I'm a big fan of a technique I learned in a Dave Moss video. Basically if all you're doing is changing fork oil, crack open the cap and pour out what you can with no further disassembly. Pour it into a marked container like a ratio rite pitcher and note the volume. Then just pour the same amount of new oil back in. Easy.
The drawback of that approach is that you can't clean out the accumulating dirt or metal at the bottom where it gathers and sticks. And, if the previous mechanic didn't measure right you would be refilling with the wrong amount again. Disassembly also allows you to discover broken components if they are there.
@@tinderboxarts You're not wrong on those points, but I don't think it's big deal to leave a little gunk behind (most of it was suspended in the oil and/or otherwise came out), so long as you replace the oil every couple years. The other advantage of Dave Moss's dump and run is there's less potential of breaking something or losing a part. And my guess is your average owner like me is more likely to screw that up than find something broken. Bottom line: the dump and run isn't perfect, but it's pretty good if done regularly, and safer in terms of far less chance of human error.
If you loosen the two pinch bolts first, the top cap will loosen easily. (Dont ask me how I know) The pressure on the tube clamps the top cap very tightly.
I've been talking about this subject on one of the forums, too. Interestingly, the Triumph factory manual instructs you to loosen the pinch bolts AFTER loosening the cap. The Hanes manual recommends the opposite. In a future video I may actually do a test with a torque wrench and see what difference it makes.
@@tinderboxarts Mine was awfully tight, I tried several large wrenches and it narfed up the cap bolt-head really bad. Didnt budge at all. I said to myself, "Self, why not loosen the pinch bolts first?" So, being a good listener, I did. Made all the difference in the world! Easy Peasy.
It's funny, I have had this conversation in other forums. The factory Triumph manual does not mention a need to loosen the pinch bolts first, and has the order of operations unscrewing the cap before loosening the pinch bolts. A Haynes manual, by contrast, suggests loosening the pinch bolts first, and that would be a traditional approach. I don't have a strong opinion either way, and I take a pragmatic approach. If the cap doesn't come off easily I'll loosen the pinch bolts to see if that helps.
Great video, thanks for that - mine was also 40mm after the spring was back in so felt it went well - movement not smooth on rebound so next time I might change the seals - also one fork had a reddy tinge to old oil and the spring was quite dirty - whilst the other was actually quite new looking (its not). I decided to flush them out a few times with fluid first. One other comment (I learned the hard way yesterday) I should have loosened the top clamp first - I think it bites the threads onto the top cap - I need a new top cap as it is ugly now :-) Thanks Again
It funny, I've had this discussion before about the top clamp. The Triumph manual does not recommend doing that first, but the Haynes manual does. I didn't really have a problem without loosening the clamp first, but it can't hurt if you do. Perhaps it's a matter of how tight the clamp is.
@@tinderboxarts yeah good point - I think my clamps were tightened to FT on the torque wrench or someone didn’t use one. Actually they are hard to torque because if you go back to them they have changed because the other half of the clamp has compensated for it. I might try smaller increments. Kind of a crucial component for safety too - so want to get it right 👌
You may or may not need to include seals or o-rings when you do this sort of thing. If the original seals are not that old and in good shape, you can just do the oil. If the seals are older, or damaged, then you'll need to replace them. If you are concerned you may want to purchase the seals in advance and have them on hand just in case.
If you put in 617cc of oil then the forks only have about 4 inches of travel - shocks are deadly. You must check the level from the top of the tube if you want full travel on the shocks.
I know this thread is old, but hoping still being watched. I have 2014 Tiger 800XC with Showa Forks and would like to stop the forks from occasionally 'bottoming out' by adding more fork oil. Thus reducing the amount of air in the fork. The OEM distance down to the fork oil is 107mm. I am interested in anyone's experience with lowering the number to say 80mm or 60mm? I weigh 82kg, add gear probably 90kg just a guess. The volume of oil in the service manual appears to be inconsistent with the 107mm. Has anyone lowered the 107mm to stop 'bottoming out' and if so by how much, without blowing fork seals? 107mm OEM 90mm works/ made no difference? 80mm works/ made no difference? 70mm works/ made no difference? Many thanks
If you are pretty consistently bottoming out then you may just be asking too much of your current setup in terms of weight and/or terrain. Rather than hoping for help in the form of oil volume, I'd encourage you to look into a different set of progressive springs. They're not very expensive.
Your fork seals are not quite so critical on the RT because of the different telelever design, but it's annoying to have oil leaking. I don't (yet) have a video on that process. You might try slipping a thin piece of plastic under the seal and carefully wiping around the tube. Sometimes the leak is just dirt or debris preventing the seal from working.
I'm a big fan of a technique I learned in a Dave Moss video. Basically if all you're doing is changing fork oil, crack open the cap and pour out what you can with no further disassembly. Pour it into a marked container like a ratio rite pitcher and note the volume. Then just pour the same amount of new oil back in. Easy.
The drawback of that approach is that you can't clean out the accumulating dirt or metal at the bottom where it gathers and sticks. And, if the previous mechanic didn't measure right you would be refilling with the wrong amount again. Disassembly also allows you to discover broken components if they are there.
@@tinderboxarts You're not wrong on those points, but I don't think it's big deal to leave a little gunk behind (most of it was suspended in the oil and/or otherwise came out), so long as you replace the oil every couple years.
The other advantage of Dave Moss's dump and run is there's less potential of breaking something or losing a part. And my guess is your average owner like me is more likely to screw that up than find something broken.
Bottom line: the dump and run isn't perfect, but it's pretty good if done regularly, and safer in terms of far less chance of human error.
If you loosen the two pinch bolts first, the top cap will loosen easily. (Dont ask me how I know) The pressure on the tube clamps the top cap very tightly.
I've been talking about this subject on one of the forums, too. Interestingly, the Triumph factory manual instructs you to loosen the pinch bolts AFTER loosening the cap. The Hanes manual recommends the opposite. In a future video I may actually do a test with a torque wrench and see what difference it makes.
@@tinderboxarts Mine was awfully tight, I tried several large wrenches and it narfed up the cap bolt-head really bad. Didnt budge at all. I said to myself, "Self, why not loosen the pinch bolts first?" So, being a good listener, I did. Made all the difference in the world! Easy Peasy.
Try loosening off the top pinch bolts before trying to loosen the fork cap. The pinch bolts are holding the cap in place.
It's funny, I have had this conversation in other forums. The factory Triumph manual does not mention a need to loosen the pinch bolts first, and has the order of operations unscrewing the cap before loosening the pinch bolts. A Haynes manual, by contrast, suggests loosening the pinch bolts first, and that would be a traditional approach. I don't have a strong opinion either way, and I take a pragmatic approach. If the cap doesn't come off easily I'll loosen the pinch bolts to see if that helps.
thanks for the video. Need to do this on my Bonneville, and your videos are always a good place to start.
Oh, you should also see this video, then: ruclips.net/video/Ec4rA93V3Sk/видео.html
Great simple steps, many thanks
Nice job. Very neatly done.
Great video, thanks for that - mine was also 40mm after the spring was back in so felt it went well - movement not smooth on rebound so next time I might change the seals - also one fork had a reddy tinge to old oil and the spring was quite dirty - whilst the other was actually quite new looking (its not). I decided to flush them out a few times with fluid first. One other comment (I learned the hard way yesterday) I should have loosened the top clamp first - I think it bites the threads onto the top cap - I need a new top cap as it is ugly now :-) Thanks Again
It funny, I've had this discussion before about the top clamp. The Triumph manual does not recommend doing that first, but the Haynes manual does. I didn't really have a problem without loosening the clamp first, but it can't hurt if you do. Perhaps it's a matter of how tight the clamp is.
@@tinderboxarts yeah good point - I think my clamps were tightened to FT on the torque wrench or someone didn’t use one.
Actually they are hard to torque because if you go back to them they have changed because the other half of the clamp has compensated for it. I might try smaller increments. Kind of a crucial component for safety too - so want to get it right 👌
Great demonstration 👍🏻
Dear friend, thank you for sharing! Do i understand correctly you changed the oil without replacing the seals?
You may or may not need to include seals or o-rings when you do this sort of thing. If the original seals are not that old and in good shape, you can just do the oil. If the seals are older, or damaged, then you'll need to replace them. If you are concerned you may want to purchase the seals in advance and have them on hand just in case.
Superb well explained thanks a lot
If you put in 617cc of oil then the forks only have about 4 inches of travel - shocks are deadly. You must check the level from the top of the tube if you want full travel on the shocks.
Oh - also check that your cables and clutch cable are on the right side of the forks or they pull too tight when you turn.
I know this thread is old, but hoping still being watched. I have 2014 Tiger 800XC with Showa Forks and would like to stop the forks from occasionally 'bottoming out' by adding more fork oil. Thus reducing the amount of air in the fork.
The OEM distance down to the fork oil is 107mm. I am interested in anyone's experience with lowering the number to say 80mm or 60mm? I weigh 82kg, add gear probably 90kg just a guess.
The volume of oil in the service manual appears to be inconsistent with the 107mm.
Has anyone lowered the 107mm to stop 'bottoming out' and if so by how much, without blowing fork seals?
107mm OEM
90mm works/ made no difference?
80mm works/ made no difference?
70mm works/ made no difference?
Many thanks
If you are pretty consistently bottoming out then you may just be asking too much of your current setup in terms of weight and/or terrain. Rather than hoping for help in the form of oil volume, I'd encourage you to look into a different set of progressive springs. They're not very expensive.
Have you done this with your RT? My 2010 has a leaky seal and there's nothing on RUclips.
Your fork seals are not quite so critical on the RT because of the different telelever design, but it's annoying to have oil leaking. I don't (yet) have a video on that process. You might try slipping a thin piece of plastic under the seal and carefully wiping around the tube. Sometimes the leak is just dirt or debris preventing the seal from working.
@@tinderboxartsThank you for the advice. Your channel has really helped me with my RT maintenance!
Do you know if the measurements and torque specs are the same for the 1200?
I'm sorry, I don't know. Triumph has so many Tiger variants now I find it hard to keep track.
Thanks for sharing sir 🇳🇴☕