'07 Fork Oil Change
#42
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Great post. At 15K one of the mechanics suggested servicing the forks I told him I'd wait on it til 25K after reading the recommended is at 50K. I stopped taking in my bike after the warranty expired. Now I'm at 30K I was considering taking it in to get the service done ... no need to now. Thanks.
#43
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Set out today with rain in every direction, got about two miles and had to turn back. Still haven't accomplished a good test, but on moderately smooth pavement the SE Heavy feels no different from the stock Type E fluid, which I consider a victory. We don't need a rougher ride for no reason, but am looking forward to a more controlled ride with less bottoming, as has been described by others. Will try again tomorrow for a more thorough test, as I'm anxious to find out more myself. Bear with me, as the weather around here lately has been awful. At least the rain is cooling things down, though.
Last edited by iclick; 08-16-2008 at 11:21 PM.
#44
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Glad it helped. I'm certain the factory fluid is not normal fork oil, and I'll bet it would be black if you drained it after 10 miles. A friend who formerly owned a Suzuki dealership said this black stuff was common in Japanese forks, but he didn't know the composition either. Showa (Japan) has made HD forks for many years.
#45
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I took a longer ride this morning before the afternoon monsoons set in, and have some impressions on the SE Heavy fork oil. First, it firms the forks up a bit, but not to the point of being harsh and unnoticably on normal surfaces. Overall control seems better and I felt no bottoming like I occasionally incurred with the factory fluid. This bike didn't bottom that often, so I'll reserve judgment long enough to give it a longer-term test. With the factory setup I did feel like the forks were too loose and that they needed heavier oil.
I would say that using the SE Heavy would be the preferred alternative over the Type E, but I don't think there would be any benefit to going heavier with the SE Extra Heavy. One guy mixed SE-H and E equally, so if I decide it needs to be softer I may try that next time, but for now I'm happy with the result. OTOH, I always used Type E in my old RK and had no complaints, but those were air forks and I always had at least 15psi in them, which helped to control bottoming.
I would say that using the SE Heavy would be the preferred alternative over the Type E, but I don't think there would be any benefit to going heavier with the SE Extra Heavy. One guy mixed SE-H and E equally, so if I decide it needs to be softer I may try that next time, but for now I'm happy with the result. OTOH, I always used Type E in my old RK and had no complaints, but those were air forks and I always had at least 15psi in them, which helped to control bottoming.
#46
#48
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Now that
#50
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Since all the old oil can be drained, I see no downside to this abbreviated procedure.