Fork oil 92 1100 abs TCS

PaulCovy

PaulCovy

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Hi all , I’m rebuilding my front forks , I’m wondering what oil people would recommend for me , I’m 90kg and heard that others have used a thicker viscosity oil than the standard ? Also would like to know what the equivalent oil would be to what the manual suggests ( Honda ss7 or something)
It’s a 1992 abs TCS thanks again
 
In the link you will find a list of fork fluids. Honda Showa SS-7 is about 1/4 down the list. Lighter oils are above SS-7 and thicker oils are below. Do not choose fork oil by weight but this list makes it easy to find a fork oil that is lighter, similar, or thicker than a known product.


Suspension Fluid - Pvdwiki

www.peterverdone.com www.peterverdone.com
 
Thanks for the info , I’ve also seen people say different oil grades for each side but I can’t see this in my manual ? Is this the case ? I was thinking of using 10wt oil , any disadvantages of this ? Thanks for the help
 
Two different is unnecessary, that's the easy one. If you have OEM springs and your a stout fella, 10wt may be good, it will firm it up. If you have some aftermarket springs and you're on the lighter side 165lbs and under, it may be too firm. I think Honda recommends 7wt, but most here agree the OEM set up is under sprung. Smarter riders will be along with more info.

My choice was aftermarket springs .95kg and 5wt, it's firm, but not jarring. I don't recall if I went with the spring company oil level of130mm or Hondas recommended level.
 
Sonic springs, can't remember the rate but definitely heavier and Golden Spectro 10wt oil. Firm and just about perfect. I'm 250lbs.
 
PaulCovy said:
Is this the case ? I was thinking of using 10wt oil , any disadvantages of this ?
Click to expand...

Just keep in mind that the factory SS7 has a viscosity of 16.4 cSt, whereas the first 10W I see in that table has a 32 cSt viscosity - so the shock damping/rebound will be slower. That may (or may not) work for you.

As a rule of thumb, if you don't have bottoming out issues and bike feels stable in corners you would use same viscosity as factory. The wheel/suspension needs to follow road irregularities and, with a slow rebound (thicker oil) when you hit a bump the shock is slow to compress and by the time you're past the bump the shock is still rebounding.
 
I can state my experience here:
-Progressive springs in the 1994 ST (from prior owner)- 10 wt Lucas oil- rides well, maybe a hair firm
-OEM springs in the 2000 ST- 5 wt Amsoil ‘Shock Therapy’ brand- rides VERY well with good handling and not harsh
-HyperPro springs in the Silverwing- 5 wt Amsoil as above- mildly firm ride but forgiving/ handles much better than the OEM setup, but it is a scooter and likely designed to bounce more.

7 wt may be fine as may 10 depending on the producer of the fluid- 15 wt is likely going to be harsh. I think a lot of people think higher viscosity = better handling and that may be somewhat true, but over bumps might give a too firm ride. Always a compromise in these matters, I guess.
 
what you haven't told us is if you're happy with the oil that's in there now, or if you know what's in there at all? There's no stock answer to this question, its more of a trial-and-error thing to see which weight oil you prefer to suit your own weight and riding style.
 
When you ride over road irregularities, you want the suspension to push and keep the tire back down against the pavement faster than it pushes the bike up in the air.

That's why heavier cars can still handle well; the high sprung-to-unsprung weight ratio. The car has more control over the wheels than the wheels have over the car.

Note: Sprung weight refers to the vehicle supported by the springs, while unsprung weight refers to the wheel and suspension parts not supported by the springs.
 
PaulCovy said:
Thanks for the info , I’ve also seen people say different oil grades for each side but I can’t see this in my manual ? Is this the case ? I was thinking of using 10wt oil , any disadvantages of this ? Thanks for the help
Click to expand...
The disadvantage of using 10 weight is the use of 'x weight' to choose a fork oil. For example there are x wt oils that act like 7 weight oils or 15 weight oils in high temperatures. Weight is not a good standard of measure. Contained in that link to Verdone Suspension is a bunch of information about why that is. Summary is that the SAE test standard for 'weight' does not work well for thinner or high flow rate oils. Hence the list of oils giving cSt values and VI values so you can compare a known oil with alternatives.
 
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