fork oil substitutes?

I'm with ya TerryK I appriciated your input. but all this guy is on this forum for is to waste peoples time with stupid coments but it's ok as long as he puts a smiley face at the end cause then its just a joke right:laugh:

bountyhunter wrote:

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.

Here is a link to viscosity equivalents.

www.bobistheoilguy.com/visc.html

Last fall I drained my forks to put in new fork oil. The crap that came out must have been 33 years old. Rather than put the fork oil in, I poured in the proper volume of Mobil DTE 24 hydraulic oil as used in my lathe. I have a gallon jug on hand. The idea was just to flush out the crud from the old oil and then change it again using the 15 wt. fork oil. The hydraulic oil I used is ISO 32 weight, equivalent to SAE 5 wt. Needless to say the damping was less than marvelous. About ISO 64 would have been better. I think most hydraulic oils would work if the viscosity is right. Does anyone know what is special about fork oil outside of the label?

I use synthetic ATF in mine. Valvoline, is my preference because it is a bit more viscous. The Harley guys have been doing it for decades.

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.

I doubt that you use factory recommended lubricants. Motor oils back than were SF rated and have changed quite a few times since than. I doubt that there is a oil on the market today that has the proper additives in the proper proportions for these old motors.

TomW wrote:

bountyhunter wrote:

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.

Here is a link to viscosity equivalents.

www.bobistheoilguy.com/visc.html

Last fall I drained my forks to put in new fork oil. The crap that came out must have been 33 years old. Rather than put the fork oil in, I poured in the proper volume of Mobil DTE 24 hydraulic oil as used in my lathe. I have a gallon jug on hand. The idea was just to flush out the crud from the old oil and then change it again using the 15 wt. fork oil. The hydraulic oil I used is ISO 32 weight, equivalent to SAE 5 wt. Needless to say the damping was less than marvelous. About ISO 64 would have been better. I think most hydraulic oils would work if the viscosity is right. Does anyone know what is special about fork oil outside of the label?

The additive package for fork oil is different.

It is supposed to have "seal swelling" additives and anti oxidation stuff.

Thanks again guys this is good info. I'm down to just 7 bikes now and they all run different oils in the forks. this is the first time I've done anything to the forks on my kz1000 and I was lookin for alternatives from people with real world experience. but I'm thinking since no oil drained out of the forks when I took them apart, anything will be an improvement!!

I run ATF in my Z1 which is comparable to 10w fork oil. I only run 5w top of the line fork oils in my MX bikes. You should service them at least once a year.

The oem fork oil in a new Z1 was often derided as "fish oil" with recommendation to replace with a better quality product.

Some early bike mag road tests suggested ATF as the option for a "much stiffer ride."

But the ATF didn't seem all that much "stiffer" to me.

Good Fortune!

Not all ATFs are created equal. Some are a bit more viscous than others. Plus there are some really good additives that will increase the viscosity even more.

otakar wrote:

Not all ATFs are created equal. Some are a bit more viscous than others. Plus there are some really good additives that will increase the viscosity even more.

otto-tives! :woohoo:

PLUMMEN wrote:

otakar wrote:

Not all ATFs are created equal. Some are a bit more viscous than others. Plus there are some really good additives that will increase the viscosity even more.

otto-tives! :woohoo:

Now THAT was funny. :laugh: :laugh: :blush:

i was hoping youd say that! :laugh: