Fork oil change question

[karaszp]

The service manual is silent on the subject (or else I'm going blind and not know it).

How often? By time or by miles?

What's the preferred way of draining the old oil out? Siphon pump? MityVac? Or pull the forks from the triple clamp and dump them out?

Is there a preferred weight of oil to use? 5W? 10W?

If you have gone through a few changes any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

 

[ChucksKLRST]

The service manual is silent on the subject (or else I'm going blind and not know it).

How often? By time or by miles?

What's the preferred way of draining the old oil out? Siphon pump? MityVac? Or pull the forks from the triple clamp and dump them out?

Is there a preferred weight of oil to use? 5W? 10W?

If you have gone through a few changes any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

Folks please reply to this request as I also am about to change my fork oil. I have 40k miles on the factory stuff and feel a need to change. Inquiring minds want to know

 

[MMOB]

The service manual is silent on the subject (or else I\\\'m going blind and not know it).

How often? By time or by miles?

What\\\'s the preferred way of draining the old oil out? Siphon pump? MityVac? Or pull the forks from the triple clamp and dump them out?

Is there a preferred weight of oil to use? 5W? 10W?

If you have gone through a few changes any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

The interval depends upon your preference. Every or 15K or 20K or 25K?

The forks must be removed, inverted and then the cartridges pumped to drain the old suspension fluid. You can also hang them inverted overnite.

Honda SS8 10W is ok. IIRC, about three 16 oz containers to fill to Honda\\\'s spec\\\'ed level.

The instructions in the service manual are pretty good. The front calipers and wheel have to come off, then a few bolts securing brake line to the forks and fender are loosened, then the fender is removed. Fairly easy, but takes an evening or two the first time. Best to time it when the wheel is off for a tire change. The caps may be real tight; save yourself some trouble by loosening them up a bit before you start taking things apart. Get replacement o-rings for the fork caps in advance.

It is nice to have a fork oil level gauge like this Motion Pro tool handy

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=24014&Category_Code=Suspen

 

[Killtimer]

The caps may be real tight; save yourself some trouble by loosening them up a bit before you start taking things apart. Get replacement o-rings for the fork caps in advance.

It's a good idea to loosen the top triple clamp bolts before trying to loosen the fork caps. The bottom triple clamp will hold the tubes just fine, and the caps will thank you. A cheepo turkey baster works great for fluid fill. Mark the depth of the level you need on the baster with tape, overfill the tubes slightly straight from the bottle, and suck out the overage.

 

[Killtimer]

A word about the spring.
The manual calls for the spring to be installed with the tapered end up. This is the way I was always taught, the tighter wound coils go to the stationary end. The stationary end would be the top here. Several owners, me included, found their springs in upside down.l

Just a FWIW. The '03 manual calls for the spring to be installed as Paul states, taper up. The '05/'06 manual ( I have both) calls for the spring to be installed taper down. The springs in my '05 were taper down. Sorry to muddy the waters :

 

[wjbertrand]

The service manual is silent on the subject (or else I'm going blind and not know it).

How often? By time or by miles?

What's the preferred way of draining the old oil out? Siphon pump? MityVac? Or pull the forks from the triple clamp and dump them out?

Is there a preferred weight of oil to use? 5W? 10W?

If you have gone through a few changes any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Pete

On my ST1100 I noticed a loss in damping effectiveness after 10-12K miles, so I used that as my change interval. Not sure with the ST1300 yet as I ended up installing aftermarket springs and new oil at about 12k anyway (currently at 23K). Didn't notice as much performance degradation in that time as I had with the 1100. Seems like the oil might go 15-20k?

 

[karaszp]

Thanks for all the responses fellows. Thank you Paul for the detailed write-up. I've got 24K on the clock so I guess I'm really due for the fork oil change. I'll try to squeeze it in before the trip to TN in July.

Thanks again

Pete

 

[Fred D]

Folks please reply to this request as I also am about to change my fork oil. I have 40k miles on the factory stuff and feel a need to change. Inquiring minds want to know

Sounds like we need a ForkSTOC?

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Sounds like we need a ForkSTOC?

Fred I have to change front tires after the trip I just took. I am going to order the measuring tool and then I will be ready to host The First Annual Fork STOC at Wichita Falls. Are you ready to come down. Need to do this before I head out to WESTOC.

 

[MMOB]

(Sorry if this is a duplicate post)

While the forks are off, consider permanently removing the plastic OEM fork protector (guard) on each fork and replacing it with:

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=17232&Category_Code=fork_prot

purchased in your favorite color from your favorite vendor.

These NOJ guards do a great job of keeping the critical sections of the tubes free from bugs and dirt. No more damaged seals and subsequent leaks. No more cleaning and inspecting the tubes after each ride. With these installed, you peel them off once every 4-6 months, take a few minutes to wash them by hand in the sink, and stick them back on again (they attach via velcro).

Actually, they can be installed at any time, but the plastic OEM fork guards won't come off without being cut/destroyed unless the forks are off. Just be careful; don't nick or damage the tubes cutting them off.

 

[ChucksKLRST]

(Sorry if this is a duplicate post)

While the forks are off, consider permanently removing the plastic OEM fork protector (guard) on each fork and replacing it with:

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=17232&Category_Code=fork_prot



Actually, they can be installed at any time, but the plastic OEM fork guards won't come off without being cut/destroyed unless the forks are off. Just be careful; don't nick or damage the tubes cutting them off.

Already took off the plastic guards to install my fork brace. See attached photos.

 

[MMOB]

Already took off the plastic guards to install my fork brace. See attached photos.

As far as protecting the tubes from bugs and debris, looks like the brace offers about the same protection as the OEM fork guards.

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Chuck I hate to tell you this but someone stole the paint off your wheels.

Pete, out on McKinney Texas stole the paint. He also stole the black paint from the Break/Clutch reservoirs.

 

[snowmoer]

While you are changing the fork oil, change the fork springs. Sonic Springs make the bike that much better.

 

[dbst1300]

The front tire and wheel are off for tire replacement at 19,400 miles. Seemed like a good time to replace the fork fluid. As Paul notes, it is a straight forward job with the wheel already removed. One word for my fork fluid.....DISGUSTING! The right fork leg's contents were black, whereas the left fork's contents still had some resemblence to a reddish color common to old ATF. It also appeared the right fork leg had less fluid in it than the left when I drained them?? I have decided to use the Pro Honda Suspension Fluid SS-8 as I am sure any new fluid will feel better than the current depleted stock fluid. I would think every 20,000 miles would be the longest interval that one should wait to change the fork fluid. Well, I'm down with the ST1300 for a few days waiting on the tire, so I'll ride the KLR650.

Dennis

 

[ChucksKLRST]

While you are changing the fork oil, change the fork springs. Sonic Springs make the bike that much better.

Where do I get these springs from and is there any other manufacture that offers such. Just orderd my fork oil measuring tool from Motion Pro http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/fork_oil_level_gaugeo
and will me ordering my tires today from South West moto. I am in an ordering mood so catch me while you can. Getting ready for WeSTOC

 

[pdfruth]

Where do I get these springs from and is there any other manufacture that offers such.

Racetech seems to be the defacto standard for the guys on the sportbike forums I hang out on.
I see they do springs for the ST1300 too.

http://www.racetech.com

They have a spring rate calculator. Ust the link below. Click on the "Custom Fork Spring Calculation and Available Rates", plug in your weight, and it'll tell you what spring you need. You'll probably have to call them to see if they have one (close to the calculated spring's specs) in stock.

http://www.racetech.com/evalving/english/Srchpr.asp?bikeid=134&manufacture=Honda&model=ST1300&year=04-05&TABLEINFO=street&langname=english

 

[Fred D]

Where do I get these springs from and is there any other manufacture that offers such. Just orderd my fork oil measuring tool from Motion Pro http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/fork_oil_level_gaugeo
and will me ordering my tires today from South West moto. I am in an ordering mood so catch me while you can. Getting ready for WeSTOC

Hey money bags, but you retired Army guys are rollin' in dough!

Sonic Springs

I'm still planning to come down, if I can. Donna has four more weeks to go before she can put full weight on her new knee, and I've got a church ride July 1st....

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Hey money bags, but you retired Army guys are rollin' in dough!

Sonic Springs

I'm still planning to come down, if I can. Donna has four more weeks to go before she can put full weight on her new knee, and I've got a church ride July 1st....

Gotta farkle while I can, once I am retired I will have more time to ride but no money to farkle. I wont be doing these forks until July anyway. I am trying to wear out that front tire so I can take it off at the same time I do the forks.:oPoST1:

 

[pdfruth]

The ST does not have Damping Rod Type Forks.

They're not?????
According to the parts fiche, part # 12 in the attached parts diagram is a damping rod. They're not fully adjustable like my sport bike is

I've never used their product, they may be the best in the world but listing this kit on their site suggests to me they don't have a clue as to what type fork is used on the ST1300.

I've never used them either. Just been seeing lot's of others talking about em. Just thought I'd mention it as an option.