I want to change the fork oil in my early 1985 K100RT. The Clymer manual shows a picture of the lower fork drain area. However my bike does not have the cap (as shown) on the left side. The cap shown appears to be the end of the axle on the right side.
It does however have a small hex head bolt on the back side (toward the rear of the bike) on each fork. Are these the drain plugs ?
Richard1

The 10mm cap screw on the back side of both fork legs are the drain plugs. There's a thin sealing washer on them so be careful to not lose 'em or replace 'em while you've got 'em off. The 'fill' plugs are the Allen head screws under a plastic caps on the tops of the fork legs. A large spanner is useful to hold and keep the fork 'inners' from spinning whilst you remove the plugs. Good luck with it!

Thanks TWB. I don't know what I would do without all you folks out there. It's like having a machanic right here on my computer.
Richard1

I am about to change my fork oil, but one thing bothers me.How much mess is made when you undo the drain bolts?. Looks to me like the oil will just dribble down the bottom of the fork and go anywhere but into a container. Anyone had a mess free change?
Thanks
RT

Embrace your inner Pig Pen, RT. Things is gunna get messy.

quite the oil can be under a bit of pressure so hold a rag or your mother in laws nightie over the hole as you remove thr screw. and be careful as you pump the front end to get the remainder out.
be careful how tight you do the drain screws as they do strip easily.
GOOD LUCK

Aren't rags and mother-in-law's nightie the same thing?
More to the point, why on earth would anyone have access to said nightie shudder

This is a fork oil post, not a fork Oedipal post.

Eggsackery. Personally, I would rather fork oil if I was given the option.

pretty easy stuff rt ...

just prepare well for the oil flow ...a 2 litre ice cream container works ok ....but ....put down some cloths to catch the spilage ......dont forget to get the tops off first so it drains all smooth like ..instead of all that pumping from vacuume retension ....

in any case you will need to pump a little ..

what are you going to put in ol mate ?

somewhere between 5 and 10 weight is the go (i ended up using 7.5 for the first 200 ml and 10 for the last 160 ml .....360 ml total for ours ) .seems about right for me on the old rt

good luck !!

charlie99 wrote:so it drains all smooth like ..instead of all that pumping from vacuum retension....

What viscosity is digested Ex Lax?

Now it's getting weird!

probably waterish followed by mush ....giggles

Well I think somewhere in all that was my answer, you guys have upset me about my dear kind Mother in law ( did I mention my birthdays coming up soon?). I remind her every week and get a new $50.00, wonder how long I can carry this on for.
I am of course working on this thing in front of her unit (why mess up my own floor) but wanted to get a heads up.
Thanks to those who actually tried to help, and I was planning on mixing 5 n 10 weight oil to get a 7.5 but the
local bike shop said that was dangerous??. Do I need to put it in the mixmaster bowl to get a good mix?
RT

yes it can be dangerous. you may spill it on the floor and slip and end up like me.
you are safe doing it in an old tin can ans shaking like mad but putting it in the mix master is very dangerous. can i have your bike.

I can see Rick has suffered badly from the fall.....but at least sense of humour is not affected. Question is, how would you feel if your mother in law drove off an 800 foot cliff on your K bike?

I see that as a win win. My bike has insurance and MiL has life insurance which my wife would then inherit, which I would then plunder to put with the bike insurance to buy a new K. Win win.
I make the MiL comment as mine is here at the moment. About to have a 'procedure' tomorrow that has required her to clean her insides out (not inside out) IN MY BATHROOM.!!!!!
This procedure is a one day affair yet my wife thinks it totally reasonable that they come for four days?? They should go back to Bowral where they belong.
Maybe RT can put them up with his MiL? She will bring her own nighties

now theres a thought 92 ...about 5 ks away from rt's place is exactly that....they call it "the maquarie pass" but im sure rt couldnt live with himself ,,,(besisdes they know where he lives and would just drag her back home ) giggles

tell your mates at the motor cycle shop to read the back of the castrol product rt .....which says you can mix this product with another grade to acheive the "weight " that you want ....!

not all products are compatible though, but usually in the same vendor product range, it is suitable

besides rick has a broken arm .....he couldnt possibly load your bike .....can i have it ?

RT two bricks and a 4litre icecream container will do the job easy. I put a wind up jack under the water housing to take the weight of the front so as to allow the oil to slowly drain into the container then lower it and the rest will come out then. the advantage of doing this work out front of the MIL's place is the stuff hanging on the line is just about the right size to clean up what ever you're doing. and the upside is she will enjoy shopping for more. Something we all hate. And to think they put this stuff at easy reach just when the hands are at their dirtiest. The darlings

You guys are wicked ....Poor RT and his MiL!

Keep your bike RT! ......can I have $50?

88

K75cster wrote:the advantage of doing this work out front of the MIL's place is the stuff hanging on the line is just about the right size to clean up what ever you're doing. and the upside is she will enjoy shopping for more.

RT, help Mil to keep the household budget low, then she got more bucks aside for your birthday.

A solution for a mess free fork oil change:

Just a sensible aside, I put a sheet of thick plastic under my bikes whenever I'm messing with oil.

It's easy to wipe clean when I knock the 'Inge mess free' container off it's wooden block.

Paul.

sidecar paul wrote: It's easy to wipe clean when I knock the 'Inge mess free' container off it's wooden block.

You got it the wrong way around, you must wait with the whisky to after the work is done.

Ahh, I live and learn.

I knew I could rely on Inge for a proper solution. Thanks mate. I'll send MIL over for a few months in winter so you can have the money for a while.
Ok, one more short trip today then onto the job, got to buy some baby bottles I read about somewhere. Memory like a sieve at the moment.
Cheers
RT

good luck mate ....!

Dang, this was supposed to be easy. Forgive the blurred photos, that's pretty much how I see it these days.
Anyway, I removed the top Hex bolt from left hand fork

Then I removed the bottom drain bolt (with patented cutout plastic bottle, sheets and newspaper in place)




And viola, not the resultant mess I was expecting


Nada,nix,zilch. Can it be possible to even ride a bike without fork oil? I have pumped the thing up and down,
should I poke around in the drain hole, should I get drunk. All this and more perhaps.
What the McSquirt is going on?. Any similar stories out there, Please?.
I remain insanely your servant
RT

No panic, as you were. I stuck an allen key in the drain hole and wiggled it a bit, and got what I was after. Man that stuff is as runny as water and looks like a sewer runoff. Think I should have done this a while ago.
Beer o'clock, have to settle the ulcer down
RT

Well it is possible but it certainly not very comfortable or safe.
That green goo looks like engine coolant RT.
Have you done the other one surely it has something in it besides air.
So all is now ok except for the smell.

Good spot Grasshopper
the patented container had coolant in it until I needed it for the draining.
I cannot believe that which has come forth from within the very bowels of the fork once even resembled oil.
It was just my very panicky being that forced my earlier post, but in the end seems to have worked out.
T Bone and wine and beers is the answer to all anxiety.
RT

what happened bob ...back together ?

RT wrote:Good spot Grasshopper
the patented container had coolant in it until I needed it for the draining.
I cannot believe that which has come forth from within the very bowels of the fork once even resembled oil.
It was just my very panicky being that forced my earlier post, but in the end seems to have worked out.
T Bone and wine and beers is the answer to all anxiety.
RT

Wow RT. Think I am coming to your place for dinner. Btw, do you just fix antiques or sell them from a shop?
I had a Robertson Pie Shop cherry pie for desert the other night.
The outlaws went to an antique shop in Robertson also. When I said I met a guy from Robertson who I thought did antiques, they said it sounded like the same guy.
I said I did not know if this guys sells them or just does them up.
They said it would have to be the same guy. Not a lot of people in Robertson.
So there you go RT.
So about that beer and T bone?

the pub sells a nice cooling beer rossco ...yes sir !

Patience Grasshopper. if I get it done in one day I'll have nothing to worry about overnight.
Both forks empty, trying to find a container with 360 mil measurement that doesn't come from the kitchen.

Correct weight Rossco, beer (Stella just for our Belgium friends) and a huge T bone, at a Scottish pub (must be, it had a tartan carpet) and I have a pair of shorts on today for the first time since May. A good sign but not a good look.

I only restore antiques, can't stand the general public, I'd rather hide away in my shed with my chemicals and listen to my home brew bubbling up.
Anyway this arvo should see it all come together, just in time for a massive storm front to move in. The old oil was disgusting.
RT

Just in case anyone is the slightest bit interested, I managed to re oil the forks (quick trip into bike shop, needed 10mil more than was left in the bottle). I measured it all out perfectly but not too sure how much actually ended up down the tube, so when I get a chance for a test ride, if no oil pours out anywhere I will consider it a success.
Thanks for the guidance.
RT

[quote="RT" beer (Stella just for our Belgium friends). I'd rather hide away in my shed with my chemicals and listen to my home brew bubbling up. RT[/quote]

It's been said that Belgians, like Aussies with Foster's, only export Stella Artois to the rest of the world, but don't drink it much at home.

It takes like p*ss, but you can guzzle it.

aye !...nods head to that

my funky 6x year old boss thinls hes tremdy we drink his then head to the pub for real beer ...

charlie99 wrote:aye !...nods head to that

my funky 6x year old boss thinls hes tremdy we drink his then head to the pub for real beer ...

I can see it
88

charlie99 wrote:aye !...nods head to that

my funky 6x year old boss thinls hes tremdy we drink his then head to the pub for real beer ...

Well what ever the drink is it must have alcohol in it just look at that for a result

Given the old oil was nasty and sludgy which was why it didn't drain methinks it would be a good idea to go for a long run to really pump the oil around the forks and drain the oil out again and refill with fresh so as to be sure all the old nasty stuff is out of the forks and only clean oil is in there.
Regards,
K-BIKE

I think I agree K Bike
went for a 100k run yesterday and am amazed how steady it felt on roundabouts and street corners. Need to
get a nice long run in. The old oil was more like water in consistency and the left hand fork was really full of grunge. I stuck a pipe cleaner in a few times to clear it out but as the oil change wasn't such a drama to do I will have to redo it soon.
RT

onya bob! .....what did you end up using for measures and what weight did you use ?

Charlie, as most pf my real miles are done with full panniers and packbag on the back, I decided to go with 10 weight at first. I'll do a run up to Oberon and check out the handling before deciding to change or not.
Well, the measuring system was a bit weird. I figured 360mil of water would weigh 360 grams, so put that much in an old squeeze mayonnaise bottle and marked it then put the oil in and attached some tubing to the
cone shaped open/close top, with gaffertape and proceeded to slowly squeeze the oil in. It mostly worked
except when I lost concentration and the tube briefly popped out of the filler. Then I made an uneducated guess how much I lost and replaced it.
Now I know there will be purists out there shaking their heads, but it feels fine and I will be flushing it again soon.
Huge frost and ice here today, no test rides this morning.
RT

Just go to your local vet and get a 100ml syringe.

or a couple of babies bottles from woolies ....= under 3 bucks

but good thinking bob ...yay !

This one is for anyone who thinks that their fork oil hasn't been done for a while.
I am not the most competent cornerer in the world as my fellow K travelers will tell you. Yesterday to test my work out I did 150 klm from my home, down Macquarie Pass, and south to Kiama and back up Jamberoo Road, two of the best bits of bike road you can find in a reasonably flat country. I found that I was at least one gear higher in all corners than normal, with extra speed and confidence that I am sure comes from both forks working together, with no drop off feel at all. I am really pleased (still got overtaken by a 285KW green Holden though).
Also came across an even older bloke than me riding a new BMW 1600 something, what a mean looking machine, he could hardly keep it upright at the lights, must've been a shorty (a rich one).
RT

Geez Bob, don't get too confident. I was looking forward to having someone to ride with at the back of the pack.
rossco

Nothing changes Rossco, I have to outlive my Mother in Law, and don't carry many spare undies so no super fast corners for me.

i wont be long and you will be in front of me and rick rt

Just to bring this thread to life again, if anyone is putting off doing this, I just changed the fork oil on the weekend, along with new front pads. I'd been putting it off for ages and now I wished I hadn't. The difference in handling is night and day! It was the first time I'd done it, and I noticed only just around 300mls came out. With the correct 360mls (10wt) for the RT in, the suspension improvement is fantastic! And for the first time ever I dont have front brake squeel, thanks to a dab of the BMW disc paste on the back of the pads, Goodridge sports pads from Munich Motorcycles in Aus. Easy to do, got a oil mixing syringe from the local auto shop that came with a lenght of clear tubing so now access problems for 5 bucks which made it real easy. I reckon I'll let it slosh around and then drain again to get it nice and clean. definately worth the effort! cheers all