fork oil substitutes?

I used ATF in the forks on my old Honda 500 - actually that was what the factory manual recommended for that particular bike.

Only downside to ATF is that after a couple of years of use it'll stink like you wouldn't believe - when I took the Honda forks apart to change the seals I almost puked.

Btw, for both my KZs I use fork oil...

That GS750 that I just bought says that ATF is an option for fork oil as well.

TerryK wrote:

The way I see it, why use anything other than the recommended product? The factory designed the parts to use a specific oil and thats good enough for me. Other than cost, I see no reason to change.

And yet your sig says:

1977 KZ1000
GSXR swingarm and rear brake
WM6 rear Akront rim
Wiseco 1075c pistons
34mm Mikuni flat slide carbs
Dyna S ignition
Lockhart oil cooler
Wiseco pipe

I don't believe those are Kawasaki "Factory designed" parts :laugh: :laugh:


You think a 100 lb rider requires the same wt fork oil as a 300 lb rider?

OK, I think I got what I needed. I think I'll try the synthetic motor oil for now. Thanks(to MOST of you) !

Why not fork oil?

mile and a half of ice and snow just to get to the main road from there the closest bike shop is about 18 miles. closest auto part store is about 10 minutes away! may be able to get the girlfriend to pic it up on her way home!

One thing I found out the hard way is that viscosity numbers for fork oil and auto motor oil are not on the same scale. Once upon a time I blended some motor oil with some 10W fork oil to get it "a little stiffer" and ended up with forks that were ridiculously hard and like to loosen my teeth. To make life simple, I just use the 15W fork oil which seems perfect for street riding.

Patton wrote:

Or just run 'em dry to prevent leaks. :lol:

+2. My other personality agrees with you too.

Frankn9 wrote:

mile and a half of ice and snow just to get to the main road from there the closest bike shop is about 18 miles. closest auto part store is about 10 minutes away! may be able to get the girlfriend to pic it up on her way home!

And you need fork oil right now because why? It's not like it has to be in there for you to sit on it and make engine noises.....vrooom, vrooom, vrooom.

steell wrote:

TerryK wrote:

The way I see it, why use anything other than the recommended product? The factory designed the parts to use a specific oil and thats good enough for me. Other than cost, I see no reason to change.

And yet your sig says:

1977 KZ1000
GSXR swingarm and rear brake
WM6 rear Akront rim
Wiseco 1075c pistons
34mm Mikuni flat slide carbs
Dyna S ignition
Lockhart oil cooler
Wiseco pipe

I don't believe those are Kawasaki "Factory designed" parts :laugh: :laugh:


You think a 100 lb rider requires the same wt fork oil as a 300 lb rider?

So what is your point? We're talking about oil, not parts. I use what's recommended and see no reason to change. I didn't say not to use after market parts, I just said I use factory recommended lubricants. Also, who said anything about using different weight fork oil? Any moron knows you have to use different weight oils for different weight riders and conditions.

Next time, maybe you should re-read what people type before you take shots.

TerryK wrote:

steell wrote:

TerryK wrote:

The way I see it, why use anything other than the recommended product? The factory designed the parts to use a specific oil and thats good enough for me. Other than cost, I see no reason to change.

And yet your sig says:

1977 KZ1000
GSXR swingarm and rear brake
WM6 rear Akront rim
Wiseco 1075c pistons
34mm Mikuni flat slide carbs
Dyna S ignition
Lockhart oil cooler
Wiseco pipe

I don't believe those are Kawasaki "Factory designed" parts :laugh: :laugh:


You think a 100 lb rider requires the same wt fork oil as a 300 lb rider?

So what is your point? We're talking about oil, not parts. I use what's recommended and see no reason to change. I didn't say not to use after market parts, I just said I use factory recommended lubricants. Also, who said anything about using different weight fork oil? Any moron knows you have to use different weight oils for different weight riders and conditions.

Next time, maybe you should re-read what people type before you take shots.

The manual specifies the fork oil weight, and you're saying to use the specified lubricants, so if you're not saying anything about fork oil weight, then you're not saying anything at all.

Pointing out the irony of someone with a seriously modified bike saying to use the manufacturers recommended fluids is not "taking shots". Maybe you need to develop a sense of humor

steell wrote:

TerryK wrote:

steell wrote:

TerryK wrote:

The way I see it, why use anything other than the recommended product? The factory designed the parts to use a specific oil and thats good enough for me. Other than cost, I see no reason to change.

And yet your sig says:

1977 KZ1000
GSXR swingarm and rear brake
WM6 rear Akront rim
Wiseco 1075c pistons
34mm Mikuni flat slide carbs
Dyna S ignition
Lockhart oil cooler
Wiseco pipe

I don't believe those are Kawasaki "Factory designed" parts :laugh: :laugh:


You think a 100 lb rider requires the same wt fork oil as a 300 lb rider?

So what is your point? We're talking about oil, not parts. I use what's recommended and see no reason to change. I didn't say not to use after market parts, I just said I use factory recommended lubricants. Also, who said anything about using different weight fork oil? Any moron knows you have to use different weight oils for different weight riders and conditions.

Next time, maybe you should re-read what people type before you take shots.

The manual specifies the fork oil weight, and you're saying to use the specified lubricants, so if you're not saying anything about fork oil weight, then you're not saying anything at all.

Pointing out the irony of someone with a seriously modified bike saying to use the manufacturers recommended fluids is not "taking shots". Maybe you need to develop a sense of humor

Actually it is. All I did was share my opinion (which the OP asked for) and you decide to twist shit around into something it wasn't intended to be. Try to add some quality to the thread rather than trying to make someone look stupid. (other than yourself)