front fork dampering

well thanks guys i dont have an air system on mine. so basicly just suspend the forks in air drain the fluid and refill with everything intacted????

you will need to find the exact amount in cc. or oz. which ever you are comfortable and as was mentioned do not use engine oil. fork oil has certain seal swelling qualitys that engine oil doesn't it is important to get as muce oil out as you possibly can so what i do is take out the drain screw on the bottom outside of the slider and ge a drain pan ready and pump your front forks until nothing comes out then get the front end in the air somehow and remove the fork tube tops they will come out tight and go together even tighter you may have to get help for this when you are putting them back in. fill the fork with the proper amount be carefull when doing this as some fork set have different quanities for left and right sides. one other thing when you are taking the caps off make sure there is no load onthe forks because if there is you will sure as hell get a fork cap in the face. alsoyou might have to undo the top camp bolts as they sometimes put pressure on the top of the tube making it tough to get the cap out.

chevyhead wrote:

well thanks guys i dont have an air system on mine. so basicly just suspend the forks in air drain the fluid and refill with everything intacted????

After draining and pumping with drain holes open to remove as much old oil as possible, tighten drain screws, suspend front tire off the floor, remove fork caps, fill with correct volume to proper level (here's where the dipstick is handy to set the level without worrying about the exact cc's or how much is sticking to sides of the measuring cup, etc.)

Good Luck!

that's if your manual gives heights alot of the older manuals don't all they give is quantity.

timebomb33 wrote:

...might have to undo the top camp bolts as they sometimes put pressure on the top of the tube making it tough to get the cap out.

Amen!

Another tip would be to wrap towels or shop rags around the forks to catch old oil which may spew from the drain hole when pumping the forks. I may hold the record for this at something like 10 feet across the garage floor. :lol:

Good Luck!

chevyhead wrote: just suspend the forks in air drain the fluid and refill

That is not how you do it. You really should get a factory service manual. You will need it for all the many regular maintenance items (like fork oil change) not to mention larger projects, plus it will explain how the various system on your bike work. They're cheap on eBay; be sure to get the one for your specific model. It will save you TONS of work, headaches, and money. I promise that you will not regret it. Ed

650ed wrote:

USE FORK OIL - NOT MOTOR OIL!!! Every motorcycle shop on the planet sells it. Bel Ray is an outstanding product, but there are others that will also work. Fork oil is meant to be used in hydraulic systems; motor oil is a lubricant intended to reduce friction between metal parts. The two are NOT the same. Just like olive oil isn't the same as cutting oil. You should get a Kawasaki factory service manual for your bike so you can perform all the normal maintenance items. They're always available on eBay. Ed

iveused motor oil for years in frontends without issues.in my young days when i liked to wheelie a lot i ran 10w40 in last 5-6 years ive switched to 30w synthetic motor oil with no problems.

I know a guy who used to use Heinz ketchup. He said it worked great and tasted good too. I’ll stick with fork oil. I notice that Kawasaki used fork oil when they built the bikes even though they could have used ketchup at a lower price. Ed

ok well thanks alot guys you have helped me a bunch!!!!!! lol on the distance record.. not a fan of ketchup either lol

honda used atf in all there forks for years because it was light weight about 7 wt. and it had seal swell in it as well because aperently fork oil leaking on to your nice new brake pads is a bad thing.

Chevy. some thougts.Period forks were pretty simple, fork springs & lengths were for average riders. damping the same. and both without external adjustment. 1 plus is that they seldom leaked,possibly because they ran so little oil. damping is controled via the diametres of escape holes in lower plunger. these bits are so primitive they seldom require replacement. exess travel can be due to lack of oil. oil contamition, worn bits, sacked/ broken springs, et:all. start cheap. replace fork oil w/ 1 grade heavier and maybe 10% more. hope this helps. g

ok thanks alot to all the advise i'll try this and let ya know how it works and what all i do.