Dry forks?

[Mark_h]

Just been to my friendly MOT tester to see if I would need to change my can before he'd MOT it and he said the can was fine but my forks were showing no signs of damping. He suggested that it felt like there was no in in there at all.

I've never seen any leaking out but there's nothing to say it hadn't all leaked out before I got the bike (second hand about a year ago) and I've just never know it to be any different.

This is my first bigish bike so I have nothing to compare the feel of it against. It's a 2001 naked so no adjustments on the front end at all to mess about with.

Question is if I take the large flat bolts off the top do I get a face full of spring and a bike laying on the ground or will I be able to see what's going on.

Do I need to jack up under the engine to take the weight off the forks?

Is there a simple way of checking the volume of oil like a mark on a spring or some other level marker?

I'm happy to replace/top-up the oil if it can be done without major open bike surgery, but a bit of a coward if it all starts to get a bit involved.


Any advice greatfully received.

Cheers,
Mark

[BillyC]

If you undo the caps with the weight of the bike on the forks... the first spring will probably hit you in the face. The second will probably knock you over

You need to get all the weight off the forks, and ideally this is done using a stand that sits in the swing arm bolt in the centre of the bike. You can use a paddock stand and a jack - but it's very unstable.

To undo the caps, place a good cloth over the top of the fork head, and then use the spanner socket over that. This helps with grip, protects the cap itself, and allows you to hold on to the cloth to catch everything as it springs up.

What you'll see after removing the cap, is a spacer, then the spring, all in a load of oil - or at least it should be.

To drain the oil out of the forks, you'll need to remove the front end - first the wheel, then the mud guard, and then drop the forks out. Turn them upside down over something to catch the oil, and let them drain for 10 minutes or so.

You could syphon or pump the oil out, but if it's full of crap or rather manky and old, then draining really is the best option.

[Mark_h]

Billy,

Thanks for the info. Being a naked do I have to take the bars off or is there enough space to get the bits and bobs out with the bars in place. Looks like it may be a bit tight.

If it's unloaded any idea how deep or far from the top the oil should be if it's about right? I really do not want to go draining and measuring unless I really have to as the thought of taking the steery/stoppy bits off the bike fill me with dread.

I assume if it were totally stuffed it would continue to bounce when pushed. It seems to return to the top then stop, but does not put up much of a fight on the way down.

Originally Posted by BillyC

If you undo the caps with the weight of the bike on the forks... the first spring will probably hit you in the face. The second will probably knock you over

You need to get all the weight off the forks, and ideally this is done using a stand that sits in the swing arm bolt in the centre of the bike. You can use a paddock stand and a jack - but it's very unstable.

To undo the caps, place a good cloth over the top of the fork head, and then use the spanner socket over that. This helps with grip, protects the cap itself, and allows you to hold on to the cloth to catch everything as it springs up.

What you'll see after removing the cap, is a spacer, then the spring, all in a load of oil - or at least it should be.

To drain the oil out of the forks, you'll need to remove the front end - first the wheel, then the mud guard, and then drop the forks out. Turn them upside down over something to catch the oil, and let them drain for 10 minutes or so.

You could syphon or pump the oil out, but if it's full of crap or rather manky and old, then draining really is the best option.

Erm, that's not true at all. You don't have to get weight off the front end to check oil level. Providing you do one fork at a time you can take the caps off to inspect for the presence of oil, although I cant tell you how much should be in there.

If it turns out you've a healthy amount of oil, then as Billy says you'd be advised to change it, especially if the bike has alot of miles on it. Time is also a factor, so 5 year oil wont be at it's best anyway.

Check the workshop manuals for details on air gap.

As for being a bit bouncy, the SV will always have a certain amount of this, due to the nature of the budget suspension.

[Biker Biggles]

I'd jack the front up before trying to remove the fork cap even if the bike is supported to some extent by the other fork.The springs are under some compression with the weight of the bike on them and you will have trouble getting the cap off without it damaging the threads.Getting it back on again with spring spacer sticking out the top will be equally challenging.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

I'd jack the front up before trying to remove the fork cap even if the bike is supported to some extent by the other fork.The springs are under some compression with the weight of the bike on them and you will have trouble getting the cap off without it damaging the threads.Getting it back on again with spring spacer sticking out the top will be equally challenging.

Yeah but if you've no means of supporting the front you do have the option.

[Mark_h]

So does paddock stand on the back and jack under the sump on a block of wood work or do I end up with a cracked sump and a bike on its side?

Took it to a bike garage on the way home and they assured me there was no damping at all on the front so it just goes to show how you do not notice how bad something is getting. I'm hoping to have an altogether better handling bike once I have some oil bak in the front end.

[Biker Biggles]

You can jack it like that with a block of wood to spread the load but take care as it is barely stable and the higher you jack the less stable it gets.Do you have anyone to help?Just to hold the bike so it does'nt wobble can be very useful.