|  | Topic : How To Change Fork Oil |  |
| | | Rachael7 | | Chaac |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 17/05/2013 | | Posts | : | 511 | | Location | : | Greenfield, MA, United States |
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| | Posted : 20 Jul 2013 - 12:23 Post title : How To Change Fork Oil | | | Ok, I don't know and feel a bit dumb. Haven't read the service manual, but was kinda hoping someone might illuminate. Is it just a matter of getting a hand pump with a hose on it and sucking it out? How much do you put back in?
| 2012 Thunderbird 1600, Short TORS, Triumph performance filter, TORs tune, Longhaul solo seat, Highway Hawk tubular solo rack, Dart flyscreen, engine bars, highway pegs, Clearwater Darla driving lights, custom flash-to-pass switch, Hagon 2810 rears, Thunderbike fork caps, Custom rear sets
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| | | daz | | Zeus | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 20 Jul 2013 - 18:02 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: Rachael7) | | | The correct way is to remove the forks. Thats how i do it, and i described the procedure in another post recently. You CAN suck it out with a syringe, but you'll never get it all, and theres a lot of sludgy junk that should come out. I remove the fork and turn them upside down to drain, then add a bit of freash oil and pump them a number of times then drain that to get it as clan as possible before refilling. But if you just want to suck it out, harbor freight (assuming you have them in your area) has a pretty cheap oils syringe that should work well.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| | | daz | | Zeus | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 20 Jul 2013 - 18:07 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: daz) | | | Heres my text from that post describing the proceedure if you want to do it the "right" way. Theres a mistake....i typed "hand" instead of "hang" where i mention hanging the calipers from the handlebars. Why do this site not let u edit your posts after a number of days? ARRRRRG! Well, anyways, here it is...
To change it i remove the front end. Remove the calipers and hand them from the handlebars with bungee cords and old rags to keep them from scratching the tank or anything they contact. Loosen the axl pinch bolts then the axl. Loosen the fork tube caps. (because it's much easier when they're clamped to the bike) Jack up the bike and pull the wheel. Remove the 4 bolts (uses star head socket) that hold the fender on and remove the fender. Loosen the top and bottom yoke pinch bolts and turn signals and pull each complete fork tube/leg off.
For each leg do the following....
Take off the cap, pull out the spacer tube, spring, and washer that goes between the spring and spacer. Turn the fork over and dump the oil. Pump the fork tube to get the remaining oil out. I do that severl times then leave the fork upside down leaning in a corner with a oil pan. Once as much oil as possible is out, measure 677cc (23 ounces) into the fork. Pump it till no bubbles can be seen or heard coming up thru the oil. Then with the fork tube fully collapsed into the leg, measure from the top of the fork tube to the oil and it should be 106 mm. (about 4.2") Top it off till it measures correctly. Once right put the spring, then washer then spacer back in and pull the tube out of the leg as far as it will go and push the cap down till it catches the threads and turn till it's threaded enough to grab a wrench and turn it till it's fully on. You can torque it once on the bike, tho it's not real critical. It won't budge, especially if the triple clamp grabs it when you tighten the pinch bolts.
Reinstall the legs and everything else but tighten ONLY the top triple clamp pinch bolts and the fender bolts. Once the entire front end is back together with only those top bolts and fender bolts torqued correctly, lower the bike and push the front end so the tire is against a wall or something several times hard enough to compress the forks a bit. This will straighten out the entire front end so it's all lined up correctly and not go back together skewed. Then tighten the lower pinch bolts, turn signals, calipers, axl, and axl pinch bolts. Torque every bolt correctly, as the front end is of course critical to safety. And speaking of safety, pay special attention to the fender bolts. They can only be tightened or loosened with the wheel off otherwise i wouldn't have said to tighten them before lowering the bike. There has been at least one instance here of a screw coming loose and wiggling out till it contacted the tire and ate into the tire. Luckily the guy realized it before it popped the tire ! So triumph did a service notice or recall on this and they replaced the screws, tho with the same screws ! The big deal here was the screws they replaced them with just had threadlocker on them ! All you had to do is use your old ones and put some locktite on them. Anyways, when you put them back in make sure to use threadlocker and tighten them well. I tighten them more than the torque spec to be as safe as possible. Just take care not to chew up the hole for the tool or they may become hard to remove. they can strip pretty easily.
Anyways, i know i'm extremely detailed when i describe a job like this and describe the simplest things anyone would likely know. But I just like to make sure no questions are left. So don't take it the wrong way.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| | | Rachael7 | | Chaac | | | | Reg. Date | : | 17/05/2013 | | Posts | : | 511 | | Location | : | Greenfield, MA, United States |
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| | Posted : 20 Jul 2013 - 18:43 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: daz) | | | Wow! Thanks for all the detail! And I am definitely not going to be doing it the right way, not this time at least - that's way more work than I'm in for. I'll trying the sucking method this time and if I don't get it all, I can live with 14W or whatever it ends up being when old mixes with new. Thanks again!
| 2012 Thunderbird 1600, Short TORS, Triumph performance filter, TORs tune, Longhaul solo seat, Highway Hawk tubular solo rack, Dart flyscreen, engine bars, highway pegs, Clearwater Darla driving lights, custom flash-to-pass switch, Hagon 2810 rears, Thunderbike fork caps, Custom rear sets
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| | | daz | | Zeus | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 21 Jul 2013 - 15:24 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: Rachael7) | | | It's really not as bad as it sounds, just a bit time consuming. Took me about 2 hours. But yeah, not absolutely necessary now. I would however do it the proper way maybe every other time or whatever just so the sludge doesn't build up.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| | | Rachael7 | | Chaac | | | | Reg. Date | : | 17/05/2013 | | Posts | : | 511 | | Location | : | Greenfield, MA, United States |
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| | Posted : 21 Jul 2013 - 15:36 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: daz) | | | With only 4k miles on the bike, I'm hoping its still pretty clean in there. Maybe at the 12k service I'll give it the full dump and flush treatment.
| 2012 Thunderbird 1600, Short TORS, Triumph performance filter, TORs tune, Longhaul solo seat, Highway Hawk tubular solo rack, Dart flyscreen, engine bars, highway pegs, Clearwater Darla driving lights, custom flash-to-pass switch, Hagon 2810 rears, Thunderbike fork caps, Custom rear sets
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| | | daz | | Zeus | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,715 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 21 Jul 2013 - 15:43 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: Rachael7) | | | Agreed. It's gonna be pretty clean. The oil will have changed color to greyish probably, but there should be no sludge to worry about. And at 12l it will only have 8k on the new oil so it shouldn't be necassary at that point.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
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| | | EnGage | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 14/07/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,155 | | Location | : | Grand Rapids, MI, United States |
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| | Posted : 22 Jul 2013 - 23:16 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil (Re: daz) | | | The problem is to fully describe the process makes it sound harder the it is. Here is a shorter version:
1 remove calipers
2 remove wheel
3 loosen fork clamp bolts
4 loosen turn signal clamps
5 remove forks, take cap off, drain, fill per Daz's instructions
6 reassemble
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| | | GerPa | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 10/12/2011 | | Posts | : | 1,919 | | Location | : | Mackay, Central Queensland, Australia |
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| | Posted : 24 Jul 2013 - 01:30 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil. | | | EnGage wrote:
The problem is to fully describe the process makes it sound harder the it is. Here is a shorter version:
1 remove calipers
2 remove wheel
3 loosen fork clamp bolts
4 loosen turn signal clamps
5 remove forks, take cap off, drain, fill per Daz's instructions
6 reassemble |
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Has anyone thought about when they have their forks out for draining the oil out at the same time taking some internal measurements of the Lower Fork Tube.and then subsequently plotting a suitable location on the outside at the lower back of the fork tube and drilling and tapping a ??? 3 or 4mm drain hole at the bottom of the lower fork tube. All you would need is a 3 or 4mm Cap Screw with a fibre washer under it to seal it. All My old 70's and 80's model Classic Bikes had external drain holes.
Then the process would be.
1:Drain the Forks via new drain port
2:Remove Fork Caps and Refill. OR Alternatively Pump the required quantity ( 377ml or 23Oz ) back in via the drain port.
 Whats Ya thoughts Fellas 
|  May-2011-1600, 20306 Tune, Mustang Vintage Solo Seat, Meerkat Cat Bypass, + Meerkat Modified Short TORS   ,K&N Air Cleaner,K&N Oil Filter, JBQ lifting system, Gold Plug Magnetic Sump Plug,Dart Fly screen, Rivco Risers, GiPro Gear Indicator, Breakaway Cruise Control, Avon ISO Grips, Scorpion Western Low Handlebars, Kury Switchblade Pegs, Garmin Zumo390LM,Michelin RC2 on Front RC 3 on ,Modified Rear Drive Pulley Hub Bearings (Mat1600/Alex4 Modification) Front Susp: Std & 7.5W Oil /126mm Air Gap & Rear:Hagon Nitro's with 26Kg/cm Springs + Lots of other "Bling" stuff.
| | Post edited by GerPa on 24 Jul 2013 - 01:55 |
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| | | Leethal | | Zeus | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 24/01/2011 | | Posts | : | 6,529 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 24 Jul 2013 - 02:29 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil. (Re: GerPa) | | | As long as you can find some wall thickness to tap the thread.
My 41 year old Honda has those drain screws, marvelous things. Progress they call it  Also has lockable hinged seat with tool kit and storage, spare helmet hook, pillion grab bar, a fuel tap with reserve........................................................
| Experience is something you get just after you needed it
1600,Foran Razorbacks, Meerkat bypass, Dyno tune, real headlight,plenty of chrome,switchblade pegs, Nitron R3 shocks & Ikon progressive fork springs etc. Scorpion Western Low handlebars. PH adjustable fork caps.
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| | | mat1600 | | Thunderbird | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 06/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,596 | | Location | : | Bridlington, Democratic Independant State of Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 24 Jul 2013 - 07:19 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil. (Re: Leethal) | | | .....................and lockable fuel cap as standard.
| My first natural instinct is to breathe. My second is to evade tax's.
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| | | Leethal | | Zeus | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/01/2011 | | Posts | : | 6,529 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 24 Jul 2013 - 07:57 Post title : Re: How To Change Fork Oil. (Re: mat1600) | | | Now if it had a 1600 engine, EFI, ABS, and was a tad bigger it would be almost perfect.
| Experience is something you get just after you needed it
1600,Foran Razorbacks, Meerkat bypass, Dyno tune, real headlight,plenty of chrome,switchblade pegs, Nitron R3 shocks & Ikon progressive fork springs etc. Scorpion Western Low handlebars. PH adjustable fork caps.
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