ST1100 Fork Oil change - How to?

dwalby said:

Darn it, you've ruined my plan to fly out there in the name of automotive research. I was willing to tour various KY establishments to accumulate a variety of alcohol based solvents that could have been used in an attempt to dissolve the offending gunk. Glad you got it back to normal.

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Hey buddy, anytime your in the neighborhood, I know most of the "alcohol based solvent" establishments quite well, (especially the Bourbon Distilleries) and would happily take you on a tour!

Slasher said:

Hey buddy, anytime your in the neighborhood, I know most of the "alcohol based solvent" establishments quite well, (especially the Bourbon Distilleries) and would happily take you on a tour!

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Never know............could be a new founded cleaner product for ultru-sonic carb cleanin' found.....possibilities are endless.

I'm looking to change fork oil in my 1993 ST1100 ABS. I've been searching but cant find the oil type and level for my particular year and I'm unsure if different years had different specs. Thanks for your assistance!

The Honda service manual states that the recommended fluid is "Pro Honda Suspension Fluis SS-7" and the fork oil levels for an ABS-TCS model are

Right fork 177
left fork 174

Thank you!

Slasher is that the actual oil level or the measurement between the oil and the top of the fork? I appreciate your assistance.

distance from top of fork, fully compressed, no spring

Gotchya! Thank you. I just ordered OEM fork seal kits, bushings and cap o rings. I think I'm going to have a motorcycle mechanic friend of mine do the deal for me and wanted to save him some time by having those specs. I appreciate your help. There is so much info out there. It's hard to decide which direction to go. My 93 ST has 53000 miles on it. It seems like it bottoms out on potholes but new fluid will probably fix that. My other thing is and maybe its normal but when I first crawl on the bike it seems like it settles a bit too much. Bike bandit has OEM Showa springs for $156 a pair. Whats you alls opinion on replacing the springs?

liverup said:

Gotchya! Thank you. I just ordered OEM fork seal kits, bushings and cap o rings. I think I'm going to have a motorcycle mechanic friend of mine do the deal for me and wanted to save him some time by having those specs. I appreciate your help. There is so much info out there. It's hard to decide which direction to go. My 93 ST has 53000 miles on it. It seems like it bottoms out on potholes but new fluid will probably fix that. My other thing is and maybe its normal but when I first crawl on the bike it seems like it settles a bit too much. Bike bandit has OEM Showa springs for $156 a pair. Whats you alls opinion on replacing the springs?

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Having the front end settle a bit sounds exactly like the symptom I had with my 2001 ST1100. I replaced the fork oil and also put in a set of Progressive springs. After that the front never settled again when I sat on it and it did make a difference for the ride. I didn't notice much difference at low speeds but it seems the harder I ride the bike the stiffer the front end feels. I just did a quick search on Amazon stateside for you and these are much better priced than OEM and you will likely appreciate them too.

http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Suspension-Springs-1991-2003-1992-1995/dp/B006LCIAIK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426680202&sr=8-1&keywords=st1100+progressive+springs

All the ST1x00 are under fitted with springs that are too light.

Sonicsprings.com is where I'd check out if I were to replace mine now.

Next front tire change, I'm either replacing the springs or going with SS-8 (10wt) fluid vs the SS-7 (5wt). While simply flushing and refilling the forks certainly helped my front end, it still has a little more dive than I'd like.

I ordered oem seal kits and bushings and a couple qts of Amsoil synthetic 10W fluid. I'm torn on the springs. Mine are 22 yrs old with 53K miles. Price is not my biggest concern, though I don't want to waste 50 bucks. I'm more worried about getting the preload set correctly. Am I needlessly worrying about that?? I guess thats why I was thinking about ordering the new oem Showa springs thinking I could just swap them out and not worry about preload or any of that.

Progressive brand springs come with instructions on how long the spacers need to be with their springs. IIRC, you just need to shorten one spacer by a couple of inches.

Don't have it in front of me now, but I'm pretty sure the Honda manual has a spec on fork spring overall length, so you could measure your stock ones and see where they are relative to new. For lighter riders the stock springs will work, you may want to preload them a bit more than stock (install longer spacers using 1" PVC pipe) and use heavier oil (as you are with the 10w oil you bought). Heavier riders or two up tend to go with stiffer springs because you can only do so much with the stock spring rate. If you fall into the lighter rider category (I'm 170lbs and use the stock springs) I'd try adjusting preload first because its basically free so you have nothing to lose.

re: buying replacement OEM springs, I doubt yours are sacked out enough that putting the same spring back in would make any noticeable difference, but I'll get back to you with that measurement and you can compare

Standard spring free length for a USA '93 ABS is 474.2mm/18.67in. The service limit is 464.7mm/18.30in.

I agree with the advice given above.

Edit: I'm ~200lbs geared up and have run Progressive Suspension springs (use the fluid level spec'd in the Service Manual) and ProHonda 10wt for years, happily; but I'm not a kneedragger/Ricky Racer. As long as you're doing fork seals, take the anti-dive unit off and inspect the piston lip for damage, especially if you're experiencing a little too much initial dive upon front braking. BTDT

Regards, John
via iPhone 4S

Thank you guys!

You might want to invest in a genuine Honda Service Manual (recommended) for yourself or mechanic friend.

John, I can't say I'm experiencing dive. It just seems like a pothole jars my front end like the forks are bottoming out. My other complaint is it seems like it settles a little much when I first put my weight on the bike. I've driven it like that for 2 summers without any big issues but I'd really like to see if I can improve it. Would you know do ST1100's come from factory with progressive springs? Where would you say would be the best place to get a Honda service manual?

When reassembling the right front leg, make sure the bolts that secure the rod to the top of the spring are TIGHTENED securely (perhaps add some locktite), or 'interesting things' may happen.

Like what happened to mine on the way back from a week riding through the Alps.
I had replaced the fork seals the week before I left for my trip and on the way home cruising along at 180km/h it suddenly lost all dampening in the front. scary moment.
Just looking at my brake lever would bottom out the fork. I ended up limping home behind a semi because I didn't have the 17mm allen wrench tool with me and didn't dare go any faster than about 80km/h.
When I opened up the right leg the rod was hiding at the bottom

Woonjas said:

When reassembling the right front leg, make sure the bolts that secure the rod to the top of the spring are TIGHTENED securely (perhaps add some locktite), or 'interesting things' may happen.

When I opened up the right leg the rod was hiding at the bottom

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Did you tighten the fork cap securely onto the damper rod threads before inserting the fork cap into the fork? Did you leave the specified amount of threads (I think its 10.5mm, but don't have the manual in front of me) above the locknut onto which the fork cap could be threaded? Not sure what went wrong on your re-assembly, but if you tightened things properly I don't believe any loctite is called for on those threads.

anybody else ever had this problem??