Thank you. I ordered the 17 mm tool last night I will do the job next week. With all the help from this forum, it looks like a walk in the park.
ST1100 Fork Oil change - How to?
- Thread starter ak85lp
- Start date
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
ooch... whilst you do have those nice drain bolts on yours... (just don't forget to remove the caps first... :lol: )
I'd say getting longer life out of fork seals is more dependant on keeping the exposed part of the fork tube clean, than having clean fork oil. Hardened on bug guts and accumulated dust and dirt will surely wear out those seals faster. On road trips, I make it a practice to clean the fork tubes after every day's ride. I've also used synthetic fork oil for a number of years. The first time I changed the fork seals on my '95 (mine since new) was two years ago, not because they were leaking, but because I was replacing the bushings, also for the first time. The bike had 161,000 kms on it then. Only changed the fluid three times since new.
Don't go for cheap on fork seals either. Use only OEM.
Don't go for cheap on fork seals either. Use only OEM.
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ST1100Y
Site Supporter
IMHO quite late for replacing the fork bushings...
I do them so every 48Tkm (30Kmiles) whilst replacing fork oil every 24Tkm (15Kmiles)...
The bushings were showing their wear by then, but they weren't totally knackered. I believe synthetic fluid can get you a LOT more miles out of them.
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
Surely also depends on riding terrain and style... frost beaten, patch-worked mountain roads with "ambitious" riding vs speed governed highway cruising and that...
But +1 on synth oils, changed to BelRay 7W in the eraly 90ies on my STs and at the changes the "old" oil is barely discoloured, emits no "stench", probably more stable against humidity and other contaminations... and the amount of sludge in the fork bottoms is minimal...
Quite a contrast to the OEM Castrol my '92 came filled with: blackish, a stench like old transmission oil, etc...
Keeping fork tubes clean is one thing, inspecting them for gravel-pitting even more important (again depending on riding area and climates, I doubt that Ca or Fl residents see much winter gravel on their roads
)Besides visual inspection, a piece of old pantihose/tights (not the 'fishnet' ones...) comes handy, as its fine fabric will catch on any damage when rubbing it over the chrome.
ReSTored
Site Supporter
I finally changed my oil and it was not as difficult as I feared it would be. Only hassle was needing 3 or 4 hands for the right leg reassembly, thankfully my 6'3 and 245lb son-in-law was available to compress the spring for me and keep the rod from retracting down out of sight. Key I think is flushing out the tubes and leaving them upside down overnight to drain out the residual oil from all the nooks and crannies. Guess I'll know more once I take it for a test ride as I still have a few more things to finished off.
Yep, keeping them upside down overnight after flushing is a good idea. Good job Phil.
+1.........and a fork brace will almost eliminate any wear, getting even alot more miles out of them
.
John OoSTerhuis
Life Is Good!
If you have a non-ABS with the lower fork slider plugs, I recommend laying them down overnight with the tube fully extended, slightly elevated above horizontal, and the plug hole on the bottom over a catch container. You'll be surprised at the last of the dregs that make their way to the lowest point/exit. FWIW
John
via iPhone 4S
ReSTored
Site Supporter
Great, now you tell me..........
Anyway, for now I've got 98%++ of the old #$&% out and I'm OK with this. Next time I'll try your drain method as well.
John OoSTerhuis
Life Is Good!
Great, now you tell me..........
Three good flush-n-dumps with cheap ATF works well, especially if at the end some of it is pumped out the slider plug hole.
John
Good morning John.
My name is John as well and I tried to reg to the ST-Riders but was unable. Had problems.
Looks like another great site for information on my new 02 1100.
ReSTored
Site Supporter
Finally got that first ride in and the forks/ride are very much improved. Delayed way too long on this and not such a challenging job after all.
John OoSTerhuis
Life Is Good!
Try again, John. But the AOWs (Archive Of Wisdom) for the ST1100 and ST1300 are public and can be viewed without registering.
Regards, John. :STOC: Ten Fifty-Eight
Not hard at all to replace on my 02 1100.
After reading and learning from others mistakes, I was able to flush out the inside with Marvel Oil without removing the forks because of the bleeder bolt at the bottom.
I did make one mistake and not use a rag over the right side and even though I had a motorcycle jack underneath (thank goodness) the bike dropped down when I removed the right cap.
Don't forget to loosen the pinch bolt at the top on both sides when removing the caps with a 17 MM Allen socket.
Having the jack underneath was a big help when trying to re install the caps. All I did was lift the bike a little higher and on they went.
As far as the amount of oil to use? All I did was measure the amount of oil removed on each side and used the same amount going back back in using a large syringe, but a turkey baster will do fine.
After reading and learning from others mistakes, I was able to flush out the inside with Marvel Oil without removing the forks because of the bleeder bolt at the bottom.
I did make one mistake and not use a rag over the right side and even though I had a motorcycle jack underneath (thank goodness) the bike dropped down when I removed the right cap.
Don't forget to loosen the pinch bolt at the top on both sides when removing the caps with a 17 MM Allen socket.
Having the jack underneath was a big help when trying to re install the caps. All I did was lift the bike a little higher and on they went.
As far as the amount of oil to use? All I did was measure the amount of oil removed on each side and used the same amount going back back in using a large syringe, but a turkey baster will do fine.
Interesting thread as I am preparing to rebuild the forks on my '01 ST1100A with 57,000 miles on it. I have all of the new parts, i.e o-rings, bushings, seals, etc. (all OEM) and I am going to order new Race Tech fork springs. I can remove the forks from the bike and probably get them apart myself, and I will have a very accomplished motorcycle mechanic to assist me with putting them back together, thankfully! My intention is to thoroughly clean and flush them prior to reassembly.
I am going to use Race Tech .90kg springs, I think. I had the forks on my '98 built several years ago with the .95kg springs and they were a little stiffer than I like. That rebuild included Race Tech Gold Valves and Emulators and the bike handled great. I also had the same set-up installed on my 2008 Wing (during a brief period of incoherence, when I traded an ST1100A for a Wing--what a mistake!). I am not going with the Gold Valve set-up this time on this ST; I don't know that I could tell the difference.
What nominal weight is the original Honda fork oil? I think I read somewhere that it is quite thin, like maybe 5 wt. I think I will use 7.5 weight as a compromise for control and smoothness.
Where does the 17mm Allen deal come into play?
Any suggestions, cautions, guidance, advice, or criticisms are welcome.
Thanks!
I am going to use Race Tech .90kg springs, I think. I had the forks on my '98 built several years ago with the .95kg springs and they were a little stiffer than I like. That rebuild included Race Tech Gold Valves and Emulators and the bike handled great. I also had the same set-up installed on my 2008 Wing (during a brief period of incoherence, when I traded an ST1100A for a Wing--what a mistake!). I am not going with the Gold Valve set-up this time on this ST; I don't know that I could tell the difference.
What nominal weight is the original Honda fork oil? I think I read somewhere that it is quite thin, like maybe 5 wt. I think I will use 7.5 weight as a compromise for control and smoothness.
Where does the 17mm Allen deal come into play?
Any suggestions, cautions, guidance, advice, or criticisms are welcome.
Thanks!
John OoSTerhuis
Life Is Good!
My suggestions etc are above. The 17mm hex-bit socket is used on the standard models' fork caps; also the early ABS models. Your later ABS II model's caps take a 24mm socket.
John
John
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Thanks John,
I kept looking at my fork caps, and at the instructions in the Haynes manual, and knew they were not 17mm and I could not figure out all of the emphasis on a 17mm socket. All of the guidance from this site, based on years of experience from long-term owners such as yourself, is invaluable for owners of ST1100s. Heck, I remember reading your advice when I got my first ST, a '95, a feeeeew years ago!
Ride safe!
Steve
I kept looking at my fork caps, and at the instructions in the Haynes manual, and knew they were not 17mm and I could not figure out all of the emphasis on a 17mm socket. All of the guidance from this site, based on years of experience from long-term owners such as yourself, is invaluable for owners of ST1100s. Heck, I remember reading your advice when I got my first ST, a '95, a feeeeew years ago!
Ride safe!
Steve
Old thread but, I was wondering if it matters what I flush the forks with? Specifically, I have some type F ATF fluid on the shelf, can I use that or does it need to be dextron/mercon? This is just for the flush, I have SS-7 for the final fill up.