ST1100 Fork Oil Change

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Ok, I know this has probably been asked before, but because I don't have time to search for the info, I was wanting someone to verify that the 1994 vintage ST's do not have a fork oil drain screw at the bottom of the forks do they? It appears as though I would have to to totally remove the forks and change oil and also replace seals while I was at it. Thanks in advance for any input.

Scott
 
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You have to take your forks off,you might as well upgrade your fork springs and go with a heavier wt. oil if your going to all that work.
 
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viclava
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Yea, I figured as much. I already have Progressive springs, but the fork oil is long over due.

Scott
 
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I also put a longer spacer to stiffen the pre load,i found I was hitting bottom when I go over bumps and driveways,I used a pvc pipe and added 1/2" if you have more questions let me know.
 
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viclava
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Marcus,

I haven't found that I have ever bottomed out ever, but I am definitely over due for the new oil. I am just not looking forward to doing these shocks for some reason. This will be my third set of shocks I have had to do. Not one of my favorite jobs on a bike to do.

Scott
 
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I did not till I put the Progressive spring in,The pre load can be done after all the work has been done,if you don't have any problems great but if you feel it has too much front dive on hard braking you can add preload,just be sure the front end is unweighted when you unscrew the cap.go with a quality fork oil and go with a heavier wt oil.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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Scott wrote (snips):
.... 1994 vintage ST's do not have a fork oil drain screw at the bottom of the forks do they? It appears as though I would have to to totally remove the forks and change oil and also replace seals while I was at it.
Hi Scott. A 94 ST1100 should have drain bolts. I recommend pulling the forks to do the suspension fluid R&R though. It's the only way to do a thorough drain, and to be sure you've got the correct amount/level of fluid IAW the Honda manual (and it's the accepted shop practice). The drain bolts do help in getting out almost all the old fluid trapped at the bottom when the fork tube and slider aren't separated. Use cheaper ATF to do a couple of flushes after you dump the old fluid out. Then extend the tubes and position the assemblies so they can drain out the drain bolt holes overnight. Check the last drops/dregs out the hole in the morning for metal particles.

You don't have to replace the seals just to R&R the fluid. If they're not leaking, leave them alone. If you do need to R&R fork seals, here's some info/tips on that:

edit 27 Sep 12: updated this URL:
http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=907


There's a couple of tips in there that should be of interest even if you're just replacing fork fluid. I've got a fork seals R&R tool kit that I loan out to fellow ST1100riders for the price of my postage, details here:

edit 27 Sep 12: updated this URL (must be registered):http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=983.0

Regards, John
 
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neither of those two pages opened up.
I just changed my 1991 st1100 fork oil for the 2nd time in
15 years of ownership. This time the top right fork plug would not come off.
something in the fork was jammed in the cap so hard I couldnt pry it off.
I used a medical toemac to inject the fluid.
Took about 20 minutes to drain and fill.
and yes there are drain bolts on the bottom.
 
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I just changed my 1991 st1100 fork oil for the 2nd time in
15 years of ownership. This time the top right fork plug would not come off.
something in the fork was jammed in the cap so hard I couldnt pry it off.
Since you only changed it twice in 15 years perhaps you forgot that the right fork is a cartridge style, and that the damper rod screws into the fork cap. After unscrewing the cap from the fork tube you slide the tube down along the spring a little bit. Then you need to hold the nut on the top of the damper rod with a wrench while turning the fork cap, and the cap will unscrew from the damper rod. Even with the cap off there is still a washer underneath the damper rod nut that retains the spring preload pressure, and makes pouring new oil in a bit difficult, so its a bit of a pain any way you do it.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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neither of those two pages opened up.
That post is over 4 years old. I just updated the links/URLs there (post #7 above), but here they are again:
http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=907
http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=983.0


I just changed my 1991 st1100 fork oil for the 2nd time in
15 years of ownership. This time the top right fork plug would not come off.
something in the fork was jammed in the cap so hard I couldnt pry it off.
I used a medical toemac to inject the fluid....
Please use the Honda ST1100 Service Manual when you work on that classic '91 of yours. Woulda cleared up that fork cap 'problem' of yours... :) And you might want to change suspension fluid more frequently...
 
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richpeabody

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yes
I'm old school and lazy, too......
I plan to suck all of the oil that I can out of the forks, keep track, and put an equal amount back in.....
I also plan to put a Schraeder Valve into each cap to use air to add a bit of compression to each leg....
Have fun!
 
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I'm old school and lazy, too......
I plan to suck all of the oil that I can out of the forks, keep track, and put an equal amount back in.....
I also plan to put a Schraeder Valve into each cap to use air to add a bit of compression to each leg....
Have fun!
First question I'd ask before doing this, but I don't know how easy it would be to get a reliable answer, is are the fork seals air tight? I'm not sure if air adjustable forks have a tighter seal to be air tight, as opposed to just oil tight, or if there's no difference between them.

Next question would be is there room on the right fork cap to put a valve in there? Left is no problem, but right has the damper rod in the center.
 
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Hi John, I got the forks off my 95 ABS-TCS and was happy to finally get the left one reassembled after waiting for a few new parts. Following my Clymer. The right one, stumped. Got the rod back in the tube, the tube in the slider with bush/washer/seal/clip in, fluid measured, spring in, and pushed the spring down enough while holding up the damper rod (it keeps sinking, hope that's normal) to slip in the top seat and slotted spring collar. If I pull up the tube, it currently stops at about the same height as the top of the rod. But per manual and a video I found, I'm STILL supposed to jam the spacer between the collar and spring. Question 1 is, is that correct? Two: is the right spring supposed to be much more compressed than the left one (which was much easier to install)? And three, HOW do you compress the spring that much in a regular guy's garage? I got it off gently with a come-along, but with the rod always sinking, can't get that method to work again. Eagerly awaiting your saged advice, Eric
 
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And three, HOW do you compress the spring that much in a regular guy's garage? I got it off gently with a come-along, but with the rod always sinking, can't get that method to work again.
There are a few options. I use a heavy-duty magnetic pickup tool to hold the end of the damper rod, others have threaded another piece of rod into the nut at the top (or maybe used a second nut, not sure).

Get someone to hold the rod from falling, compress the spring with your hands, put the clip back into place. I recommend backing the adjustment nut all the way to the top of the threads on the damper rod to make the spring compression distance as short as possible. I have the stock spring, don't know how much more difficult this gets if you went with aftermarket springs with a stiffer rate.

After the clip is in you can adjust the nut back to its normal location. Then put the fork cap back onto the end of the damper rod, tighten it against the nut, pull the tube back to the top of its travel and screw the fork cap back into the tube.
 

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It's definitely a 3 handed job, for me anyway. My helper (usually one of my daughters) pulls up on a piece of twine I tie to the rod below the nut to keep it from sinking away and she also slips the retaining collar into place while I compress the spring. Next flush I think I'll just make a spring compressor out of some 2 x 4's and a couple of long carriage bolts I have kicking around as both girls are now in their own places and just not around as much to help out dad in the garage.
 
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Hi John, I got the forks off my 95 ABS-TCS and was happy to finally get the left one reassembled after waiting for a few new parts. Following my Clymer. The right one, stumped. Got the rod back in the tube, the tube in the slider with bush/washer/seal/clip in, fluid measured, spring in, and pushed the spring down enough while holding up the damper rod (it keeps sinking, hope that's normal) to slip in the top seat and slotted spring collar. If I pull up the tube, it currently stops at about the same height as the top of the rod. But per manual and a video I found, I'm STILL supposed to jam the spacer between the collar and spring. Question 1 is, is that correct? Two: is the right spring supposed to be much more compressed than the left one (which was much easier to install)? And three, HOW do you compress the spring that much in a regular guy's garage? I got it off gently with a come-along, but with the rod always sinking, can't get that method to work again. Eagerly awaiting your saged advice, Eric
Eric,

I have the damper tool that holds the rod up while you compress the spring. I'm nearby and would be happy to loan it to you if you would find it useful. To compress the springs I just use a couple of wrenches in the coils to push down on.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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10mm (1.0 pitch) bolt and 2 nuts. Screw one nut half way onto the damper rod, spin the other one up on the bolt, screw the bolt into the first nut until it contacts the rod, then spin the other nut down locking the bolt. Hook a clothes hanger under the head of the bolt.

Edit: just noticed that my posts on this thread are 4 years apart!

John
 
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Hi Dave, thanks for your input. I had to push pretty hard on the spring to get just the collar locked in. Now I'm supposed to push the already-compressed spring down *another* 3 inches to get the spacer in. This will make the right spring way more pre-compressed than the left one. Is that what you experienced? I see the left and right sides are of different construction, but it still seems...way wrong :). What are you doing tomorrow afternoon? :)
 
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Hi Dave, thanks for your input. I had to push pretty hard on the spring to get just the collar locked in. Now I'm supposed to push the already-compressed spring down *another* 3 inches to get the spacer in. This will make the right spring way more pre-compressed than the left one. Is that what you experienced? I see the left and right sides are of different construction, but it still seems...way wrong :). What are you doing tomorrow afternoon? :)
Yes, you've got it right. Compressing the spring while trying to engage the fork cap threads can be a bear. One trick is to take out the spring and mark on the cap and fork tube where the thread start to engage. That helps you to know where to start turning while you're holding the cap down.

Shoot me a PM with your address and a time and I'll come by if you want some help/moral support.
 
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