it well while pumping, put in some solvent (I use paint thinner), pump up & down, drain & pump, add any cheap light hydraulic oil (hydraulic jack oil or ATF), pump, drain & pump, then put in the correct amount of your final fork oil & pump to remove the air. Fill to the recommended height with the spring out, fork compressed, and held vertical. The size of the air space at the top is important for the feel--that air forms a compressed air spring on a hard compression.

 

[sunruh]

thats only valid for 1 type of forks.

not all forks are designed that way...ie twin chambers

 

[Errtt]

I changed mine about half a year ago. Can't remember what bottle it was I got (Cycle Gear).
Anyway it was smoother after changing. The inner cartridge thing was different. Has damper and rebound adjusters.
Didn't cost much for the fluid... whatever it was. Get'n older I guess.

 

[Smoky14]

Just to add fuel to this fire; I've found shock oil when used in forks to improve the overall performance of the forks. It seems that shock oil is less affected by temps that fork oil. It costs a little more but really helps under racing conditions, thus good for ruff roads and in the mountains.
YMMV

PS: I used BelRay

 

[vo_marz]

Originally Posted By: Smoky14
Just to add fuel to this fire; I've found shock oil when used in forks to improve the overall performance of the forks. It seems that shock oil is less affected by temps that fork oil. It costs a little more but really helps under racing conditions, thus good for ruff roads and in the mountains.
YMMV

PS: I used BelRay


the VI is higher , BUT performance comes at the expense of durability .

Most super hi VI suspension fluids have esters and they absorb moisture faster than normal fork oils.