my forks seem soft, do yours?

[Suckerpunch]

seems soft but, I have nothing to compare them too. Is it normal to sit in one spot, engage the front brake, lean forward on the forks, and have about 6" of travel (fairly easy)?

Currently have 19lbs air in the forks (19lbs in each fork)

The rear seems soft too but, im more concerned with the front.

80 xs 1000

[DGXSER]

Fork oil?? Have you checked/changed the fork oil lately? I would suggest if you have not to do so.

[Suckerpunch]

No I have no idea when it was done last. I saw how to do it in the owners manual but, a little scared to do it myself.

Fork oil?? Have you checked/changed the fork oil lately? I would suggest if you have not to do so.

[DGXSER]

Well, it is not to difficult really. When I have done it, I go ahead and remove the air valve at the top of the forks, it just screws in with I believe a 10mm socket. Get the front end off the ground, then pull the drain bolt at the bottom of the fork. Let the oil drain out, and then pump the forks a few times.

To add oil back, measure out the proper amount. I have always had to pull the top cap off the fork to add the oil back, the hole in the air valve is way to small to get it back in through there for me. Then dump the fork oil back in, and then very carefully screw the cap back on. It is not an easy job as the threads are very very fine and the springs make it very hard to push the cap down to where the threads will grab. But it can be done by the average DIY.

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Alright!!!!

A forkin' forked up fork thread..........again.

Don's got it. Mine were really soft and I pulled them apart and cleaned the 30 years worth of gunk out of the bottom, replaced the seals, and they're like new again.

A forkin' new bike.

BTW......you can buy the forkin' expensive fork oil if you feel you want to, but synthetic ATF is what I used and it works great for a fraction of the cost.

Don't be frightened of the forkin' forks, they're not difficult at all. You just need to borrow or make a tool to hold the inner valve tube to get it removed.

There are several here that can and will talk you through it so you don't fork it up.........LOL.......

[Suckerpunch]

Well it seemed like 6 inches of travel, Its more like 2". Still not sure if I should have any easy travel though.

[DGXSER]

Well, 2" is not alot of travel, but I would still recommend to change the fork oil anyway. IMO, if you do not specifically know when the last time any maintenance on the bike was done, you should do it asap or economical for you. This includes valve adjustments, cleaning brake system, replacing brake fluid, replacing final and middle drive oil, fork oil.....all of the maintenance described in the manual.

[b.walker5]

You can get a good indication of fork travel by fitting a couple of zip ties to your forks just above the dust seal and going for a decent ride, including a couple of good front brake stops. When you get back measure from the zip tie to the dust seal and you have your maximum travel. I concur with the others though, change your oil. It's not hard and theres plenty of advice here if you need it. Might even be a tech tip if you search for one.



Thats the travel on mine after a week or so of riding.

[Suckerpunch]

excellent tip!

You can get a good indication of fork travel by fitting a couple of zip ties to your forks just above the dust seal and going for a decent ride, including a couple of good front brake stops. When you get back measure from the zip tie to the dust seal and you have your maximum travel. I concur with the others though, change your oil. It's not hard and theres plenty of advice here if you need it. Might even be a tech tip if you search for one.



Thats the travel on mine after a week or so of riding.

[jmnjrpa]

If you have air forks the easy way to fill them with oil is one of these-



The black tip is part of the mity vac kit. Remove the air valve and fill till you have the proper volume. Place a paper towel around the tip because it will spit a drop or two at you when you finish. Maximum 10 miniute job for both forks.

[rover]

Soft Forks?

Give em viagra

[Suckerpunch]

another great tip

If you have air forks the easy way to fill them with oil is one of these-



The black tip is part of the mity vac kit. Remove the air valve and fill till you have the proper volume. Place a paper towel around the tip because it will spit a drop or two at you when you finish. Maximum 10 miniute job for both forks.

[Suckerpunch]

anybody know where I can find this tool?

If you have air forks the easy way to fill them with oil is one of these-



The black tip is part of the mity vac kit. Remove the air valve and fill till you have the proper volume. Place a paper towel around the tip because it will spit a drop or two at you when you finish. Maximum 10 miniute job for both forks.

[Suckerpunch]

When I drain the shock oil, do I follow up with a cleaner or, just put new oil in?

[DGXSER]

IF your bike has been used and abused, you may want to clean it first. Some will take the forks apart to get everything good and clean.

If your bike has been maintained decently and the oil that came out looked not to horribly dirty, I'd just put the new back in.