Fork oil issues.

Just replaced the fork seals on my csr1000, upon reassembly the manual says to put in approx 350cc of oil to get a gap level of about 185mm from top of tube to oil level ( compressed )
My issue is, to get that gap I had to put in nearly 450 cc of oil. All back on the bike now and the forks seem real hard with not much rebound. What have I done wrong ??

Somebody else probably has a better answer, but I would just add the specified amount. then check the fluid level with a dipstick
(without taking a measurement) just to see that they're both the same or about the same. I've seen old topics in which the
Kawasaki mechanics didn't bother doing the measurement after adding the oil. I checked the manual and the 81 & 82 1000-CSR
models use about the same amount of fork oil: the 82 M2 is 347 +/- 4cc, but a dipstick measurement isn't listed for the 82 models.

Microfiche. Alternatively, there may be a service bulletin & it may be found on a microfiche with the parts diagrams. I think most libraries would have a microfiche reader. ??? ... microfiche cards are usually listed on EB.

Thanks, in my manual the years arnt listed, just says kz1000 m. So I presume it's the same for 81 and 82. It says 351cc +/- 4 with a gap of 184 +/- 2
This is what I added but ended up with a gap of about 220 mm !!
Think I should drain and start again just adding the right amount and not worry about the gap ? Is strange though !!

Somebody else might have a better answer. I was referencing the Kawasaki 81-83 KZ1000/1100 FSM pdf which may be available here in the Filebase.

As for the gap, for comparison the oil level on my 81 KZ650-CSR should be 433mm below the top w the fork springs removed & the forks fully extended, so it's measured differently than yours. The 650-CSR wheel travel is 180mm. Subtracting that should be the same as with the fork tube fully compressed, so the gap would be about 253 mm. so the 220mm you measured isn't concerning to me. But again, somebody else with a 1000 might be able to shed more light. :blush:

Can you post a picture of the front forks? If you're not the original owner maybe someone installed different forks. Ed

If you do a complete fork rebuild (all internal parts out and dry), you will need more oil as the Workshop Manual prefer!!!
Do fill up oil into the fork tube fully compressed to the 185 mm Level and you are on the save side.
I made this cheap tool to adjust the fork leg oil level.





kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/606694-harsh-ride?start=24#768981

He said he added extra oil to bring the fluid level up to 185mm, but the ride is now hard without much rebound.
So it seems logical to me to add the correct amount of fork oil, instead going by the fluid level. ???

At the risk of being redundant here, I would start over and drain all the fork oil out. Pump the forks several times during the process to make sure all the oil is drained. Then add what the manual claims is the "wet" level of fork oil. There are "dry" levels and "wet" levels. Wet is obviously less. Fill it with the called for amount of oil and leave it alone and test ride it. Many years ago I made the mistake of adding a little "extra" fork oil thinking it would be a good thing and I got one bounce and then a rigid front end. If some is good, more isn't necessarily better in all situations......
Rick H.

Here's a picture of the forks, pretty certain they're standard, everything else is..