Anyone have an easier method of changing the fork oil? Clymers seems to make a major project out of it.

I haven't seen what Clymers procedure is but it's very simple (specially if you a have an extra pair of hands for one step). In a nutshell the procedure is:

1) Remove the top caps from the forks, with a 10 mm long socket and an extension push down the cap, this will reveal a small circlip. Remove it and slowly release the cap (don't let go or the spring will shoot up the cap). Do this on the other leg.

2)Remove the spacer, small washer and spring from the fork legs. Check that they good and not deformed.

3) Remove drain bolt, place a oil pan near and pump the legs up and down slowly so not to drip too much oil out.

4) Refill with fork oil (320 ml per leg aprox.), replace the spring, the washer and the spacer in the fork legs (be careful with the washer as it tends to flop a little bit inside the fork leg make sure is flat against the spring)

5) Measure the level of the oil with the fork leg compressed to the top of the fork leg. It should be 230 mm +/- 10mm. A bit higher level gets you a bit harder damping but don't stray too far from this level.

6)For reassembly just put a car jack under the engine to extend the fork legs. Place the cap over the spacer, push down and have someone else replace the circlip on the fork leg. Do the other one...

This is not to hard. If you have someone help you with the circlip on the fork legs it cuts down about 30 minutes of bad language. You can do this in about 1 hour...

Hope this helps

Great write up Mushu!

If you don't have the extra pair of hands, I use a small pry bar with a towel over it. Put the end of the pry bar under the handle bar (with towel on it to protect the handlebar). Then pressing down on the pry bar (with same socket as Mushu's write up), I can hold down the spring tension with one hand and remove the spring clip with the other. Same to install.

I stirpped my forks down and replaced the seals so I just used a measuring cup to add the right amount of fork oil. Believe you can only do this if the fork is truely void of all old oil.

Fork oil weight is determined by rider weight. Comes in I believe 5, 10, and 15 W weights, pick the one for your normal load weight.

Jon

I just used a 3/8 socket wrench with a socket on it as the "pry bar" that 93VN750 describes (rust spots allready on handlebars so didn't worry about a towel).

Would have been nice to have an extra set of hands - but the wife was allready mad at me for spending time with my "other" girl ;-)

Thanks guys, I'll give it a shot tonite.

Alright, very good input. Did the oil change and it took only 40 minutes start to finish. The prybar technique was very easy to do. Thanks again.

OK So I just changed the oil in the rear shocks. And holy s what a difference. Now I want to do the front. Couldn't I just remove the drain cap at the bottom and pump out the oil, and then pump in new oil?

I'v done the procedure this way on the Vulcan and on the TDM 850

http://www.wilbers.de/download/montageanleitung_rsu.pdf

The air gap as per Clymer's page 12-5 is 215 mm. There could be a difference if progressive fork spings were obstructed. E.G. 150 - 160 mm.

Jace - what happened with the change? Did you change oil weights? Add/not add air? Inquiring minds with ****ty shocks want to know.

OK So I just changed the oil in the rear shocks. And holy s what a difference. Now I want to do the front. Couldn't I just remove the drain cap at the bottom and pump out the oil, and then pump in new oil?

Remove the drain plug at the bottom to let the oil out, then up top either press in the air valve, pull the stem out like on a tire valve, or remove the top cap. Otherwise the vacuum will hold the fluid in and not let it drain. If you choose pulling the valve stem or cap, don't forget to press the valve stem first to relieve any air pressure or you'll get a face full of fluid.

There are a few recent threads about fluid and/or seal changes, as well as in the Verses is a write up on changing the fluid without removing the tubes or wheel. (I don't remember who wrote it)

Ah yeah, I had covered it another thread, but I'll hit it up here again. I drained all the oil, replaced with 10w fork oil. and put the air at the recommended 10%. So my weight with gear and accesories. so I am at about 21psi. It seems to soak up the bumps better, not as harsh, but doesn't have that feeling of riding on jello. I haven't riden with progressives, so I can't say if this is better. I doubt that it is. But I think that this is a good poor mans fix. I think it will keep me satisfied for awhile. Here is the thread were I had talked about doing this, and where I got the idea and instructions on how to do it. http://www.vn750.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9763

Sweet - thanks.

Remove the drain plug at the bottom to let the oil out, then up top either press in the air valve, pull the stem out like on a tire valve, or remove the top cap. Otherwise the vacuum will hold the fluid in and not let it drain.



You also need to compress the forks several times as the dampening tubes hold oil and won't drain unless "pumped out"....the bitch of this is it is alot easier to do this with the springs removed...SO...you might as well just go ahead and take off the plug clips and plugs off the top anyway.............


KM

I cant use something to vacum out the oil with the springs in. Cuz removing the clips seems like a bitch too.