Four coils?

[Guest]

I'm changing the fork oil seals on my GS1000G as soon as the new ones get here. What sort of fork oil is best (for normal riding, nothing off-roady or racy, just long-distance good roads, with me (190lbs) and minimal baggage.

I ask because on Triumphs, even a very small change makes a big difference (ATF is stock, and if you go up to say 15W, it makes the forks a lot harder, and 20W makes it feel like it has no suspension at all. I don't want to go through a load of waste and unnecessary mess by failing to get it right first time!

[nejeff]

I'm changing the fork oil seals on my GS1000G as soon as the new ones get here. What sort of fork oil is best (for normal riding, nothing off-roady or racy, just long-distance good roads, with me (190lbs) and minimal baggage.

I ask because on Triumphs, even a very small change makes a big difference (ATF is stock, and if you go up to say 15W, it makes the forks a lot harder, and 20W makes it feel like it has no suspension at all. I don't want to go through a load of waste and unnecessary mess by failing to get it right first time!

Four Coils = Fork Oils

[Brendan W]

I'm 215lbs and 15W is fine for me on good roads. I'm blending atf and 10W40. There are recipes out there for what proportions to use. The atf has a disproportionate effect on the final viscosity. A 50:50 mix of say a 10 atf and a 20 motor oil does not give 15, more like 12. I am flushing the forks fairly often as there is a lot of crud in there. This way I get to experiment and it's cheaper than the hi-tech stuff.
My garage is lit by fork handles

[hampshirehog]

It's gonna be 10w or 15w and what you plump for will be your own preference. I've got 15 in all of mine and I would say the ride is firm but in no way harsh and I ride at a decent pace with the odd burst when I forget I'm no longer a teenager, if that helps.

[hampshirehog]

And I know I shouldn't in a technical thread but what the heck.....

[Jon]

It's gonna be 10w or 15w and what you plump for will be your own preference. I've got 15 in all of mine and I would say the ride is firm but in no way harsh and I ride at a decent pace with the odd burst when I forget I'm no longer a teenager, if that helps.

10W for me then, I reckon. I seem to have a dislike of stiff-feeling forks. If 10W is ok for some folks, I reckon I'll be among them. Easy enough to alter if necessary, but this will be my starting point.

The 2 Ronnies were great, but I'll admit to being far too old and cynical to take them as my primary source of GS advice!