Noisy fork - oil change?

Hi All,

i had someone coming to see my sv and was almost about to buy until we discovered what I describe as my front suspension gone .

basically took it for test ride and the bike was making a bang sound when on bumps which was really wierd . it never had that and it started to happen all of a sudden.

the bike was parked up for 4 month , would parking up cause any issues with front forks ?

my view is the front fork is very soft and it is bottoming out and you can hear a bang sound so I think i should put some new stiff spring in and hard oil ?

apart from that anything else that normally get serviced on fork?

any idea what the sound could be if it is not the fork ?

the guy also described it as the bike hanging down when braking which suggests to me the bike fork not bouncing back or rebound after compressing so maybe springs gone ?


so my view is, I need to fix it to sell .

assuming it is the oil, can i just open the fork caps , drail the oil using syringe and then re fill ?
can I use any 10w oil such as engine oil ?


many thanks
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This is a standard thing with the SV is it not? Mine makes a knocking noise on hard hits. Search around on here it's very common.

[garynortheast]

It is a normal thing on standard SV forks. Oddly enough mine stopped doing it after fitting a pair of Debrix emulators to the forks.

[MJC-DEV]

Change the fork oil - if it's been stood it could well have wet and mangy oil that doesn't damp too well so it hits the bump stops too easily.
Oil change is by by taking them off and turning upside down as per the manual. Fork oil is better than engine oil but no need to overspend if you're selling it.

[squirrel_hunter]

They all knock sir.

However there is nothing wrong with replacing the fork oil. Often overlooked and will transform the handling of the bike if there is standard tired stuff in there. To do it properly you will have to take the forks off to pump the old oil out, I doubt very much using a syringe from the top with the forks still fitted will get the mess that is likely to be in there out.

Refill with new fork oil, I'd not recommend using engine oil. There is more than likely a technical explanation as to why fork oil is produced, but that is one I sadly do not posses. 10w is standard, 15w is recommended as it stiffens the front up a bit to stop the front diving so much under brakes.

many thanks, is there a drain screw to drain it from bottom and then top it up from top ?

can anyone please explain what is the difference between level and capacity ? i assume level is something on the fork which you can check and ensure it is filled up to that level and capacity is how much you put in .

in a way both are the same ?

[maviczap]

many thanks, is there a drain screw to drain it from bottom and then top it up from top ? No.

Remove front wheel & mudguard, remove fork top nut, remove fork. Invert to remove oil

can anyone please explain what is the difference between level and capacity ? i assume level is something on the fork which you can check and ensure it is filled up to that level and capacity is how much you put in .

in a way both are the same ? No not the way you're thinking

Fork oil level is measure using the air gap, so with the fork compressed, fill with oil until the manufacturers recommend level, which I think is 102mm from the top of the fork tube, without the fork spring installed.

Once you've got the same level in each side, reassemble.

I think thats right.

[Sid Squid]

Use the oil capacity as a guide as to how much to buy, and the level when actually filling the fork.
Fork oil level varies from model to model. But I don't know what bike is being discussed.
If the noise started suddenly, and the front suspension is now lower than previously was the case, there is a possibility that a spring has broken, that's rare - but not unknown.

Mine knocks too like a hookers bed but passed an mot ok. It's just shoddy build quality to expect from these lesser budget bikes I'm afraid. My Honda VFR is still running sweet after 28 years. Built like tanks they are.