Does changing fork oil make a difference?

The oil serves a couple of purposes in your forks. It provides lubrication for the sliding parts, keeping them from wearing metal to metal. The oil also provides your damping. The viscosity of the oil will break down over time and produce less damping action and needs to be replaced because of this.

Does motorcycle fork oil go bad?

Registered. It doesn’t go bad. Use what you’ve got.

When should I change my fork oil seal?

Replace Fork Seals Fork seals should be replaced after 40 hours of riding or two years if you don’t ride very often.

What weight is motorcycle fork oil?

Standard fork oil weight is in the 7W range. Switching to 10W will make the suspension move slower through the travel, but it may cause the rebound to be too slow, making the forks pack down over successive bumps.

What is special about fork oil?

Fork oil is a specific kind of product. It isn’t motor oil. This oil is designed to do just one function. Fork oil comes in a variety of ‘weight’ or thickness grades.

Can I use engine oil as fork oil?

motor oil works well in the outer chambers of twin chamber forks. I first used it in my honda now my yamaha and I think the 5/20 motor oil is slicker and offers less stiction. Some have said the honda forks mix the outer and inner oils over time so that might be a problem if you run your too long between changes.

How do you know if your forks are bad?

Once both the forks are clean, take your bike out for a quick spin. If you notice oil or grime around the forks at the end of your ride, there’s a good chance that the fork seals need to be replaced. To prevent any further damage, you should get the seals replaced.

Does shock fluid go bad?

Yes shock oil does go bad but not quickly becuase most oils are silicone. Most of the time the oil becomes contaminated and dirty long before the oil breaks down. But since your oil is still in the bottle, it should be good to go. So the oil in shocks should be changed with use not so much with age.

How long can fork oil last?

Usually, the change interval for the fork oil ranges from 10,000 miles to 20,000 miles depending on the motorcycle manufacturer and model. A general replacement rule of changing the fork oil every 10,000 miles or annually should keep the front suspension in good working condition.

How long should motorcycle fork seals last?

While every two years would be ideal, assuming they have no problems, every three to four years (unless you’re on track or riding an awful lot) should be fine.

How often should you service your motorcycle fork oil?

Touring bikes and cruisers can probably double that interval before the service will offer noticeable improvements. But whatever the interval, it’s certainly not “never.” Anyone can change motorcycle fork oil, but disassembly is an involved process. RG3 Suspension

Why do you need to remove old motorcycle oil?

It makes perfect sense to remove old oil because, like engine oil, its performance diminishes over time. Heat, shearing, and contamination are the key culprits. Forks move at a very fast rate, sometimes up to 2 meters per second. Think about that. We’re dealing with a lot of movement over the course of a bike’s life.

How long does fork oil take to work?

After a few miles the fork oil will begin to warm and change its flow characteristics, providing a little more suppleness to fork travel. That will improve considerably the longer you ride, but only to a point.

Why do I need to change my fork oil?

If you ride for longer periods of time and/or for more miles on your average bumpy roads the fork oil will get thinner and thinner, and then you have little damping to go with your springing. Modern suspension uses very light oils.