Topic: Fork Oil?

[RjBu]

Hey there folks, I have heard that there are products out there for your forks that swell old leaky seals true or false? if true thoughts? I know that i should have them replaced but i dont have the fliff...

[Dave Wyatt]

I used ATF and it has done the trick.   No leaks in the past 4 or so years.

[lone*X]

I also have used it for years with good results.  But don't expect miracles.  Never mix fluids if you don't know what was in it before.  Remove the plugs and pump the forks empty.  Replace the plugs and add the spec'd amount of ATF.

[merc2dogs]

 trans-medic is one of the products I know of that's supposed to soften old seals in automatics.
  I keep wanting to pick up a can and see if it does anything to carb boots, but, I've always recommended staying away from 'canned' fixes, and would never hear the end of it if I brought some in the shop!

Ken.

[IndianRider]

I used ATF and it has done the trick.   No leaks in the past 4 or so years.

same here .. i have fresh ATF in the forks after installing new fork seals ... the front end feel is fantastic and not a leak at all .... my original owners manual recommends using ATF fluid in the forks ..

[BobbyR]

This has been discussed many times before. There is no simple answer since it is rider dependant. The oil creates the damping force in the fork tube. The viscosity of the oil directly effects the amount of damping. ATF is SAE 15 and that will give you the factory damping. If you are an aggressive rider or ride in an area that requires a greater damping force, people will use an SAE 20 or 30 weight motor oil. There are fork oils on the market which may or may not be better than ATF. It will be trail and error on your part  to decide which type of Oil to use. I would not use additives to swell the seals as that can  cause uneven fork response.