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Need help with for oil
- Thread starter Doom89
- Start date
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- how to maintenance suspension
Airwolfie
XS650 Guru
No you can't. Buy oil specific for fork trees. Read the tech section, all the info is there, you just need to look...............
deadchef
xsbobblehead
actually the early years specified motor oil. later years fork oil. i've heard of people even using atf fluid with good results.
wherearewe
Rub on Ya Titties
You could use motor oil but why not just spend the 10 bucks and get some specified fork oil?
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
Go for fork oil. ATF does not provide lubricity long term, nor does it stay "in grade" for any length of time. The consistency of the front fork's metering (and the feel of the front end) is dependent on the oil holding a specific weight in all conditions, and the fork specific oil has the added lubricity that keeps them sliding nice and smooth. Old tired fork oil and ATF will develop stiction, which is a ratcheting effect where the tubes do not slide nice and smooth on the bushings and seals. You can feel the same thing in your front brake lever when the fluid is tired. When you feel this, wear is accelerating. You'll thank yourself for adding the good stuff, when it feels so much better, and stays that way. I change my fork oil every 15-16K miles, but some folks change it more often. If you use the good stuff, that should be frequent enough.
As far as brands, I prefer Bel-Ray, but even the Yamalube, Hondaline, Kawi-chem, and Suzuki products work pretty well. Off-road brands like Golden Spectro also perform well. With a street XS, you are not liable to over-work the fluid the way an off-road bike, a hard ridden sport bike, or even a heavy cruiser can.
Engine oils will work, but I doubt you can find a suitable single grade oil. Too heavy an oil can yield some very bad results, so stick to 10W or 15W.
I'm sure I'll hear about this, but removing the tubes from the bike is the best way to go. I use ATF as a detergent. I dump my old stuff out the top, then add about 8-10 ounces of ATF and pump it through the bottom circuit. One of it's finer qualities is high detergency, and I let it do it's thing. I let them stand for a few minutes, agitate it again, then dump them and let them stand upside down and drain. After that I'm ready to fill with my new oil. Your mileage may vary, as usual, but this works well for me. I believe the standard recommendation here is to go about an inch higher with the oil level than the manual. Again, in the tech section.
As far as brands, I prefer Bel-Ray, but even the Yamalube, Hondaline, Kawi-chem, and Suzuki products work pretty well. Off-road brands like Golden Spectro also perform well. With a street XS, you are not liable to over-work the fluid the way an off-road bike, a hard ridden sport bike, or even a heavy cruiser can.
Engine oils will work, but I doubt you can find a suitable single grade oil. Too heavy an oil can yield some very bad results, so stick to 10W or 15W.
I'm sure I'll hear about this, but removing the tubes from the bike is the best way to go. I use ATF as a detergent. I dump my old stuff out the top, then add about 8-10 ounces of ATF and pump it through the bottom circuit. One of it's finer qualities is high detergency, and I let it do it's thing. I let them stand for a few minutes, agitate it again, then dump them and let them stand upside down and drain. After that I'm ready to fill with my new oil. Your mileage may vary, as usual, but this works well for me. I believe the standard recommendation here is to go about an inch higher with the oil level than the manual. Again, in the tech section.
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The Haynes manual says:
UK models..............10W30 SE motor oil
US models..............10W fork oil
I tried the 10W oil and I did not like it..............too much front end dive. I have used
15W40 motor oil for about 5 years now, and find it works great. Front end control is very good.
Don't be a contrarian like me..................probably best to use real fork oil
UK models..............10W30 SE motor oil
US models..............10W fork oil
I tried the 10W oil and I did not like it..............too much front end dive. I have used
15W40 motor oil for about 5 years now, and find it works great. Front end control is very good.
Don't be a contrarian like me..................probably best to use real fork oil
