Fork oil weight
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From: middle Tennessee
Fork oil weight
I am putting some Progressive springs in my 2014 Superlow front forks. Which weight oil do you recommend. The stock E type or Belray 7 weight or 10 weight. I weight 180 lbs.
And I just discovered that there are no drain plugs on the 2014 Superlow forks. Whats the best way to get the oil out. Suck it out?
Thanks. hex
And I just discovered that there are no drain plugs on the 2014 Superlow forks. Whats the best way to get the oil out. Suck it out?
Thanks. hex
Last edited by hexnut; Sep 23, 2014 at 05:51 PM.
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John
Cruiser
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From: New York
Fork Oil
I am also replacing my springs in my 2012 48. I am going with the Bel-Ray
10w. I weigh 175, I hope I made a correct choice. I changed my rear shock with Street Glide 12" Air Shocks, that was one of the best mods I have done along with the Harley Spring Solo seat, combination really works great. I hope the Progressive fork springs work as well.
I would also like to hear comments on the oil weight.
Thanks
Barrier
10w. I weigh 175, I hope I made a correct choice. I changed my rear shock with Street Glide 12" Air Shocks, that was one of the best mods I have done along with the Harley Spring Solo seat, combination really works great. I hope the Progressive fork springs work as well.
I would also like to hear comments on the oil weight.
Thanks
Barrier
Last edited by Barrier; Sep 23, 2014 at 07:17 PM.
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From: middle Tennessee
I think I may stick with the stock E type fork oil. I believe its some where between 5 and 10 weight. Probably closer to 10. And just see how that works. I think it will be more important to get the preload and sag correct than worrying about the oil.
I was just wondering what others had used and the results.
I was just wondering what others had used and the results.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,532
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From: Rochester N.Y.
Hex , I just completely disassembled my 48 forks for a project and found that I didn't have drain screws either.
The fork oil (at 2,000 miles) was full of metal and looked like regular ATF.
If your stock forks are anything like mine were , there was way more spring tension than I thought there would be , and I'm glad I took them off the bike anyway.
I used a 10 ton hydraulic press to control the top cap , by setting wood on the floor and bringing the press down 3" to meet the cap when I removed it.
If you're not going to completely disassemble the forks , I would suggest getting a spare bottle of fork oil to flush them out.
Pull the top caps , take out the springs and spacers if any , drain them upside down for a while. Put some fluid in each , pump them a few times , drain them again.
The amount of metal particles in mine was scary.
Add fluid as recommended , suck out the excess according to the factory manual.
Mine were 6.340" down , tube fully collapsed , no springs.
This measurement is pretty critical because of the airspace that is left when you reassemble them.Then follow the progressive recommendations for trimming the tubes for rider sag.
I weigh about 170 all geared up and 7wt worked well , 10wt should be fine also , it should be close to factory fluid.
I feel that getting rid of that much metallic particulate will be good for the fork bushings and will let them operate better for longer , and the action of the dampers certainly would be better.
The top cap is 1 3/8" , I used a 12" crescent wrench , cracked them loose before removing the fork , and just final tightened them at the end of the fork install , this way I didn't even have to play with the handlebars.
They don't have to be real tight anyway when you're done.
Mick
The fork oil (at 2,000 miles) was full of metal and looked like regular ATF.
If your stock forks are anything like mine were , there was way more spring tension than I thought there would be , and I'm glad I took them off the bike anyway.
I used a 10 ton hydraulic press to control the top cap , by setting wood on the floor and bringing the press down 3" to meet the cap when I removed it.
If you're not going to completely disassemble the forks , I would suggest getting a spare bottle of fork oil to flush them out.
Pull the top caps , take out the springs and spacers if any , drain them upside down for a while. Put some fluid in each , pump them a few times , drain them again.
The amount of metal particles in mine was scary.
Add fluid as recommended , suck out the excess according to the factory manual.
Mine were 6.340" down , tube fully collapsed , no springs.
This measurement is pretty critical because of the airspace that is left when you reassemble them.Then follow the progressive recommendations for trimming the tubes for rider sag.
I weigh about 170 all geared up and 7wt worked well , 10wt should be fine also , it should be close to factory fluid.
I feel that getting rid of that much metallic particulate will be good for the fork bushings and will let them operate better for longer , and the action of the dampers certainly would be better.
The top cap is 1 3/8" , I used a 12" crescent wrench , cracked them loose before removing the fork , and just final tightened them at the end of the fork install , this way I didn't even have to play with the handlebars.
They don't have to be real tight anyway when you're done.
Mick
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