Fork Oil Air Gap Measurement:

[MrMessy]

What is the best way of doing this? I have used a steel ruler in the past but it is a bit hit and miss.

[johnnyrod]

I've got a long pipette (like an eye dropper but about 12" long), I've got it marked with the right gap. Overfill with oil (a little or you'll be there for hours), put in pipette to right level (held against inside of fork leg), suck until nothing else comes out. You could do the same with anything that'll suck through a straight thing.

[MrMessy]

Thanks for that, where is a friendly nurse

[Bibio]

car oil dipstick with a cork slid up it for the hight. turkey baster to get excess oil out.

Originally Posted by johnnyrod

You could do the same with anything that'll suck through a straight thing.

The top off a pump action spray bottle.

Mark the plastic tube with the depth you want the air gap to be, measuring from the bottom of the tube, overfill the oil slightly, hold the tube inside the fork with the mark against the top edge of the fork, and the bottom of the tube at the depth you want the oil to be. Pump out the excess oil until it stops.

Your air gap will now be exactly the length of the plastic tube, from the point you marked to the bottom.

[TamSV]

Just another variation on the above. Length of copper brake pipe connected to a big syringe with a piece of flexible hose.

Mark the depth on the pipe and hold it in the over-filled fork leg. Syphon off the excess.

Originally Posted by johnnyrod

I've got a long pipette...

Originally Posted by johnnyrod

...suck until nothing else comes out...

Innuendo bingo

[johnnyrod]

Good one from Ralph, dunno if it'd pump something as thick as oil very well though.

[squirrel_hunter]

I have recently been using this fork oil air gap tool. Quite nice it is. Basically a big syringe linked to a tubular ruler that is held at the top of the fork. My only criticism is that the syringe can be a little stiff, but it works really well.

[mikerj]

It's easy to do it with e.g. a stainless engineering rule. I simply wrap a few turns of masking tape at a point 1cm above the level I need. Wrap the masking tap so it sticks out by a couple of cm either side, with a few layers it's strong enough to support the rule on the edges of the fork tube. Simply dip in the rule until the masking tap is resting on the end of the tube, pull it out and if correct the oil will be up to the 1cm mark.

Just read that back - seems it's more difficult to describe than to do!