GSX550 fork capacity and weight

[janner]

Sad as it is, I was so bored ****less today that i,ve been out and stripped the anti-dive unit off for re-painting to match the caliper rebuild, on doing so the fork oil has released and emptied its contents into a recepticle, question is what oil do i use and what quantity, as i do not yet have a manual, p.s i,m a rather portly 17stone and 5,11", so maybe 20w ?? thanks all and seasons greetings

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What year is your bike? Can you find a manual for it on my little website?

You'll have to experiment a little with fork oil weight and spacer length for the fork springs. If you need more pre-load, go with longer spacers. Heavier oil will make for a harsher ride. I tried 15wt fork oil but went back to 10wt. I'm 6 feet and about 210 lbs (15 stones).


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[janner]

Thanks Basscliff, it's a 1985 model GSX550EF in very very good original condition, too good to restore really, so I'm detailing it as I'm going , sort of a rolling resto as I need to be riding rather than stripping and re-building as I have been doing in the last two years, thanks jon

Also, just been on your website and the model i have is not listed !! darn it

[SVSooke]

It would be this one http://www.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/...-ES-L_1983.PDF .Might even have the later changes listed.Most of the info you need is there though.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Yes, the manual is there, Mr. SVSooke linked to one of the 550 manuals. The other should be applicable too. For some reason the U.S. didn't get the "GSX" nomenclature right away even though the bike engines had changed to the 16 valve configuration. There may be slight differences between U.S. and U.K. models but those manuals should be close enough for most tasks.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[janner]

ok, have downloaded it now and a big thanks to you all, but still see no mention of capacity or weight, maybe its me, or maybe its the port and lemon


Found it !!! 321ml each side, but confused whether springs have to be removed and forks compressed while filling !! guess it shouldn,t matter as 321ml is 321ml right ?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Found it !!! 321ml each side, but confused whether springs have to be removed and forks compressed while filling !! guess it shouldn,t matter as 321ml is 321ml right ?

What is just as important, if not more, is that the level of fork oil must be the same in both forks, within 1mm. Usually it's around 140mm below the top of a compressed fork tube with the springs removed. That number for your bike should be in the manual too.

See the fork guides on my website for a nifty trick for measuring the fork oil level.

Something like this:





Cut the draw spout below the cap to the appropriate length. Pump out the excess fork oil.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[janner]

Well ! Youve blown me away with that one , brilliant idea, why are things in life so difficult yet so easy to remedy ? anyway, nice one , i,ll do that when the time comes, update so far ! the callipers are now rebuilt and resprayed in satin black and the anti dive units too, new sintered pads fitted, new stainless pistons and seals/dust boots, next step is the M/C to rebuild then its bleeding time, so getting there, i,ll post some pics soon , thanks all