82 1100e fork rebuild questions ...

[truckah]

i've done some "searching and haven't found the answer to these questions ... how much fork oil in this model? what's the difference between fork oil and motor oil? do you have to align the hole in the fork tube with the bolt in the air crossover? and what's the spec for how much fork tube to have above the top clamp? thanks in advance for the elucidation.

[Baatfam]

i've done some "searching and haven't found the answer to these questions ... how much fork oil in this model? what's the difference between fork oil and motor oil? do you have to align the hole in the fork tube with the bolt in the air crossover? and what's the spec for how much fork tube to have above the top clamp? thanks in advance for the elucidation.

The Factory manual, (downloaded from BassCliff's site), says the fork oil level should be 7.7"...that is measured from the top of the tube to the oil without the spring and the fork compressed. I made a dipstick out of a piece of rod to measure this.

I also used 15w fork oil from the bike shop...I don't know about using motor oil...

As long as the hole in the tube is between the two o-rings in the air crossover, you should be fine.

I put my fork tube flush with the top of clamp...

That's what I did, hopefully others will giver their two cents...

[portdave]

The Factory manual, (downloaded from BassCliff's site), says the fork oil level should be 7.7"...that is measured from the top of the tube to the oil without the spring and the fork compressed. I made a dipstick out of a piece of rod to measure this.

I also used 15w fork oil from the bike shop...I don't know about using motor oil...

As long as the hole in the tube is between the two o-rings in the air crossover, you should be fine.

I put my fork tube flush with the top of clamp...

That's what I did, hopefully others will giver their two cents...

I pretty much did the same thing. I have a 1100E front end on my bike. I tore the whole thing down and cleaned throughout. Stay away from motor oil. The weight of the fork oil has some flexibility and you can even adjust based on your weight and the ride you want. I went with 15 too. Posplayer has some great threads on this subject. He was a big help to me. You may want to consider replacing the head bearings while you are working on the front end.

[Turtleface]

195 mm(7.7") from the top of the tube. If you've completely disassembled the forks, and made totally sure they're absolutely dry, 246 mL will get you in the right area. I'd still use the measure-from-the-top method, if you can.

I lined up the holes in the forks with the holds in the lower clamps, for the air system. I don't use any air, but I've replaced my springs for Progressives as well. I went with 7.5 WT oil, but I'm a relatively small rocket jockey. I think the common rule of thumb is to use the lightest oil you can get away with. Didn't have much time on the new oil and springs before my clutch bit the dust, but the improvement was pretty significant. Much more compliant, and felt more "planted" during low speed cornering. Then again, I upgraded from a leaky, foamy, nearly dry completely stock fork, so a vast improvement was sorta expected.