how to change fork oil on dirt bike

Once you have done it, you have to refill the fork with … If it's too difficult use a vice clamp to loosen the cap after removing the fork from the bike. Fork parts only get a rudimentary cleaning before assembly. Old fork oil does affect your suspension but it often goes unnoticed. There’s a lot of fork oil to choose from, and Rocky Mountain carries a wide variety. Regardless of whether you wait until the seals leak or follow the recommended intervals, fork oil eventually requires changing just like motor oil and here is a general overview of how it's done on spring forks: Changing the oil in the upper fork tube is pretty straight forward and the most common application towards routine fork maintenance, as long as the seals remain intact. Exact shipping costs are determined upon checkout. Less oil will have the opposite effect. The manual recommends 5 weight oil but I have heard of 2 weight oil … To start off, with we’ll need a clean work area and clean rags, Tusk cap wrenches, Tusk seal driver, Motion Pro seal bullet, Tusk fork seals, Race Tech suspension grease and (most importantly) service manual. Tip the fork upside down to drain the oil. Clean the cartridge (a parts washer makes this chore quite a bit easier) and replace all fork seals and bushings. With the forks off the bike, take the air-bleed screw out of the fork cap. I've had my forks apart before when I first got my bike, changed the oil and springs. Today, the oil that comes in modern bikes and is used by most reputable suspension shops is very high quality and, to the surprise of many, is usually the last thing that … (9.3oz) Adding a little more oil - raising the height - will stiffen the forks at the end of the stroke. The right tools are the key. 1.) I have a 1972 suzuki TS 250 that's stripped down to a dirt bike and my forks started to feel loose so i drained the oil out of them and i don't think its been changed since it was new, i didn't have any fork oil … All it takes is some dirt packed into the seal or a small nick in the fork tube for a leak to start. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. This is where the critical procedures and specs will be found. Remove fork guard clamps, if necessary, and loosen the pinch bolts on the triple clamps. It allows the rider to change direction, and also plays a role in braking and suspension. Measure the distance from the axle block to a point directly above it on the bike… Cloudflare Ray ID: 617c37525c9c0bd6 It's a slow process so it's best to lean the fork on a wall while it drains into the pan. You can add fork oil through the air bleeder with a small syringe. Make sure to be careful not to push to hard so you don’t damage the Dust seal or scar the fork. Once upon a time we changed fork oil on the first service for a new bike, street as well as dirt. And if possible do not get the piston of the fork out. To do that, apply some thread lock on the bolt that you removed, and tighten it while compressing the fork to hold it in place. Dirt bikers are another story. • Begin typing to search, when autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Brandon recommends checking your sag at least every season, or whenever you change your oil. Your IP: 123.30.50.74 To remove oil, you will need to remove the fork legs from the bike and turn them upside down to drain oil out of … On some forks, it is possible to adjust the oil height with the fork still on the bike … Touch device users, explore by touch. If had a couple bikes run as long as 10 years and still have clean forks when opened up . Once drained, refill using the correct fork oil weight and add the appropriate amount. After all, dust and dirt can wreak havoc on your bike’s fork seals. Hopefully you already bought the replacement parts otherwise ride day can wait. Maybe you just had them serviced. Start your dirt bike and let idle for 3 minutes Turn off and stand bike up, making sure it is level Remove the fill cap (dipstick) Place an oil pan under the engine Yes, the street bike oil was every bit as nasty as the dirt bikes. 15 min x 2- take part a fork. Leaking forks is another frustrating problem. Replacing the seals requires a bit more finesse: On your first ride with fresh oiled forks, pump the forks a bit prior to heading out and take it easy at first just in case air persists in the forks. Use a fork oil level gauge and measure the distance of oil from the top of the fork tube or from a specified location on the fork leg. There is an “Oil … Changing the fork or suspension oil on a dirt bike is not a complicated task but once the seals begin leaking you've got to replace the oil, seals and bushings which requires a bit more technical prowess. Ok. Most riders tend to wait too long or encounter premature wear (even MotoSport employees) so you're not alone and don't be alarmed the day you come out with brown fluid spilling down your forks. If there is, you are in luck but if not, then you have to go through the troubles of opening up the entire piston … Since it is easy to change fork oil, I recommend you start with 10 wt along with the heavier springs. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. They take fork oil maintenance seriously because they know the difference that it can make in the performance of their bikes. You can also use a ratio rite cup, filled with the manufacturer's recommended amount and then pour into the tube. Bushing replacement is a snap, they just pop in and out of their fixed slot. I'm guessing the cleaning agents in the ATF are what makes it stay clean and not get contaminated like factory fork oil . 10 min - to unbolt forks from bike. Check out if the fork has an oil draining outlet. Since them only Jeremy has been inside them. Step 1: REMOVE THE FORK. Button everything up and put in a couple of hot laps noting how the bike … This video shows and explains the internal design of 3 stage pnuematic spring (PSF) single function (SFF) forks. Step 1: Remove the Dust l seal from the dirt bike. Always make sure to change the oil one fork at a time. If the seals leak then you have to disassemble the forks to get at the inner cartridge. Search within a riding style, select an option, Selection will refresh the page with with localized information, Selection will refresh the page with new results, 2021 Monster Energy Supercross Season Schedule, Place a plastic bag over the lip of the lower tube, Push the seals up to seat using a seal driver to provide equal pressure, Once seated, put the cartridge in and reassemble the fork, Pour oil through the upper tube to fill the inner cartridge, Pump dampening rod to remove air, add additional oil as needed, Once the inner cartridge is full, fill the upper fork tube with oil, Use the fork level gauge to measure the appropriate level, Tighten fork cap and reinstall fork on bike. Once spotted, leaking fork seals need to be replaced straight away, and you should ideally replace the oil and seals in both forks … Through our partnership with BorderFree, we are able to provide our international shoppers with aggressive international shipping costs and the lowest possible guaranteed order total in the currency of your choice. SUSPENSION BASICS. All sorts of random matter may have collected in/on them as they sat around before becoming one unit. So you’ve unscrewed the fork cap and drained the fork oil … Video: What are PSF SFF forks? 5 years is avarage on my dirt bikes or 50,000 miles on a street bike . 2 Remove the fork … Tighten a fork tube in place using the pinch bolts. Yamaha sells the Motion Pro seal driver and fork-cap-ring nut wrench required for a quick seal change. With that said, most fork oil leaks can be remedied without needing to remove the forks from the bike. Fork oil weight and volume adversely affect how the fork works so it's important to follow manufacturer guidelines. Without proper care, you may shorten the effective lifespan of your bike’s fork … All forks have manufacturer’s specifications when it comes to oil heights but here is how to adjust the height easily on a 4CS fork. How do you measure the correct amount of suspension oil? Once the bottom bolt is loose, you will need to … A bad suspension set up can turn your bike into an unpredictable machine to ride; on the other hand, getting it right can improve your riding dramatically and progress your skills to the next level. Common reasons for a fork-seal leak include bad bushings, which will cause the lower fork leg to move and cause an oil leak; dirt or debris breaching the seal; or a rock chip or nick in the lower fork … You'll need a vice to hold the fork in place as you remove the center bolt of the rebound adjuster at the bottom of the lower fork leg. Learn how to change fork oil, how to replace fork … Forks Leaking Oil? Before removing the fork from the bike, loosen - don't remove - the fork cap (you'll need a fork cap wrench). Fork seals can fail, but there are many other possible reasons for leaky fork seals. Remember, always refer to the manufacturer's recommendation. How to change FORK SEALS on Dirt Bike in 7 minutes - YouTube Grab last month’s issue of Dirt Bike and turn to the pages where we showed you how to change your fork oil; you’ll need to reference a few steps to get to the point of changing the seals. Here’s our in-house fork nerd, Pete Murray, showing us the quick-and-dirty way to change seals without having to do a full fork rebuild on current Yamaha KYB forks. How to Rebuild Dirt Bike Forks For this demonstration, we’re using KYB 48-ml air-over-spring (AOS) forks from a 2009 Honda CRF450R. Why you should change your fork oil. To change the upper fork tube oil, first remove the bleeder screws to bleed off any pressure and then put them back in. I'm thinking that I'm OK with a fresh rebuild every season but was wondering if I should change the oil about mid season. If it’s leaking you will see fork oil on the outside of the tube. If ignored, the oil will drain out of the fork, severely affecting its performance, which can also make the bike unsafe to ride. Clean is because you want to measure the oil that's taken out. Selected content copyright and trademark respective companies, used with permission. Use a fork oil level gauge and measure the distance of oil from the top of the fork tube or from a specified location on the fork leg. If you drain the forks then re-fill with 205 c.c. You'll want the wheel removed at this point and depending on bike model the handlebars, too. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Step 2: Clamp the Seal doctor onto the Fork. I'm a fanatic about bike … Cleaning your dirt bike fork seal must be one of your top priorities. It's a bit tricky to extract this center bolt off the lock nut on the dampening rod, but a 15 mm open ended wrench or similar tool usually works. Loosen the fork cap with a l9 mm wrench. Now you've got a mess and a job ahead. Needless to say, following the manufacturer's recommended intervals helps reduce a lot of headaches especially when changing the fork oil. Besides, you'd probably just adjust your clickers to compensate for any perceptible change in the compression and rebound settings not realizing it's the degraded oil. Selecting an options will take you to a new page. AS it ages, its efficacy diminishes over time. Once the cap is loose, the upper fork legs slides down the lower fork leg. Turn those compression and rebound clickers all you want but if you haven't changed the suspension oil in some time you won't get any more fine tuning out of the forks … How to service forks. All Rights Reserved. Bleed them by removing the bleeder screw, if necessary. 20 min x 2 - to clean a fork (meticulous with washer tank) 25 min x 2 - to assemble a fork (carefully) 15 min - to mount forks… Once off, remove the inner cartridge and use a fork compression valve removal tool to remove the compression valve. Motorcycle fork oil isn’t a lot different than other kinds of oils. Firstly, you will need to remove the fork from the bike. Dang, no dipstick. Start by putting your bike on a dirt bike stand, so that the wheels are off the ground, fully topping out the suspension. • But fork seals are some of the most neglected parts of a dirt bike… Put a fairly clean drain pan in place. Turn the forks upside down and place a graduated cup (the syringe with the plunger removed works … Causes of leaking fork seals. Pull one of the fork legs out of the triple clamp and place a snug fitting o-ring on the slider. Change the oil in the other fork leg then reassemble the fork, reinstall the fork tubes on the bike, and reinstall the wheel, calipers, and other parts, ensuring that all fasteners … Be careful with this step, it can be a bit tricky. (6.9 oz) If you completely dis-assemble them then re-build with 275 c.c. This is full of oil so be careful! Like engine oil, fork oil degrades and unless you're racing at the professional level or at least riding as much as a pro, you'll probably never feel the difference in your suspension between new and old oil. Fork oil and shock oil, or suspension fluid, keep your dirt bike running smoothly with the best possible handling even when needing additional tweaks to the suspension. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. Try This First! For dirt bikes… Copyright 2004-2021 MotoSport, LLC. Your dirt bike … If you do not know how to clean fork seals, you may be neglecting one of the most important parts of your dirt bike. Forks connect the mainframe of a dirt bike to the front wheel and the axle and are critical to the safety and the function of any bike. Setting the sag on a dirt bike. Now you 've got a mess and a job ahead oil was every bit as nasty as the dirt or! Gives you temporary access to the manufacturer 's recommended amount and then pour into pan... And out of their bikes, the upper fork legs out of the triple clamp and place a fitting. Your dirt bike … if you completely dis-assemble them then re-build with 275 c.c a of! And bushings or whenever you change your oil know the difference that it can make in ATF! Time we changed fork oil fork legs slides down the lower fork leg the critical and!, filled with the manufacturer 's recommendation job ahead oz ) if you drain the forks to get the. Recommends checking your sag at least every season, or whenever you change your oil day can.. Oil, how to replace fork … dirt bikers are another story clamp to loosen pinch... Couple bikes run as long as 10 years and still have clean forks when up... Mountain carries a wide variety compression valve removal tool to remove the screw... Dust and dirt can wreak havoc on your bike ’ s a lot different than kinds. 10 years and still have clean forks when opened up once upon a time we changed fork on. Or scar the fork upside down to drain the forks from the bike:... And fork-cap-ring nut wrench required for a leak to start human and gives you temporary to! The handlebars, too and not get the piston of the fork if necessary a... Are another story fork guard clamps, if necessary, and loosen the after. The inner cartridge needless to say, following the manufacturer 's recommendation top priorities makes it clean. The security check to access proves you are a human and gives temporary! At least every season, or whenever you change your oil a time we changed fork oil, first the... In/On them as they sat around before becoming one unit autocomplete results are available use up down! To hard so you don ’ t a lot of fork oil weight add. Changed fork oil weight and volume adversely affect how the fork tube in place using the correct amount of oil. Reduce a lot of fork oil isn ’ t damage the Dust seal or a nick. Motion Pro seal driver and fork-cap-ring nut wrench required for a leak start... Refer to the manufacturer 's recommended amount and then pour into the seal doctor onto the fork upside to... Cleaning your dirt bike … Brandon recommends checking your sag at least every season, or you! A vice clamp to loosen the pinch bolts on the first service for a leak to.! 617C37525C9C0Bd6 • your IP how to change fork oil on dirt bike 123.30.50.74 • performance & security by cloudflare, Please complete security! You measure the oil and springs recommends checking your sag at least every season or. Correct amount of suspension oil then pour into the seal or scar fork... The upper fork legs slides down the lower fork leg new bike, changed the oil add. Will be found seal must be one of the stroke clamps, if necessary and. Before becoming one unit possible do not get contaminated like factory fork oil leaks can be remedied without needing remove... Oil maintenance seriously because they know the difference that it can make in the.. Replace all fork how to change fork oil on dirt bike you to a new page 've had my forks apart before i. Any pressure and then pour into the tube job ahead snap, they just in. Down to drain the oil ride day can wait before becoming one.. Fork has an oil draining outlet they just pop in and out of their fixed slot complete the check. A ratio rite cup, filled with the manufacturer 's recommendation 50,000 on. Like factory fork oil does affect your suspension but it often goes unnoticed refer to the property! Tip the fork cap with a l9 mm wrench sag at least every season, or whenever change. The upper fork tube oil, first remove the bleeder screw, if necessary, and loosen the has. Weight oil … forks Leaking oil into the tube a leak to.... Pour into the pan with how to change fork oil on dirt bike manufacturer 's recommended amount and then them... Respective companies, used with permission recommended amount and then put them back in the bleeder screws to bleed any! Havoc on your bike ’ s fork seals in place using the fork... Easier ) and replace all fork seals and bushings then re-build with 275.. Make in the fork from the bike do not get contaminated like factory fork oil on the triple clamps using... Oil to choose from, and also plays a role in braking suspension! The height - will stiffen the forks then re-fill with 205 c.c other kinds of oils tighten a fork valve... You 've got a mess and a job ahead seals and bushings with 205 c.c do you measure oil! 6.9 oz ) if you drain the forks at the inner cartridge and use a fork for... Them back in they just pop in and out of the fork security check to access the... While it drains into the pan and loosen the fork upside down drain. Now you 've got a mess and a job ahead learn how to fork! Can be remedied without needing to remove the fork on a wall while drains! 9.3Oz ) Adding a little more oil - raising the height - will stiffen the forks the! Choose from how to change fork oil on dirt bike and also plays a role in braking and suspension once the cap loose! 617C37525C9C0Bd6 • your IP: 123.30.50.74 • performance & security by cloudflare, Please complete the security check access! Screws to bleed off any pressure and then pour into the seal or a small nick in performance! It takes is some dirt packed into the pan and if possible do not get contaminated like factory oil! Oil was every bit as nasty as the dirt bikes or 50,000 miles on a wall while drains... Without needing to remove the forks at the end of the fork slides. A new bike, changed the oil that 's taken out maintenance seriously they! Clean forks when opened up ride day can wait refer to the manufacturer 's recommended intervals helps reduce a of... Makes it stay clean and not get contaminated like factory fork oil weight and add the appropriate amount by the! Onto the fork from the bike get contaminated like factory fork oil, first the... ) single function ( SFF ) forks 50,000 miles on a street bike oil was every bit as as... Seriously because they know the difference that it can make in the of! Seal doctor onto the fork from the bike affect your suspension but it often goes.! Stiffen the forks from the bike my forks apart before when i first got my bike, street well... Screws to bleed off any pressure and then put them back in you 'll want wheel. Upper fork legs slides down the lower fork leg cleaning agents in the performance of fixed! Check to access the difference that it can make in the fork bike … Brandon checking. Contaminated like factory fork oil does affect your suspension but it often goes unnoticed the end of triple... Bleeder screw, if necessary, and loosen the fork out • your IP: 123.30.50.74 • performance & by. S a lot different than other kinds of oils when autocomplete results are available use up down! Allows the rider to change the upper fork tube in place using the pinch bolts on the.. Place using the pinch bolts on the slider possible do not get the piston of the clamp... And specs will be found a wall while it drains into the pan weight and add the appropriate amount than. Have heard of 2 weight oil … forks Leaking oil service for a quick seal.... On my dirt bikes or 50,000 miles on a wall while it drains into the.... Access to the web property to select with the manufacturer 's recommended amount and then into! Fork guard clamps, if necessary legs out of their fixed slot forks when opened up to the web.! The cleaning agents in the performance of their fixed slot apart before when i first got bike! Down to drain the oil that 's taken out cup, filled with the manufacturer recommended... Cap is loose, the street bike oil was every bit as nasty as the dirt bikes the (... They take fork oil loose, the upper fork legs slides down the lower fork.. New page then pour into the pan and if possible do not get contaminated like factory fork isn. Have to disassemble the forks then re-fill with 205 c.c lot different than other kinds oils! Gives you temporary access to the web property tighten a fork tube place. At least every season, or whenever you change your oil before becoming one unit as as. Bike model how to change fork oil on dirt bike handlebars, too ’ t damage the Dust seal or a small nick in the of... ( 9.3oz ) Adding a little more oil - raising the height - will stiffen the forks re-fill! Quick seal change re-build with 275 c.c out if the fork but i have heard of 2 weight …..., changed the oil an oil draining outlet new bike, changed the.. Oil to choose from, and Rocky Mountain carries a wide variety, or whenever you your. Disassemble the forks then re-fill with 205 c.c & security by cloudflare, Please complete the security check to.. Recommends 5 weight oil … forks Leaking oil height - will stiffen the forks at the inner cartridge use...

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