more front end
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My old dirtbike called for 10w30 in the forks. I think people use because it is cheaper.
Hey someone pas me the wrench........ Ahh screw it where is the torch
Hey someone pas me the wrench........ Ahh screw it where is the torch
Back in the day dedicated fork oil was a bit harder to find. And manufacturers wanted bikes easy to own and service.
ATF might work fine for the street....but it's crap for racing...specially compared to specifically engineered fork oils.
I've discovered forks can be pretty important during a race
Shame to save a few pennies and eat pavement as a reward.
JohnnyB
ATF might work fine for the street....but it's crap for racing...specially compared to specifically engineered fork oils.
I've discovered forks can be pretty important during a race
Shame to save a few pennies and eat pavement as a reward.JohnnyB
I remember the old time techs telling me ATF is about equilivent to 5w fork oil which is what is recommended for the street in most jap bikes. It was easy to acquire and made service cheaper.
Honda used to ship bikes with a very light non corrosive oil in the forks (ATF and fork oil is hydrophillic like brake fuild - meaning it pulls moisture from the surronding air). This was a farily clear oil and was referred to as "fish oil" by the techs and eventually the hobbyists (because it smelled like fish). Part of the new bike prep was to drain this "fish oil" and replace with real fork oil or at least ATF. There have been tales of techs prepping bikes for sale and not draining the fish oil until the fork seals went. I'm sure there are a couple of bikes that went their entire service lives with super soft front ends. A couple of years ago I bought a set of forks from a guy that used to be a tech at mineola honda (one of the largest honda bike dealers BTW). He said they were used but low mileage and he had saved them as a backup for his own 75 cb750F. I cracked them open to change the fluid and sure enough - really really bad (I mean foul) smelling "fish oil".
Honda used to ship bikes with a very light non corrosive oil in the forks (ATF and fork oil is hydrophillic like brake fuild - meaning it pulls moisture from the surronding air). This was a farily clear oil and was referred to as "fish oil" by the techs and eventually the hobbyists (because it smelled like fish). Part of the new bike prep was to drain this "fish oil" and replace with real fork oil or at least ATF. There have been tales of techs prepping bikes for sale and not draining the fish oil until the fork seals went. I'm sure there are a couple of bikes that went their entire service lives with super soft front ends. A couple of years ago I bought a set of forks from a guy that used to be a tech at mineola honda (one of the largest honda bike dealers BTW). He said they were used but low mileage and he had saved them as a backup for his own 75 cb750F. I cracked them open to change the fluid and sure enough - really really bad (I mean foul) smelling "fish oil".
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