what weight fork oil? & PVC spacers, how long?

[Anonymous]

Hi there guys, i tried the search without a real anwser,

Whats the general best fork oil weight to use? seems like alot of guys are running 15wt, i really want to stiffen things up a bit and not use air.

also, i want to stiffen up the preload on my forks, what size PVC pipe do i need and how long should i make the spacers?

3rd question, whats the "official" amount of oil the forks take?

Thanks!
Jason

[focus frenzy]

what year and model bike?

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Your fork springs should be in good condition to begin with. If you replace them, I recommend Progressive springs.
15 wt seems popular.
The correct length of pre-load spacer will be whatever allows the forks to compress about 1" or a little more when you sit on the bike. Too little travel will be a harsh ride, too much will be soft and the front end will dive too much.
Cut some spacers at different lengths and try them. Re-install any existing washers. Be sure the fork oil has been done first. Be careful of stripping the fine threads when re-installing the caps. The spacers will make it a little more difficult to re-install them easily. On my '79 GS1000E with Progressive springs, I used a 1/2" spacer I believe. Others like 3/4", etc.
What model, regarding the amount of oil?

[Anonymous]

Sorry guys, the bike is a 85 700e

[Mario Padilla]

GS700E forks

Dear Jason,

I have a 1983 GS750ES and just got done rebuilding my forks with new progressive springs and fork seals. With the springs that I installed, the instructions required a 3/4" PVC spacer. I experimented and finally settled on a 1" PVC spacer that gave me just shy of 1 1/2 inches of front end sag. If you keep the OEM springs then you will have to experiment with PVC spacers to get the sag your looking for because the OEM springs are longer than the progressive springs. The Suzuki manual calls for 10wt fork oil but I used 15wt. The manual requires that, with the forks in the fully extended position, the forks should be filled with fork oil to a level of 4.7 inches from the top of the fork. Good luck.

MP

[Anonymous]

Mario, thanks for all your help i really aprieciate it!,
Any tips on taking the forks apart or anything? been a long long long time since i did fork seals and theres no bolt caps on top of the forks like the old dirt bikes, heh..