Front suspension fork oil change

[MNBlue]

Hello all! My 1992 Moyager Vii front forks seem a little light and I was going to change the oil. The service manual I have shows what appeats to be a phillips headed bolt to loosen the retaining ring. When I pop off my black plastic covers I see what appears to be the reatining ring but there is not a phillips bolt just a depression.

What am I missing? How do you remove the retaining and top plugs in order the replace the oil?

As always - Thanks!

[snowbound]

Here is a link that might help http://www.abbikeboard.com/jeff/spring/spring.html

There are other homemade tools that have been made to remove the retaining spring most use angle iron and a piece of all thread. They just remove the handle bars, and drill the iron to bolt to handle bar mounts with a hole centered over the fork depression, use the allthread to hold pressure down on the cap and remove the retaining ring.

Myself I just used a piece of wood instead of iron worked just as well and saved buying a piece of steel. I also loosen the top retaining bolt on the forks.

Others might have better links on the homemade tools

[snowbound]

Most on this site use progressive springs to help a voyager with the soft feeling springs. The way I helped mine was to make two new steel collars adding 1-1/4 inch to both. this mod cost me nothing but time very easy to do...

This was done to the top 2 inch collar mine is now 3-1/4 and makes my front end feel like new.

[SgtSlag]

I used a gear puller, hooking it on the triple-tree's heavy gauge steel, surrounding the fork tubes. I screwed it down far enough to press the top cap down close to an inch, then I used a thin blade screw driver, and a needle nose pliers to pluck out the retaining spring. Here is a listing for a similar gear puller: link. Cheers!

[gearheadfla]

You can get a friend to help you and push the cap down with a good size phillips screwdriver while they remove the c-ring that holds it in place, the SLOWLY bring the cap up until the spring is loose.

[ekap1200]

Here is how I done it. There are a few ways to do this job, This is just one way and I had the tubes off and have the luxury of owning just a bit of tools after years of being a mech. SgtSlag done it a simular way but with the tubes on. But figured I would post a pic to show what the internal ring and plug look like. Gene Kap.

[SgtSlag]

Maybe this is obvious, maybe not... Be sure to put a jack-stand, or a jack, beneath the engine, to support it while the fork tubes are opened up! They are what holds the front end up; when you remove the top caps on the springs, the front end will collapse without support, and that could be quite hazardous... Just want to keep everybody safe, even if it makes me look like a nervous-ninny. Cheers!

[MNBlue]

OK so my forks were soft when stopping so tonight I finally changed the oil (thanks for all the helpful tips). The oil that came out of the forks was BLACK and only about 250ml from each fork. After I filled the forks with the new oil it seems as if it is softer than before . What could I have done wrong?????

Any ideas? Is it worth trying to keep the air suspension or should I just flip to progressive springs? If progressive any recommendations? HELP!!

[gearheadfla]

OK so my forks were soft when stopping so tonight I finally changed the oil (thanks for all the helpful tips). The oil that came out of the forks was BLACK and only about 250ml from each fork. After I filled the forks with the new oil it seems as if it is softer than before . What could I have done wrong?????

Any ideas? Is it worth trying to keep the air suspension or should I just flip to progressive springs? If progressive any recommendations? HELP!!

Get Progressives and forget about it, I have them on both front and back, the best upgrade I have done to my 88. Contact Carl Leo and he can hook you up.

[ekap1200]

Hello from NJ, you didn't mention how much air pres. you put in . also it could be your springs are just sacked out. Make the switch to progrssive's , front and rear and it will feel like a new ride. You can remove the air lines to the rear, but will still need to lines to the front as the tubes have an air hole drilled thru them. Gene Kap.

[MNBlue]

I put in 8 psi from the port which is what I read in the manual for the bike.

[SgtSlag]

Just finished changing my fork oil, as it had been over two years since I last changed it. I used 1.5 oz. of SeaFoam added to each fork to flush them of crud. The old fluid came out a pale, slightly milky red color. After consulting Progressive's instructions, as well as the FSM, I saw that the FSM's 330 ml (I used Dexron III ATF fluid, equal to 7.5 weight oil), and oil level, were in line with Progressive's safe levels, so I just dumped in 330 ml, measured the oil level with the forks completely compressed, and all was good per Progressive, while a little low for the FSM. Really looking forward to riding it tomorrow, with fresh fluid.

The bike has fresh oil, filter, brake/clutch fluid, and fork fluid. Only thing left to change (two years old already), is the coolant. That will need to wait for a while, but after that, it will be good. The rear end oil was checked, and it was good. Make sure you pay attention to all of the fluids in the bike, not just the forks. Cheers!