Change Fork Oil In A Motorcycle?

[PeaceBlondie]

A recent post in the Airblade/Nuovo thread mentions fork oil. My CBR150R is now almost 4 years old, with 43,000 km. I'm a 91 kilo rider, and sometimes have 56 kilos of cargo/passenger. Should I change the fork oil by now? And in the process, should I ask them to put heavier weight fork oil in there?

Likewise, the unishock at the rear - does it ever get its oil changed? Again, can we use heavier oil?

[Lickey]

Hi PB, does the front end feel spongy under braking, are there any signs of leekage near the seals? you can by all means ask the service center to change oil, but the correct quantity in each leg is very important,too much and you will get a rough ride, every bump will jar you to the neck, not enough and it will bounce and feel saggy, same goes for rear shocker, more importantly, the brake fluid should be changed every 2 years, also the coolant mixture for the engine, { i think your bike is water-cooled} the coolant should be with an anti-corrosion inhibitor, this stops the engine rotting from the inside out!! ordinary water will give major problems in a short time, to test replaced coolant, dip finger in radiator and taste on tongue, it should have a sweet taste, dont worry, it wont hurt you,

If you are happy with bike handling ect, leave well alone, but the other 2 items should have attention soon,

Hope this helps, Lickey..

[beechguy]

A recent post in the Airblade/Nuovo thread mentions fork oil. My CBR150R is now almost 4 years old, with 43,000 km. I'm a 91 kilo rider, and sometimes have 56 kilos of cargo/passenger. Should I change the fork oil by now? And in the process, should I ask them to put heavier weight fork oil in there?

Likewise, the unishock at the rear - does it ever get its oil changed? Again, can we use heavier oil?

I agree with lickeys suggestions. In addition though,the suspension systems have alot of moving parts, so the oil breaks down and becomes contaminated over a period of time. So, you'll prevent excess wear and get better performance with fresh suspension fluid. I've been out of the motorcycle biz for awhile, so I'm not too familiar with you particular model. But, if the rear shock absorber can be serviced, I would have that done also at some point.

In general, heavier suspension fluids are used to increase the damping effects. That is, how quickly it compresses or rebounds. If a suspension is really too soft or stiff then it may take a different spring rate to correct a problem. For instance if it was way too harsh or bottoms easily.

Anyway, for your purposes, if you are generally satisfied with the performance, just have them use a good quality fluid and have it serviced on a regular basis. I think you will notice a difference.

Take care riding out there!

[ajahnlau]

A recent post in the Airblade/Nuovo thread mentions fork oil. My CBR150R is now almost 4 years old, with 43,000 km. I'm a 91 kilo rider, and sometimes have 56 kilos of cargo/passenger. Should I change the fork oil by now? And in the process, should I ask them to put heavier weight fork oil in there?

Likewise, the unishock at the rear - does it ever get its oil changed? Again, can we use heavier oil?

If you're changing the oil stick to the manufacturers suggested oil. What might need changing are the springs after carrying alot of weight for a long period of time. Check to see if you're rear shock bottoms out quickly,just sit on it and bounce. Changing is not expensive.