More fork oil change questions.

[Hotblack]

I plan to change my fork oil for the first time on my '79 GS550 (I bet it's never been done!) and I just want to be sure of a few things before I do it. I found some things out by searching, others I need spelled out for me

The Clymer manual specifies 15 weight oil, should a heavier (over 200 lbs) rider use something thicker? I reallize it may take some experimenting to fine tune it, but I want to get as close as possible. The bike seems fine right now, but I'm new to it.

In my travels looking for an oil suction gun someone told me that there are cruch washers for the drains and for the caps that need replacing every time. I see no such thing in Clymer's diagram, was he mis-speaking?

It seems that most people here replace the oil by measuring volume instead of level. I was planning to use the suction gun method to measure the level, but it's hard to find a suitable gun for the purpose. Is pre measuring the oil volume accurate, and just how accurate do I have to be?

I've read cautions about removing both caps/forks at the same time unless the front wheel is raised, can I safely remove both sides with the front wheel raised? Do I want to, for that matter - can I sevice one fork at a time? I had planned to remove the forks for best draining and flushing as per the manual, as I ain't raising the rear of the bike to level the forks unless Kal-El's ship crashes outside my garage (Haven't seen Superman? Aw never mind...)

Also, I had mentioned once that my bike says it's a 550E on the steering head, while the pipes say 550L, and it has the stepped seat and had those mondo pullback bars that look L to me. After poking around on a German GS site it looks like my bike has everything that makes an L an L - the shorter pipes, the pullback deer antlers, the seat, the smaller looking tank, the rear grab rail and chrome fender, the two per side pinch bolts on the lower clamp versus the E's one, etc. Am I safe in assuming it's really an L model? I only ask because the fork oil capacity is different for an L in the manual.

Ohhhhhh and my fork legs are nice and clean, but the dust boots are slightly cracked, I guess it would be good to replace them while I'm doing this? I haven't seen them in any catalogs, are they easy to obtain?

Thanks for your help, and thanks for the TONS of info I've already gotten from the GS site and forums!

[Hotblack]

Here's a pic of the old girl I snapped earlier this Winter. Looks exactly like the L I saw on Michael's GS site, minus the "gigantic deer antlers". Man is his site comprehensive.

[Anonymous]

I've read cautions about removing both caps/forks at the same time unless the front wheel is raised, can I safely remove both sides with the front wheel raised? Do I want to, for that matter - can I sevice one fork at a time? I had planned to remove the forks for best draining and flushing as per the manual, as I ain't raising the rear of the bike to level the forks unless Kal-El's ship crashes outside my garage (Haven't seen Superman? Aw never mind...)

remove drain screw at bottom of fork legs and compress front end till you see no more oil shootin out( it will be kinda messy) let it drip out for awhile. then you can raise the front tire off the ground throw something under the frame to keep it that way, lay the handle bars on the tank and now its safe to unbolt the fork caps

[Anonymous]

That looks a lot like my '79 GS550L. As I understand it, the L model was also the only one with the cast wheels and disc brakes. The handlebars in the pic look just like mine.

Michael

[Anonymous]

The E and the L had cast wheels and dual disc up front. The L model is the only one with the leading axle forks ( I think ). The L models also have chrome rear fenders with a different taillight, and a seat stepped a little more than the E. I just rebuilt the forks on my 1000L, not as tough as I first thought it may be, Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

The E and the L had cast wheels and dual disc up front. The L model is the only one with the leading axle forks ( I think ). The L models also have chrome rear fenders with a different taillight, and a seat stepped a little more than the E. I just rebuilt the forks on my 1000L, not as tough as I first thought it may be, Good Luck.

[Hotblack]

It's hard to tell from the darkness in the front, but those are leading axle forks, it also has a single disk up front, as well as in back. The pad change was fairly straightforward, though I had to get ugly and completely remove the front caliper to get one of the pads out - it was fused in there. OHHHhhhhhh yeah it was time for a change! Those bars are non stock, the originals are much higher and the severe pullbuck puts your wrists at an outlandish angle. It felt like the world's fastest roto-tiller with those bars on it.

[Hotblack]

Thanks for your help, all. I'm a bit surprised though that some of my questions seem to have unknown answers. Oh well, I'm going to try to track down a factory manual, they are usually pretty thorough.

[moto_dan]

Re: More fork oil change questions.

I plan to change my fork oil for the first time on my '79 GS550 (I bet it's never been done!) and I just want to be sure of a few things before I do it. I found some things out by searching, others I need spelled out for me

The Clymer manual specifies 15 weight oil, should a heavier (over 200 lbs) rider use something thicker? I reallize it may take some experimenting to fine tune it, but I want to get as close as possible. The bike seems fine right now, but I'm new to it.

In my travels looking for an oil suction gun someone told me that there are cruch washers for the drains and for the caps that need replacing every time. I see no such thing in Clymer's diagram, was he mis-speaking?

It seems that most people here replace the oil by measuring volume instead of level. I was planning to use the suction gun method to measure the level, but it's hard to find a suitable gun for the purpose. Is pre measuring the oil volume accurate, and just how accurate do I have to be?

I've read cautions about removing both caps/forks at the same time unless the front wheel is raised, can I safely remove both sides with the front wheel raised? Do I want to, for that matter - can I sevice one fork at a time? I had planned to remove the forks for best draining and flushing as per the manual, as I ain't raising the rear of the bike to level the forks unless Kal-El's ship crashes outside my garage (Haven't seen Superman? Aw never mind...)


Ohhhhhh and my fork legs are nice and clean, but the dust boots are slightly cracked, I guess it would be good to replace them while I'm doing this? I haven't seen them in any catalogs, are they easy to obtain?

Thanks for your help, and thanks for the TONS of info I've already gotten from the GS site and forums!

1. 15 weight fork oil should be fine for a starting point.
2. I would suggest removing the tubes from the triples and emptying out the old oil from the top and thoroughly cleaning the gunk from in side the tubes. There will probably be an accumulation of gray residue which will not come out through the small drain hole.
3. I purchased a suction gun from Autozone for ~$10. You can also do it by quantity and be close enough. A slight deviation will not be noticeable.
4. Dust wipers(boots) are readily availabe from the dealer or bikebandit.
5. I block my bike up before removing the forks from the triple clamps but after loosening the top Cap. Yes both tubes can be removed it the weight is off the front end.
6. If they are indeed crush washers then most manuals will suggest replacing them. That's your call depending on availability and budget. My experience has been that they can be reused if not too compressed or deformed.

Dan

[Clone]

M-D has covered it, I replaced the washers on my forks with little o-rings. I also flushed my forks with diesel to clean the crud out of the bottom. I was a tad lazy and measured volume, I didn't measure the height in the tubes. The parts guy at Custom Cycle asked me what kind of riding I did and then sold me 10W oil, 15W is stock, the lighter oil seems to work ok for me, riding single most of the time and not tipping the scale over 150.

[Hotblack]

Thanks bunches. I think I'll give Bikebandit a try, I avoid the deale as much as possible. I may buy that suction gun with the floppy spout and epoxy a metal tube on. I bet JB Weld would work. Sounds like it should go pretty well, if a bit messy