Fork oil change

Silly question time

My forks are bottoming out too often (london roads )

Q1 - I want to fix it on the cheap by just changing to heavier oil, 15W with OEM stock springs, I'm 11 st. What do you guys reckon?

Q2 - To change the oil, the menu instruction is to take the whole fork out and turn it upside down... but I also heard that there is a screw under the fork that can be used to drain the oil with forks in place, is this the case for a year 99 curvy? Has anyone done this already?

cheers

[TSM]

Originally Posted by Lucas

Silly question time

My forks are bottoming out too often (london roads )

Q1 - I want to fix it on the cheap by just changing to heavier oil, 15W with OEM stock springs, I'm 11 st. What do you guys reckon?

Q2 - To change the oil, the menu instruction is to take the whole fork out and turn it upside down... but I also heard that there is a screw under the fork that can be used to drain the oil with forks in place, is this the case for a year 99 curvy? Has anyone done this already?

cheers

There is no drain screw, the bolt at the bottom of the fork holds the damper rod in place and also stops the top part of the fork from seperating from the bottom part.

Get your nose plugs out... because that stuff stinks!!! Especially if it hasnt been changed for a few years.

[embee]

I have a curvey. Best way is to remove each fork leg and turn it upside down to drain. Remember to loosen the top cap before undoing the yoke clamps.

I understand the desire to minimise cost, I went the route of trying slightly heavier oil first and washers to adjust the ride height or "static-sag" (cheapest option).

However I finally did get round to fitting stiffer springs to suit my weight and boy what an improvement. If you can stretch to it, new springs and normal weight oil is a much better solution, trust me (T-shirt for sale). I think Hagon are about the best value for springs at the moment. I'd suggets at your weight about 0.8kg/mm would be ideal, 0.85 will do and wouldn't be too stiff. (standard curvey is 0.709kg/mm, yours will probably have relaxed a bit by now too). Somewhere round £70 should do it, springs and oil, I believe.

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Lucas

Silly question time

S'OK, I'm getting used to it.

Originally Posted by Lucas

My forks are bottoming out too often (london roads )

I'm not surprised.

Originally Posted by Lucas

Q1 - I want to fix it on the cheap by just changing to heavier oil, 15W with OEM stock springs, I'm 11 st. What do you guys reckon?

Well it's hardly 'on the cheap', it's the obvious thing to do - many have.

Originally Posted by Lucas

Q2 - To change the oil, the menu instruction is to take the whole fork out and turn it upside down...

Correct, it's the only way to do it properly - despite what you may have heard from some sources.

Originally Posted by Lucas

but I also heard that there is a screw under the fork that can be used to drain the oil with forks in place,

See what I mean? There is NO drain screw, that bolt holds the fork together.

Originally Posted by Lucas

is this the case for a year 99 curvy?

No.

Originally Posted by Lucas

Has anyone done this already?

Sadly yes, and it's still not a drain screw.

Originally Posted by Lucas

cheers

You're welcome