Changing front Fork Oil.

[Blueraven]

Hello All,

I want to change the front fork oil on my 2004 Nomad. After reading the book and on Gadgets sight, it is asking me to remove the handlebars, top triple tree clamp, windshield bracket and a few other things. What I did do was to loosen the 17mm bolt before unclamping the fork. I did remove the wheel, fender and calipers (which seemed logical) .

So my question, WHY do I need to take all that other stuff off. I was able to take the fork (the right side so far) with out taking the handlebars and all that other stuff off.

Your help would be appreciated.

[Vulcan Bill]

Do you have stock risers and bars? Maybe they block access to the fork caps and spring removel. I already had risers installed when i did mine so getting to the caps wasn't a problem.
Seems to be a couple of different ways to go about this depending on how thourough you want to be. The simplest way is to just pull the caps off, suck the old fluid out, refill and put the caps back on but if you want to make sure you get any grunge and grime out of the sliders considerably more disassembly is required.

[ringadingh]

Its worth the extra work to clean the fork tubes out, just replacing the fluid isn't good enough, especially on an older bike.

[Blueraven]

Its worth the extra work to clean the fork tubes out, just replacing the fluid isn't good enough, especially on an older bike.

Do you mean to remove the cartridge too and clean it? I got the spring off by myself but it seems like it is going to be a bitch putting it back on. Oh ya, the oil that is coming out is pink in color. Normal?

[ringadingh]

I'd remove the cartridge, aand clean it well, also the lower fork tube will have a buildup of crud in it. Pink or red oil is normal depending on the brand used, I'd go with 15 or 20wt oil when replacing.

[Vulcan Bill]

Tip: Removing the cartridge can be frusrating because it tends to spin inside when your turning the bolt. After screwing with it for two days trying every DIY tool I could find on-line I went to Harbor Freight and invested about $30 in a pnuematic impact hammer. Had those screws removed and cartridges out in about 30 seconds with that!
The springs are not really that difficult to reinstall.

[ringadingh]

Thats how I remove the cartridges as well, an impact gun has them on and off in a second.

[Blueraven]

What to do you clean the tube and cartridge with, mineral spirits?

[Vulcan Bill]

^^^
I keep a can of spray degreaser/cleaner around for that stuff, the kind that evaporates and leaves the part dry. One more thing about removing the inner cyclinder bolts. Theres a copper washer under the bolt head that seals it up and keeps your fork oil from leaking out of the bottom. Your supposed to replace these but if they're in good shape and you clean them REAL GOOD they will re-seal. At least mine did,,,the second time i took them back off and cleaned them after they leaked the first time! http://vulcanbagger.com/forums/images/icons/iconmecker.gif I'f I ever take my lower legs apart again I'll make sure I have new ones on hand.

[ringadingh]

I'd let it soak a bit in a can of varsol, work the cartridge and blow it out with a compressor until all the crud is gone. I actually took my cartridge apart, and cleaned it out thoroughly. There is a wire circlip that has to be removed to do this.

[Blueraven]

I'd let it soak a bit in a can of varsol, work the cartridge and blow it out with a compressor until all the crud is gone. I actually took my cartridge apart, and cleaned it out thoroughly. There is a wire circlip that has to be removed to do this.

Did you find a big improvement and worth it to take the cartridge apart? Just wondering if the effort is worth it. I can't find 20 wt oil so I am using 15 wt oil.

[ringadingh]

It did feel better after a thorough cleaning, and 15wt oil is better than the oem 10wt.

[Blueraven]

The job is a success. Thanks for your help.

[dan313]

My forks have gotten spongy and are starting to bang when i hit a large bump the road. I am going to change my oil also. I contacted kawasaki and they want $275 plus oil to do the job. Bunch of crooks..

Thanks for the info

Lenny

[VulcanE]

It's not a hard job to do, It's just time consuming.

[pete]

For anyone considering doing there own front fork maintenance I have a few pic's of homemade tools to do the job in my album section.
Not hard to make and only a few $$ and your time.
The 3 tools were all from idea's and pic's from this forum and google.
Thank you members, thank you google :)

[ctrider]

Search the forum there are a lot of good posts about changing the fork oil. Since you have the front end apart you might want to consider lubing the steering bearings also. Just need to take the triple tree off. I suspended my bars from the garage door opener. That worked very well for me. I also used mac's idea of using a baby bottle to measure how much oil came out. The opening of the baby bottle fit right over the fork tube and just let them drain for a few hrs. it was very close to what the service manual said I should put back in. be really careful putting the fork oil cap back on start the threading counter clockwise until it clicks then you know you in the threads. Good luck with it.

[ppgflyer]

I'll second the lubing of the head bearing, I didn't do that when I did my front forks and ended up doing it later, so do it at the same time is my advise.

I also recommend taking off the handlebar, triple tree top, headlight bucket and all the trim that goes with it. The forks can be removed and re-mounted without removing them but it get a bit fiddly.

The reason for the latter is that there are two rubber grommets on each suspension tube in the chrome top tube trim sections which will be left behind but love to pop out when you put the fork tubes back in. Trying to get them to stay in place is a bitch, so removing the chrome headlight trim makes it much easier to get it all back together.

[dan313]

I changed my fork oil today. It was pretty straight forward. Not hard at all just time consuming. I'll take it for a spin tomorrow. I did notice that it is still soft. I thought it would be a little stiffer. I used 15wt oil and followed the instructions on Gadgets page.

Lenny

[cbutteris]

This thread had some good information and tips - others did too.

I went with just a set of Progressive springs & fresh 15W oil. (Maxima Racing Formula)

A short ride confirmed the change was overdue. Last fall I was starting to notice more diving and banging on sharp bumps - much better now.

I was short on a couple tools so I opted to just pull the springs, compress the forks, and slurped out the sludgy old oil with a suction. ( I made sure to reach all the way to the bottom)

Stock spacers were 5.625" so I just put those back in even though Progressive recommended cutting the supplied PVC to 6". I had about 1" of preload when I put the caps back on, maybe a little more.

If there is a Murphy's law that applies here, the fork seals should start leaking about next week. :yep:

[macmac]

You take the gas tank off so you don't ding it up and you remove both triple trees so you can grease the head stock bearings.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll275/Mac_Muz/Nomad/2013/DSC01921web_zps90ecb822.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Mac_Muz/media/Nomad/2013/DSC01921web_zps90ecb822.jpg.html)

[macmac]

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll275/Mac_Muz/Nomad/2013/DSC01920web_zpsf876734d.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Mac_Muz/media/Nomad/2013/DSC01920web_zpsf876734d.jpg.html)

[macmac]

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll275/Mac_Muz/Nomad/2013/DSC01919web_zps370b4a72.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Mac_Muz/media/Nomad/2013/DSC01919web_zps370b4a72.jpg.html)

[macmac]

use 20 w fork oil it works better than 15w
Hope the pics show details... and are not over the top.

AND watch close for one tube to have pink trashy looking oil and the other to look as new. i was caught by surprise and would like to know which side is trashy pink. This was noticed by others but they too were caught by surprise.

[canuckrider]

I contacted kawasaki and they want $275 plus oil to do the job. Bunch of crooks..

I'm probably the odd man here defending the dealer, but from what others have said it is a time consuming job. I don't have a clue what labor rates are in your area but if they are in the $100/hour area, that's probably not outrageous.

A bit off topic here, but I'm getting tired of people slamming the dealers all the time. Like any type of business, (doctors, lawyers, plumbers) there are good ones and there are bad ones. Most MC dealers are honest people trying to run a good business, give good customer service, keep their staff employed, cover their overhead and end up with some profit in their pocket at the end of the day. If you aren't prepared to support your local dealer to some degree, don't complain when they close their doors and you have to go another 100 miles or so to get your parts and your service work done.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[redjay]

If the dealership are taking the forks off the bike to do the job then $275 sounds reasonable. If they are sucking the old oil out with a pump and leaving the forks on the bike then $275 is a lot.

My estimate is that it would probably take me 4 hours plus to take the fork legs off the bike, change the fork oil and grease the steering bearings.

If that is what they are going to do then $275 is not too bad in my opinion.

[cbutteris]

Most MC dealers are honest people trying to run a good business, give good customer service, keep their staff employed, cover their overhead and end up with some profit in their pocket at the end of the day. If you aren't prepared to support your local dealer to some degree, don't complain when they close their doors and you have to go another 100 miles or so to get your parts and your service work done.

Just my 2 cents worth.

2 replies - First to the quote above. I agree that we don't want dealers to go away, and parts/service is where they have to make money to keep doors open. Like you said, some dealers have good help and others wish they did.

Cost of service is part of ownership. I have a roller chest of tools and like to tinker, so I've done most service on my own. Actually, I asked a dealer to do the swing arm service at one point and the mechanic talked me out of it. ? Did that later myself too.

Second, to Mac - I did the minimal service only on this pass. Didn't even pull the tank off. Just padded it really well and laid the handlebars behind the risers and on top of the tank. SO, I have no doubt that I'll be taking things apart again later to lube the stem and change seals. Maybe next time I change the tire when I can be better prepared.

Thanks all, for the help / advice / photos! :tup:

[redjay]

When I am doing work on the bike that requires removal of the handlebars I suspend the handlebars from the roof trusses in the garage using a couple of ratchet straps. That keeps the brake and clutch master cylinders upright. I also cover the tank with a blanket just in case I drop a wrench.

[minst7877]

I live in the same town as Chuckster and I had him do my fork oil change this spring. It was worth every penny that I paid him and he did put in the 20wt oil. The pics that he sent me showed the forks pulled from the triple tree and hanging upside down draining. The oil that came out looked like used motor oil it was that black. He also puts in some spirits and pumps the cylinders to clean them out. Bike handles much better now.

DC

[cbutteris]

The oil that came out looked like used motor oil it was that black. He also puts in some spirits and pumps the cylinders to clean them out. Bike handles much better now.

DC

I wondered about that - if it's okay to use another fluid or solvent to clean things up. Like ATF, Sea Foam, or mineral spirits.

My fork oil was really dark red and murky, on both sides.

[minst7877]

After the spirits put a little fork oil in pump them and let me drain again

DC

[macmac]

If I recall it took me around 6 hours, but i was taking my time and cleaning everything, and used a sticky wax oil from MSC that semi hardens inside the chromed tube covers, after brushing the light scale rust out. I do the same to the inside of the lamp bucks and any places with a lack of rust protection. And like I said one tube but i don't know which was pink murky mung oil and the other looked as new. i can't get that figured out. Sorry for the poor lighting in the above shots, but I hope they may still help.