Stupid fork oil question

[Dudeofrude]

Is there anyway to tell which weight oil I have in the front forks while I'm changing it?
I know the bike has had MCT treatment and is uprated from standard but not a clue what they have put in it?
I don't want to replace it with a lower weight oil then have to strip them again to re-do it?
Any ideas?

[caretaker]

nope. have a trawl on any threads on forks and see what others are putting in.

[darrsi]

http://fazerowners.yuku.com/topic/31983#.WV6ajojyvIU

[BBROWN1664]

If the oil is old, like engine oil it breaks down. Even refilling with the same oil will make a difference. Most people put 15w in though.

[Dudeofrude]

Well the bike is 10 years old and has had the MCT work done at some point but I don't have a clue when so couldn't say how old it is?  I have some paperwork that came with it  and says it was set up for a 90kg rider. I'm 102kgs and I find that it bottoms out if I drive off a low curb even at walking pace so I'm guessing I might want to err on the side of heavier oil?
To be fair it's not set up to my weight at all (as I don't have a clue about doing it) so figure it's worth changing it out then having it set up to see how it feels.
If I'm honest it's awful at the minute, hard over bumps/potholes and light/flighty at speed so doesn't inspire confidence of any kind. That's why I need to get it sorted ASAP but at £140 all in to get the oil changed I wanna do it right first time haha

[celticbiker]

140 squids,  good grief, that's why I DIY.
30 quids worth of oil and about an hour work.
If you're happy to spend 140, if you DIY you can afford to replace the springs with some that are rated for your weight and sort the front end for good..

[nordboy]

140 squids,  good grief, that's why I DIY.
30 quids worth of oil and about an hour work.
If you're happy to spend 140, if you DIY you can afford to replace the springs with some that are rated for your weight and sort the front end for good..

How easy is it though? I was thinking of doing mine, but have limited equipment and basic spannering skills.

[slimwilly]

It's very easy to change the oil in gen 2 forks, you need to Jack bike up to remove front wheel, then slide one leg off at a time, I can undo one side of mudguard, caliper, fork clamps and it just slides down and out,less than ten minutes,,,
 to start though slacken top clamp and loosen top cap on fork,,,this  is a must. 
I have a detailed post in 1000 section.
Anyway, you can undo top cap and pour out old oil, measure it's volume if you want then pump leg up and down to get all the oil out, leave it upside down for half an hour to drain. Then new oil in, in think I used 5wt or 10wt ,may of mixed them for inbetween,,,fill leg and measure air gap,, you will find it somewhere.

[darrsi]

If the oil is old, like engine oil it breaks down. Even refilling with the same oil will make a difference. Most people put 15w in though.

15w is good for the 600, but people were saying it's too heavy for the 1000.
Standard is 7.5.

[BBROWN1664]

15w is good for the 600, but people were saying it's too heavy for the 1000.
Standard is 7.5.

And I thought the thou riders were all a bunch of pie eaters

[Dudeofrude]

Just found this in with the paperwork. I think it's says I have 10w oil in doesn't it? I don't really know what any of it means haha

[robbo]

Yep that's 10 weight oil.You've got all the info there if you're 12.5 stone kitted up.

[darrsi]

As Mr Brown has pointed out, putting fresh oil in will make it feel a bit firmer anyway, so if you were happy with the 10w then just stay with that.

[Oldgit]

stop Forkin about.