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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Maintenance things I might should do..
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Message started by justin_o_guy on 12/14/06 at 07:55:10

Title: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by justin_o_guy on 12/14/06 at 07:55:10

I've never torqued the head & it has just over 13,000 miles on it. Should I get a head plug & silicone & get after it?

I have seen some folks have changed the fork oil. The manual advises that some internal sliders will be messed up in the process of disassembly. Can the oil be changed w/o wrecking those pieces? How much did that help the handling?

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by Reelthing on 12/14/06 at 09:16:02

I sure wouldn't touch the headbolts at this point if it were me and I'm waiting until the plug starts to leak on the '02 before I go after it - there is one in the stash ready to go when such a thing starts - an inline filter tween the tank and carb would be a good idea if you haven't done it yet

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by Savage_Rob on 12/14/06 at 11:14:34

justin_o_guy wrote:

I have seen some folks have changed the fork oil. The manual advises that some internal sliders will be messed up in the process of disassembly. Can the oil be changed w/o wrecking those pieces? How much did that help the handling?

I'm interested in the answers you get to this also. I haven't done it myself yet.

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by Ed_L. on 12/14/06 at 13:20:05

Haven't touched the head bolts on my '02 yet and really don't plan to. Bought the bike used with no service records for it so don't know if it even got the 600 mile service. Checked the valve lash at 4,000 miles and they were in specs so am not planning to open up the engine any more than is needed. In other words if the engine isn't spewing oil out the back like the Exxon Valdez I'm leaving it alone. Changing the fork oil is something I'm curious about, I was thinking it should be more of a miles ridden maintenance not according to how old it is within reason.

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by SavageDude on 12/14/06 at 17:56:34

My old mentor in aircraft maintainance used to say, "If it ain't break, don't fix it." ;)

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by babbalou on 12/14/06 at 18:11:33

I got a tip from someone here about siphoning out the fork oil, so I did that. Got a cheap tube & bulb type siphon from Walmart & got most of it out. I noticed the factory fork oil level was a few inches below what my Clymer manual recommended so I filled it a little higher & used 20 weight. Feels much firmer than before, which it needed after putting on the fork brace. The brace smoothed out the forks a lot & I weigh 240 anyway so it needed firming up. Feels good now.

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by WD on 12/14/06 at 19:19:19

You don't hve to mess anything up changing the fork oil. Drop the tubes out of the triple trees. Take the springs out. If you were smart and left the front wheels on, just lay the tubes down so the oil drains out. Let it sit a couple days. Add the correct amount/weight of oil to each tube. Slide into trees, insert springs, tighten everything down. I won't even dismantle a fork for leaking seals.

I have to service my forks this next month or so. One has leaked since the day I bought the bike, popped a wheelie, and popped a seal. In the dealer's lot. I'll be adding new seals, Dexron-Mercon ATF (that's all fork oil is, automatic transmission fluid), fork gaiters, and a new front tire at the same time. Oh yeah, that new 90/90/19 ribbed tire is on a nice double leading shoe DRUM wheel, with counter bored, notched for lightening hub. Suzuki T-something or other, 1970s. Bound to stop better than the pseudo-brakes on it now.
-WD

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by justin_o_guy on 12/14/06 at 22:18:24

How did you ever manage to wheelie a stock savage?

Thanks for the responses all.

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by WD on 12/14/06 at 22:40:13

WOT, dumped the clutch, too tight of belt. It'll still do it if I try (and I don't).
-WD

Title: Re: Maintenance things I might should do..
Post by john1652 on 12/15/06 at 14:37:51

My question is why change the oil in street bike forks, it's not like you're doing doubles or whoops are you. And if street bike forks are like MX forks the more oil ya put in the less air there is and the stiffer they become which may affect cornering in a big way. $.02 worth john