I’m changing out the fork lowers on my SG and came to the part where its time to add the fork oil. I know I can buy that special HD tool or just measure out 10.8 oz for each fork leg. I would rather make the tool so it’s more precise. I looked at the manual but it doesn’t say how low or high the oil should be in each fork leg. Has any one made a suction tool like the HD fork oil level tool? Does any one have the HD tool? I guess what I really need to know is how low the oil is in the fork once it’s filled. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

A turkey baster with a mark for the correct height (read the manual) it tells you, and over fill a bit. Then just squeeze and suck out the excess. Simple as pie, and I used this on my race bikes back in the day.

 

The measurement is in my '06 manual.
Are you sure it isn't there?
I can't remember the exact number and my manual is at my shop.

 

Okay, I just reread it. It shows 10.7 oz, 317 ml, 4.92 in, and 125 mm. I guess that 4.92 in and 125mm is the distance from the top of the tube to the oil, right?

 

That sounds right, mine is a little over 5"

 

Yup..that should get you there.

 

I made my own, I just welded a 125mm rod to a piece of flat bar and attached a rubber hose to the rod. Just sit the flat bar on top of the fork, attach the hose to a vac pump and pump out the excess oil.

 

This is from Mike52 on another forum. He did a good job on a homemade tool:

"Almost all forks have a spec for the fork oil to be a specified distance from the top of the tube, for example, on my '06 Street Glide using the HD fork lowering kit, the fork oil level is set at 4.88" or 124mm from the top of the fork tube. You would fill the fork tubes with oil to within a couple of inches from the top, set the stop on the tube of the fork oil tool (the wooden block or the ring with the thumb screw in my examples) to the specified distance, in my case, 124mm. Insert the tube into the filled fork tube with the wooden block (or the round ring on the fancy tool) resting on the top of the fork tube. Suction the fork oil out with the syringe until you can't get anymore oil to come out, this has lowered the fork oil down to your predetermined (in my case, 124mm from the top) amount. It's so simple, a caveman could do it."

First pic is the homemade one, second is the shop tool

 

That might be the measurement with the fork collapsed on a bench as said by the manual, but with it on the bike it is 12". I used the tool and then measured the distance after I installed the tube back in the bike and it was 12" from the top of the triple clamp.

 

We were at Works Performance yesterday, installing their new cartridge fork inserts in a buddy's 09 RG. When they drained the fork oil there was only about 275 ml of oil, NOT 317, We were then confused as whether it was underfilled from the factory OR the manual was wrong (the 09 manual says 317cc. The manual also says that when full the oil level should be a certain distance from the top of the damper rod in the fork. So, we added back the 275 or so MLs, and measured.....it was the correct level!! YIKES! (and yes, they were sure thet virtually all the old oil out. The 275ml number allows for this as well.

Keep in mind this wasn't me doing the work, but a guy who makes this stuff for a living.

As near as we could tell, the HD manual is wrong, so when they put the new cartridges in they measured from the top of the damper rods(as I remember it was 5" or something (again, I was just watching). The measurement was also in the manual, the Works guy said this was the fail safe procedure.

I guess I would not add a certain volume (i.e. 317 ml), but rather would measure what I drain out, and measure from the damper rod.

just a heads up

greg