Fork oil replacement

Ey up guys, can someone please confirm that what I am about to do next is the correct way to do it.

Jack up bike to relieve pressure on the forks.
Remove plastic caps from top of forks (see piccy)
undo and remove bolts from inside forks (see piccy)
remove small drain screw at bottom end of forks to allow oil to flow out

Replace small drain screw, and fill up with specified amount of new oil (can anyone tell me what this should be) It is an XJ900 1994

Replace bolts inside forks
Replace plastic caps.

If I have missed anything, could you please advise as to what.
Thanks guys
Ady

 

Hello, mate. My bike is the XJ600 but is very similar to the 900. I changed my oil exactly as you described. When you undo the fork cap, my springs came up about 1 inch, so you have to apply firm pressure to get the cap back on.

I have read that you can pump the forks to expell the last of the oil, but I didn't because another member pumped his forks and they got stuck down!

I can't help with the level but try www.carlsalter.com for a free manual download (The website is slow though!)

 

Markie is correct. Pumping is not only important to clear out the old oil & gunk from everywhere, you should also continue draining and repeating this step until you're satisifed that the oil coming out is clean & clear. You go through more fork oil this way but otherwise, you're likely leaving a lot of old broken-down oil & contaminents in there.

Not pumping is like taking a shower but not bothering to use soap.

.....lather, rinse, repeat.....


EDIT disclaimer: I'm talking out my ass here. While what I said above is true on my other bikes, I've never worked on an an XJ front end (yet). Compared to an FJR, it sounds like a snap on an XJ. The FJR is a solid afternoon of work to change fork oil properly, involving fork removal, disassembly & removal of the springs.

 

If the bike sat for a long time and what came out was no longer anything resembling oil, it is a good idea to flush a bit of oil through there to clean it out first. Then change the fork oil frequently at least a couple of times, you'll get the rest of the crud out that way.

If you do the pumping before you pull the caps the forks can't stick down.

 

+1

When I do them I jack up and remove front wheel. Remove top plug, put pan under forks. Remove drain plug and let drain over night. If you decide to pump the oil out remember that it's easy to shoot it about 10M out that little hole.

Also, if you loosen the top pinch bolts on the tree you're a lot less likely to bugger the fork cap bolt when removing it.

 

Do these same procedures apply to the XJ750 Seca? I have reason to suspect the fork oil in mine is original. It seems to work OK, but I want to change it just to be safe.

 

talleyran, it's not exactly the same. The fork cap bolt we have is held in by a circlip. After letting the air out, you have to compress the cap using an instrument like a screw driver, and while holding it down, pull the clip out. I used a set of picks and a lot of patience. I'm not sure about doing it with the forks on the bike. With them off, I put the upper tube in a vise (with some wood around it for padding) and go to town.

We do have the drain screw in the anit-dive units. A whole thread on rebuilding the XJ750 Seca forks (with anit-dive) can be found here: http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... build.html

 

BLIMEY, I am so impressed with this site. Every question I've asked so far has come back with a mulitude of answers, Thanks guys, it's people like you who spare the time to help useless buggers like me out, that make sites like this, the best around.

Cheers guys

Ady

 

dont go praising them too much Ady.... they havnt answered my question yet.. whats the meaning of life?

 

That question might get you converted to another religion 8O Probably not the best place to ask :lol:

But then riding a bike does give meaning to life. :lol: :lol:

 

Getting from the start of the trip to the end with as little road rash as possible :wink: ...

skillet

 

I would recommend replacing the circlips with new ones they rust and aren't the best quality.

 

Motorcycles..........Thats as far as you need to look for the
meaning of life.

 

youll figure out the meaning of life if you have stuck cap bolts you'll end up like siddartha sitting under a tree for years trying to figure out what to do and your mind will wander a little

 

Thanks for the info and the link, ManBot13, and the circlip advice, BlackMax.

After reading advice and cautions from people wiser than me, I'm grateful that it made the 901 mile ride (in 17 hours) on original tires and brakes without any incidents more serious than a loose exhaust header nut.

Now have new tires and rear brakes.

Meaning of life? Enjoy today and try to make it to tomorrow.

+1 on "Motorcycles"

 

I have found out that each fork takes 276 cc of fork oil, but there are conflicting answers as to the grade of oil. Some say SAE 5W and others say SAE 10W.
Any advice chaps, as to which I should use?
Does anyone have a Haynes Bible or Clymer manual that they could check for me please.

Check the colour of the crap that came out, I think the tub on the left is watered down Marmite, and the one on the right is gravy browning........................time for new me thinks! :lol: :lol:

 

fork weight depends on your weight, how "stiff" / "soft" a ride you want. i think stock is 10w im over 200lbs so i went with 20w and it feels great

 

hahahaha! lmao

i have a 1982 750 seca, and i have the huge 17mm hex nuts as fork caps, the air valves beneath top triple and anti dives too. manual says 20w for me. im 75kg and the bike wont have much of the unnecessary original parts so im thinking if should try the 15w first? again i plan not to use air and take off the air valve clamps so again should i bump up to 20w?

whats the experience on this?

 

From my Clymer manual:

Fork Oil Type:
SAE 10 or equivalent
Fork Oil Capacity:
H, J, K - 272cc
RH, RJ, RK - 230cc
Spring Free Length:
H, J, K - 587mm
RH, RJ, RK - 508mm
Wheel Travel:
150mm