Topic: fork oil

[72500john]

yea i know i am opening a can of worms here. but what weight fork oil do you all recomend for my bike. i am riding a 72 500 four. i am only doing around the town driving..no real high speeds. and weigh around 230 pounds. honda calls out for 30 weight oil in on part of their manual.and atf in another...yeai know you can use either and experimentation to see which works best is the way to go. but i am going to leave this one up to you alls imense expierence to get some good advice.
thanks guys!

[Rigid]

ATF from the farm store.

[72500john]

thats what i figured..thanks for the reply. it allways boils down to keeping things simple!! will get some this week.

[brooze72]

Run 15 wt Belray on mine.  The standard was 30 wt?  Hmm, thought a lot of guys ran 10 wt.   Anyways, I weigh about the same as you, run one up and am happy with the 15 wt.  My 2 cents

[dave500]

i found atf too light in my 500,,im just using a 15/40 engine oil.

[Steve_K]

I have been using fork oil for years and I adjust the oil weight to suit me.  I have used 10w to 30w to fine tune my forks.  30w is too stiff for me, but may work on the track or smooth roads. Rare in Iowa.  I like to use oil level, instead of volume, for oil amounts.  Have seen where the manual suggested  volume does not cover the damper which can cause the oil to froth and reduce damping.(the manual may not have been a Honda)
I would measure your spring length to see if the springs are still long enough.  They can sag over time.  If they are short you can put shims on top of the springs or buy new springs. 
I like to tweak my forks and you can get your forks to work fairly well.
Steve

[brooze72]

I would measure your spring length to see if the springs are still long enough.  They can sag over time.  If they are short you can put shims on top of the springs or buy new springs. 
Steve

That is a good point Steve, on my last fork service I checked the springs for equal length but could not find a spec for the free length anywhere, got any info on that?

[Duke McDukiedook]

If you don't know I would assume they are original and worn out (and probably meant for a lighter rider unless you are 130# wet) just like the rear shocks.

[Really?]

15wt in this 750. -2 cyclex tubes, 1 1/4 inches up the trees. Wanted it bit stiffer on purpose. Could not walk up and find 20wt. The ride is a tad stiff and tad bumpy. It was expected and I am satisfied.

[Steve_K]

Fork spring length is listed in the manual.  Even if it is in tolerance, I sometimes put spacers in to stiffen up the forks.  I likely carry weight more the Japanese test riders from the day so I need more preload or different springs.  A well set up fork and shocks, with good bearings in wheels and in the head stock will let your bike handle like it should.  Do not forget to check swing arm bushings.
Good luck with the forks.
Steve