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Post by sussexscooterhead on Oct 11, 2006 12:57:09 GMT -5
Bit the bullet today and changed the oil in my forks. The "oil" that came out was a pretty nasty black sludge so it felt good to clean it out if nothing else.
Unfortunately, it's snowing here today - yeah, that's right, I said SNOWING! - so I haven't been able to take it out to see if there's any difference in ride quality but I'll be sure to report back once I've gone for a spin.
It's a relatively easy job that doesn't require much in the way of tools so if anyone decideds to tackle it and has any questions feel free to ask.
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Post by scooterollie on Oct 11, 2006 13:53:02 GMT -5
Great post! Thanks for sharing the information. Think I will plan that as a winter mod/service item on my Bali 250.
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Post by woodlark on Oct 11, 2006 14:27:47 GMT -5
That's a bit early for any significant snowfall. First major usually comes around Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods (I used to live in Osceola...actually between Osceola and Star Prairie).
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2006 15:34:04 GMT -5
Fantastic post. Pics are worth a thousand words.
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Post by xtremerpr on Oct 13, 2006 19:19:28 GMT -5
Hey sussexscooterhead
after you changed the fork oil did it improve in any way?
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Post by sussexscooterhead on Oct 13, 2006 20:58:14 GMT -5
The weather's been cold, windy and snowy ever since so I haven't had the chance to ride it yet.
I'll definitely post an update once I get the chance to ride it. Honestly, though, I'm not expecting much of a change.......as disappointing as that will be.
The weather is supposed to clear up in the next couple days so I've got my fingers crossed.
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Post by sussexscooterhead on Oct 19, 2006 15:47:57 GMT -5
I finally had the chance to take the scoot for a spin today. I wish I could report the suspension was vastly improved but to be honest there isn't an appreciable improvement.
The paint job looks good and I'm happy to have removed the sludge and replaced the oil with a quality suspension fluid but as far as performance increase, there was none.
Dang it!
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Post by back-doc on Oct 19, 2006 16:29:35 GMT -5
sussexs, how much oil did you puy back into the forks? do you put it in from the top before it's reassembled or after? Iwant to change the oil in my primo terminator but was unsure how. thanks for the great info.
don
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Post by sussexscooterhead on Oct 19, 2006 17:56:54 GMT -5
I tried to explain the process with the captions below the pics I posted to flickr but hopefully this will help clear things up further:
I added the oil after reassembly (of the fork) but this involves removing the top cap and the main fork spring so for me to say they're reassembled wouldn't be 100% accurate.
In order to tighten the bottom allen bolt during assembly, the main spring and top cap have to be temporarily installed. Once the bolt is tight and the fork is ready for oil, remove the cap and spring and add 150cc of oil. Don't get too fussy about this measurement because you'll be dumping some out shortly.
The fork spring and cap will not get reinstalled until you're finished with the oil adding process.
Move the fork through it's stroke several times to purge any air from the bottom of the fork leg and around the damping rod. Let's say 15 strokes just for good measure. You'll notice the sound change as the air is blead out.
Now compress the fork fully. The last 1/2" might be kind of stiff but don't worry about that. Using something like a pencil or screw driver or something small, measure and mark 92mm or 3 5/8" from one end. You'll use this to set the height of the oil as measured from the top of the chrome tube. Dump oil from the tube until you can slide the marked pencil or whatever you used into the fork tube and it just touches the top of the oil.
This doesn't have to be overly precise although it would be better for our applications to err on the side of more oil than less.
The amount of oil that you will end up with is so small that I don't have the means to accurately measure it. This process of setting oil height is a pretty standard proceedure, though, and I arrived at this measurement by checking the stock height prior to disassembly and adding a bit in an attempt to stiffen the last little bit of travel.
You'll be amazed how simple these forks are to work on so go ahead and dive in.
The other thing I should mention is that all this is done before the forks are put back on the scooter.
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Post by back-doc on Oct 20, 2006 21:03:40 GMT -5
sussex, thanks for a wonderful and understandable explanation. this would make a great chapter for a manuel.
don
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Post by compspecials on Jul 29, 2008 0:37:11 GMT -5
Clicked your link to see how to change fork oil but only got 3 photos of scooters?  I guess this must have been taken down already for us newbies. |
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Post by nikolai on Jul 31, 2008 15:10:00 GMT -5
If you can't get hold of fork oil, or aren't too picky (like I am) regular automatic transmission fluid works just fine.
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Post by luckeydawg on Jul 31, 2008 17:28:47 GMT -5
BRing back the picks!!! This was just a tease!!! lol
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Post by wildbill on Jul 31, 2008 20:10:03 GMT -5
I went to the "how to page" but nothing was on it but pics and a "how good a guy" a salesman was u purchased from.where's the rest? wildbill
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Post by mollymil on Aug 10, 2008 13:31:41 GMT -5
Man...I really could use those pics. I am def. a visual person. I was going to offer to host the pics if he was having bandwidth issues, but I sussex hasn't been on here since March. Hope all's well Sessex.
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I guess this must have been taken down already for us newbies.
