Thought a refresh of my '96 SL fork oil was well overdue - I've had the bike for about 15 years and for all I know the oil in the front forks is the original stuff. Easy-peasy I thought, slacken the tops before starting the dismantling (remove wheels and brake calipers etc) to then move on to the clamps and then, once the bike is sitting nice and stable get the forks out. Seems the fork tops are damn tight and my firm but careful attempts with a well fitting 32mm socket seemed to make no impression, even with an extension bar on the socket bar. Wondering if I can apply some gentle heat - guessing there is 20+ year old threadlock + corrosion holding the parts together. Any pointers please? As the parts are so visible I don't want to risk damage.
Mr S I have just replaced my oil see thread below https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/forks-standard-1992-900ss.57382/ I thought I had slackened the top bolts before I took the forks out but turns out I did not. Tried to do it in vice with protection for forks but they kept turning. I found a pipe coupling which held them ridged and came undone no problem. If still in triple clamps and still won't budge then they must be tight I only thought they were 35Nm ish and I did not see any thread lock on mine. I put a bit of black electricians tape on but if really stuck socket could go through this. I also had a 6 sided socket in the hope of distributing load a bit better. If the fork is not slipping there are not many options left, as you said a little heat before you try brute force. Good luck. Cheers Gaz
My problem is with the top nut that holds the adjusters at the top of the fork hence doing this first, before loosening any of the clamp bolts.
Thanks - will give that a try. Fired the bike up today in prep for its 1st outing since.last year so I'm getting impatient now.
Glad its off. Have a look at the thread I mentioned previous. I found a great difference in viscosity between manufacturers 5wt 7.5wt 10wt light & medium. I went with Putiline HPX R5 22.5 cSt (standard is Showa SS8 is 36.8 centistockes @ 40 deg C) but understand this would not be everybodies choice. I think I read somewhere have a lighter oil and take it up on the adjustment from the standard settings, plus there is the theory of heavier oil being harsher on the frame contributing to frame cracking. Cheers Gaz
