Fork upgrade

[northwind]

Depends really... Some people are the right weight for the stock springs... Though any older bike probably wants new oil by now as well, I swear the stock stuff is fish oil not fork oil, from the way it smelled in the forks I've done...

I'm still on standard springs, weigh 71Kg and am 5'10". My brother's SV has Ohlins springs and thicker oil. Maltese roads are 20% potholed at best and bumpy so for normal riding I prefer my setup as they have some give though I've ridden better, but on better roads my brother's forks are noticeably better. Never been to England yet but from the pictures in mags I see that you have no reason to complain of your roads, ok I'm sure French/German roads are better, been there, billiard smooth and so clean. So given you ride in reasonably smooth roads and if you are over 71Kg (SV's springs are set for that weight so I guess I'm lucky) go for it.

Thanks for the info, I am just under eleven stone without riding gear so I suppose its borderline if I would get the benifit of new springs. I am going to change the fork oil, I have had the bike for eight months and dont know if the oil has ever been changed.
What weight oil would be the best for my weight.

If memory serves me correctly the bike as standard has 10 weight oil in it. If you feel that the bike could do with some more damping then try 15 weight. Either that or just stick 10 weight back in and see how it feels. Fresh oil may make all the difference.

If the oil in the forks is a milky grey and watery then it's doing almost as little as if there was water in there.

The problem with 15W fork oil is that it makes the front end very hard. Even for a fat sod like me. It may help the rebound damping but makes the compression damping very stiff and harsh.

Originally Posted by chazzyb

The problem with 15W fork oil is that it makes the front end very hard. Even for a fat sod like me. It may help the rebound damping but makes the compression damping very stiff and harsh.

Well I have Hagon linnear springs and spacers, 15w oil and the rider sag set up correctly for my weight and think that the front end works perfectly for me.

I guess it's a case of what ever works for you is fine.

[21QUEST]

Originally Posted by chazzyb

On balance I'll tend to agree with chazzyb as the damper Rod design of the SV will tend to make the high speed damping harsh as you increase oil vicosity.

In saying that an increase spring rate on the other hand might mask(in a way) the harshness as takes more force to compress the springs. The 15W helps in conttrolling the rebound of the higher spring rate. For sharp bumps I'm still not sure how good the 15W will be though still. Another thing is the brand of oil/specific oil of a brand you are using. 15W doesn't really mean much. Some are close enough in actual viscosity but some vary quite a bit.

I do agree even a change of fork oil will inprove the overall working. On my naked with standard springs which are slightly progressive I'm using Putoline HPX 7.5W. Feels quite good. A good compromise between High and Low speed compression damping. The rebound is also pretty acceptable IMO. Use the standard air gap and if needed just add 5ml of oil at a time to provide a stronger air spring. It's all in the compromise I guess but for road use, you still don't want the high speed compression being too harsh.

For the standard springs I'll say at ,
Silkolene fork oil 10W(regular and NOT the RSF)...34.9 centistoke
Silkolene Pro RSF 7.5W....37 centistoke
Motul factory line medium 10W...36 centistoke
Motul Expert medium...35.9 centistoke

The standard oil is 33.3 centistoke


Ben