Who stole the forkin drain screws?

[dangerous]

You dont honestly believe what you have just said there do you?

In a typical motox bike the suspension does approximately 17000 compression cycles EVERY single lap.
The oil wears out quickly and just like engine oil it is there to provide lubrication.....And then theres moisture absorption etc etc

yes... but I also said something like 'in the average road bike doing average riding' I also said my race bikes (old shitters) get done regular...

ok then RT my 04 Guzzi has Ohlins all round (factory) its done 34,000 K mostly touring, how often should the oil been changed?


However I do stand corrected.

[Robert Taylor]

yes... but I also said something like 'in the average road bike doing average riding' I also said my race bikes (old shitters) get done regular...

ok then RT my 04 Guzzi has Ohlins all round (factory) its done 34,000 K mostly touring, how often should the oil been changed?


However I do stand corrected.

Cheers, and in all sincerity this subject is worthy of some further clarification because there are so many variables that affect damping oil life. Randomnly as follows;

1) Alloy bodied shocks that have no internal anodising will junk their oil EXTREMELY quickly as the oil reacts chemically with the alloy. There are still quite a few shocks like that and with an increasing amount of Chinese stuff on the market of very poor quality theres little hope that its going to get better.

2) If the shock absorber unit is of very small size and on a heavyweight bike that regularly gets ridden over rough roads the oil and damping may well be past its best by as little as 3 to 5 thousand kilometres.

3) Forks are not exempt. There are many classic forks built by various companies with no hard anodising and again the oil gets junked very quickly. And that also goes for some very expensive bikes such as the ''Big Dog'', the internals in these are little better than junk.

4) Part of what I was eluding to is that if an engine is to be run in then so is a suspension unit, most particularly applying to forks. The lower the cost of materials and tolerancing the more evidence there will be of run in debris when stripped.

5) If the settings are very stiff / aggressive the damping oil will run hotter and will be subject to more shear as it travels through very restrictive passages. If this is hand in hand with small damping oil capacity it will get junked very very quickly.

Racing and extreme operation ( such as MX in mud ) does require much more regular service and often that is expressed in hours eg 20 hours for MX forks.

If the suspension units are very high quality ( eg WP, Penske, Ohlins ) and are road going units only then Id have to say up to 20000 Ks for forks and 40000 Ks for shocks. We built a very heavy duty Ohlins shock for a retired US army colnel a few years back who was travelling around the globe. The last time he corresponded with me he had completed over 80000 miles on the shock. And he has been to some places with hellish roads, Vietnam, Peru, Aussie outback etc. But of course the damping oil and performance would have been long past its best by then.

As with anything its false economy to skimp on the price of damping oil, the more expensive oils are that for a reason, they work much better, have lower friction characteristics, are more stable with widely variant temperatures and last longer etc etc.

[dipshit]

under normal riding conditions on the road would you guys replace clutch and brake fluids aswell?

Hell yes! Every year. You would be surprised what a fresh flush of brake fluid can do for lever feel.

Bike shop told me to wait until I need new seal, but this could be 10 years away

This is why I don't like buying second-hand bikes.

[vifferman]

Different brands of oils shouldnt be mixed either, many react and generate gummy and often hard to remove deposits.

Out of interest, do you know how the oil in my forks looked the first time they came in? Come to that - how were the rest of the internals? Apart from the springs and fluid, they (presumably) hadn't been touched in ~8 years...

[Robert Taylor]

Out of interest, do you know how the oil in my forks looked the first time they came in? Come to that - how were the rest of the internals? Apart from the springs and fluid, they (presumably) hadn't been touched in ~8 years...

Thats scores of forks ago but as I recall the oil was quite dirty and you could smell it before you saw it.

[Robert Taylor]

Hey it's KB, every written word is true surely?

I was hoping you'd appear - what's the recommended km for changing out front fork oil on a road bike? Mines 2 years old with 11 thou on the clock. Bike shop told me to wait until I need new seal, but this could be 10 years away ..............
Old School ones I'd do every 2 years or so as they were a piece of piss.

And who stole my drain bolts?

Actually, with ''advice'' like that from a bike shop Id have to wonder about their mechanical abilities.

[dipshit]

Actually, with ''advice'' like that from a bike shop Id have to wonder about their mechanical abilities.

I wouldn't trust most bike shops down my way to even do something like changing the fork oil. I am utterly convinced that most of them couldn't give a fuck about doing the job properly.

Luckily there is *one* workshop down here I have enough confidence in.

[Robert Taylor]

I wouldn't trust most bike shops down my way to even do something like changing the fork oil. I am utterly convinced that most of them couldn't give a fuck about doing the job properly.

Luckily there is *one* workshop down here I have enough confidence in.

It does sound through several threads that you have had a pretty bad run. There are good people out there but sadly not so many. Part of the problem is there are very few highly experienced fully trained and qualified technicians in the trade. Part but not all of the reason is they are poorly paid because it is an industry with notoriously low margins and a dutch auction mentality.

[White trash]

The Peoples Hero, Johann Bruns used to change the fork oil on his GSXR after every race meeting. I shit you not.

Quite surprizing how dirty it gets after just three races actually.