ST1100 Fork Oil change - How to?

ak85lp

ak85lp

(Paul)
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
232
Location
Franktown Ontario Canada
Bike
2018 VStrom 1000XA
I have been trying to find some good advice on how to change the fork oil on an ST1100. My Haynes manual lists the procedure as having to remove the forks but I have seen other posts where people say you can just pump the forks and bleed the old oil out the bottom?

I have never looked at mine (2001 with 130,000 kms on it) :(

If someone can point me to a good page that would be great.
I also do not have the Honda Service manual for this bike other than the Haynes one.
 
Pumping will get most of it out, but if you want to start with a nice clean system when done,,,they need to come out and come apart. Just depends how thorough a job you want to do.
You have to take them apart to inspect the bushings anyway, so I always take them down.
 
Check and see if you have a little screw on the outside of the fork near the bottom. If you do you can remove it and pump the front end to empty the oil all over the area right and left of the bike.
BTDT... didn't like the mess... put a rag over the bottom to block the *long* stream of oil.

If you want to really change all the oil, maybe because it has been used just a tad longer than the recommendation by mother Honda(!), you will need to pull the forks out of the triple tree and drain them upside down over night.

You also might want to really think through when you should loosen the fork caps as after the forks are off the bike it is *really* hard to do. BTDT too! :D

Good luck!

P.S.
If you bottom out the front end *ever* it might be a good time upgrade your fork springs too!
 
If you want to do it right....pull the forks! It's really not that hard to do or that much extra work!
 
I always thought one side was a cartridge without a spring. Guess I better read the service manual to be sure. Definitely agree with pulling the forks to dump out particles at the bottom in the oil. If the bike can be properly supported /stabilized it is not hard to do. Disassembly is even better, so you can inspect components for wear, but the last one I disassembled was a complex XR650r fork and it got costly due to a mistake I made :)
 
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I used the manual and didn't have much of a problem...
It helps to have 3 or 4 hands available in a couple of spots when disassembling and at reassembly...
 
DaveM said:
If you want to do it right....pull the forks! It's really not that hard to do or that much extra work!
Click to expand...

I typically do mine at each front tire change. Since pulling the front wheel off is the first step, you're already half-way there. And the ST1100 seems to get the fork oil dirty fast, 10k miles or so isn't too frequent of a change interval and I always know when I changed it last.
 
mcthorogood said:
I used a coat hanger and an extra pair of hands to assemble the right cartridge fork.
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on this a bit? I hesitate to do my fork oil because I find the two forks being different to be confusing. I seem to think that I will not have a correct tool to do one or the other. Probably the right. Removing the forks is easy. It's what to do after the cap is off that I'm not confident about.
 
Thanks for that explanation. Much clearer now.

So no need of any special tool (other than a trusty coat hanger) for that pesky right side?
 
Mark said:
Check and see if you have a little screw on the outside of the fork near the bottom. If you do you can remove it and pump the front end to empty the oil all over the area right and left of the bike.
BTDT... didn't like the mess... put a rag over the bottom to block the *long* stream of oil.

If you want to really change all the oil, maybe because it has been used just a tad longer than the recommendation by mother Honda(!), you will need to pull the forks out of the triple tree and drain them upside down over night.

You also might want to really think through when you should loosen the fork caps as after the forks are off the bike it is *really* hard to do. BTDT too! :D

Good luck!

P.S.
If you bottom out the front end *ever* it might be a good time upgrade your fork springs too!
Click to expand...

Hi Mark, would you say the same applies if you bottom out the rear end ever? my bike was bottoming out two up last week,so I put the shock up to position 5 and turmed the preload up full, the bike still feels a bit lower than before,not too sure though as I have been riding my vfr alot lately.
 
mcthorogood said:
Unless you call a 17mm hex wrench a special tool. I couldn't find one around my small town, so I had to fabricate one.
Click to expand...

17mm hex no problem. Just concerned with how to handle that rod to cap connection on the right fork. Do you remove the cap, let the rod fall, and then use the coat hanger to retrieve it. Or should it not be allowed to fall to begin with. I remember older posts about this that included some pics of a tool. Home made and/or in the kit that floats around.
Maybe all this will be obvious once the cap is loosened.
 
mcthorogood said:
When you unscrew the cap for the right fork, it will not spring out like the left fork. The right fork spring is compressed by the rod and the cap. You'll have to push the spring down while holding the cap in order to remove the cap from the damper rod. Once the cap is removed the rod will slowly settle into the shock tube. With the shock held upside down, you use the hanger to pump the fluid out of the cartridge.
Click to expand...

This is just a bit incorrect, but the basic idea is correct. The spring is compressed by a preload spacer, held down with a dished washer, held in place by a nut, which threads onto the end of the damper rod. You can remove the fork cap simply by holding the nut with an open end wrench (14mm IIRC) and removing the cap with the 17mm allen tool. Nothing moves when the cap is removed. Then, when you compress the spring you can then pull the washer out from under the nut, as it has a big groove cut out of it for that purpose. Doing that removes all the tension on the spring. You may want to back the nut off a little to make removing the clip a bit easier, but the rod will try to rotate so you may not get far with that. Once you get the clip off, then the rod will sink into the tube, but all is not lost. Remove the spring and compress the upper tube into the lower tube and you can easily pump the rod and eventually extend it back up to its intended position.

For re-assembly the tricky part is having enough hands to 1) hold the rod in its full up position, 2) compress the spring in order to get the clip back into position, 3) put the clip back in place. I think the last time I did it I used a strong magnetic pickup tool to hold the rod and grasped that with 2 fingers. I compressed the spring with my other hand, and then put the clip back into place with the other 2 fingers on the magnet hand. Having a second helper is easier still.

Upon reassembly you want 10.5mm of threads extending above the top surface of the nut, which is where you reattach the fork cap. Hold the top nut with the 14mm wrench, and retighten the cap to the top of the rod. Then pull the top slider tube back up to the cap and reattach the cap into the top slider tube.
 
broc11 said:
Hi Mark, would you say the same applies if you bottom out the rear end ever? my bike was bottoming out two up last week,so I put the shock up to position 5 and turmed the preload up full, the bike still feels a bit lower than before,not too sure though as I have been riding my vfr alot lately.
Click to expand...

If you bottom out either the spring isn't strong enough or the shock is done.
I tried adjusting mine before replacing it and the rear end felt 'squirelly' (technical term, I know!). I replaced it with a HyperPro ($$$) and love the feel.
 
Thanks, I am considering getting the oem rear shock replacement or maybe a hagon, she is fine riding solo but two up I can tell the spring/shock are shot.
what is the right fork oil to use? 10 w? I am changing the fork oil in my vfr with 10 weight so I wonder would the same fork oil do the st1100. thanks
 
Well, if one has a standard (non ABS) or a pre '95 ABS-I the procedure of fork oil replacement it eased by the drain plugs provided in the fork bottoms, thus no removal required ;-) On all post '96 ABS-II models however removal is mandatory. I also wash out all them deposits with a good flush with brake cleaner and let it vent out well before filling the new fork oil. On I high mileage bike I would also strongly recommend a full overhaul, consisting in replacement of the glider bushings and installation of new fork seals.
 
01 st1100 41,000 miles. I think the fork seals are fine, just that I weigh around 240 lbs and was wondering if I needed heavier fork oil than 10 weight.
 
Mark said:
You also might want to really think through when you should loosen the fork caps as after the forks are off the bike it is *really* hard to do. BTDT too!
Click to expand...

Good to know Mark, I'm taking notes for when mine comes up. I'm also thinking about fork springs, timing belt, clutch and coolant lines all at the same time, since the front end will be out of the way.
 
MIke,

You're correct: it much easier to replace the timing belt with the forks out of the way.

Make sure you know about 'relieving' a bit of the timing belt cover so you don't have to take anything else off...
I pulled the cover off and then used a rasp to take a bit off. I saw someone do the same 'relief' with a big ol' knife too! :)
It sure saved a lot of headache.
 
Anyone know if there's a post about "relieving the timing belt cover" ? I'm looking at a fork, clutch, timing belt job myself.
 
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