pindie Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 As the title says really. I'm going to chnage my fork oil. It been in there a while now so I think fresh oil will be a treat for this summers riding. I'm not going to do wipers and seals as they don't leak and I clean them regularly. I was going to use 5WT fork oil. Is that right? From what I've read a 1 litre bottle is ample for both legs. Can I simply remove each leg from the bike once the caps are loosened and tip out the old oil? I was going leave them inverted overnight to let anything else come out. My next step is refill with the amounts in the manual and bolt back together. I'm sure it can't be this easy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishyfishy Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Take a butchers at this link it might help - ok I know it is for a Sherco but my guess is that you may also have Paioli forks on the Beta? One litre of 5wt oil should be plenty. Personally I would drain from the bottom of the fork leg. http://www.splatshop.co.uk/blog/2013/01/paioli-ceriani-fork-oil-levels-for-sherco-trials-bikes-from-2006-to-2011/ Bishy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 It can be worth putting some paraffin in and working the forks a few times (spring out and top off) to clean out the mucky residue but make sure you tip it out quickly as if left it could cause the seals to swell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevp22 Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Be careful if you're following the manual as its wrong,can't quite remember what parts wrong,it's to do with the diagram being deceiving,and you end up with far to much oil and will only get about half travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcman56 Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 (edited) The 2008 Rev 3 manual shows a 60 mm air gap on the side with no spring. On the side with the spring, it shows 120 mm with the spring in place. I have been told it should be 120 mm with the spring removed and did mine that way. The splat shop page suggests differently. My forks do feel soft and I weigh 155 lbs but don't ever remember the feeling of hitting bottom or hydraulic lock. What level do other riders run? When filling, the forks do need to be pumped up and down to remove air bubbles before measuring. The manual does show 5wt oil. Edited February 6, 2013 by mcman56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindie Posted March 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2013 All done. Forks are way smoother. I don't reckon it's ever been done before as I had blobs of grunge and a thick layer of grey goo in the ends of both legs. The worst bit was getting tightening the left (larger bolt) leg drain bolt. Can't wait to test it out. I'm going to schedule this as a six monthly job as its easy and the sludge would not even form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindie Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 I've been out for an hour this evening..... What a difference fresh oil has made! I'm going to have to wind off a turn of preload I think as the front end is alive now. I had no idea it was going to make such a difference. This is definitely going to be a regular maintenance job for me from now on. My advice to anyone who does not know how old the fork oil is in their bike is to change it. It's cheap and easy to do. Taking the wheel out is the most complicated bit and the benefits are huge. I only need to use half the effort to loft the front wheel now and it is all so much smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ymirtrials Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Pindie, Did you use volume measurements for replacing the oil in each or the air gap measurement method? Not sure if your forks are the same as the ones I have on my 04' but I'll be doing that service in a week or so. Also when you say you clean the seals and wipers do you just pop the dust wipers off and clean inside or are you 'flossing' the seals as well? Please explain. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindie Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I used the volume amount after cleaning out the tubes and the damper rod by pumping it into a bowl. Once I knew it was all clean the amount Beta list was spot on. I think one leg was 370 and the other 350ml. I use feeler gauges to clean the seals. Pull the dust seal up the leg or fully off if the legs out. You need to ease the edge of the feeler around the seal lips to clear out grit and dirt build up in all the gaps. Rinse with brake cleaner as this evaporates. The actual oil seal is done the same way. Carefully slide the thin feeler vertically down the leg between the seal and chrome stanchion. Be careful and gentle. Run the feeler around the leg but within the seal as you gently ease the feeler out and you'll pull the dirt out. I blasted these seals as I went around them with brake cleaner to wash any dirt out. Any dirt that gets inside is cleaned out when you empty the oil and rinse out the inside of the fork tubes with paraffin or something similar. I clean the dust and oil seals monthly as a rule and have not had to replace one yet and they don't leak. I'm convinced that unless you have a damaged tube the only reason they leak is they are full of mud and grunge which stops them flexing to create the seal. I've been out today and the forks are excellent after the oil change, no leaks and all dandy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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