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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 14 2009, 3:56 AM EDT | Mackerz | |
| Aug 26 2008, 4:37 AM EDT | Mackerz | 1 word added, 1 word deleted |
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The Stone manual recommends the fork oil be changed every 12 months or 20,000km. Mine hadn't been changed for at least 2 years - if the dealer had done it - so I decided to do it myself. It was a bit of a daunting prospect but really quite simple once I started. Once again, a good set of tools makes the job easier. Get a 1/2 inch drive handle, with a short extension, and a set of inhex sockets to replace the Allen keys. Is it worth doing? Yes. My bike felt tighter and smoother, especially in the corners, after the service. Fork oil deteriorates slowly over time so you don't notice the bike's handling slowly deteriorate. It felt so much better that, from now on, I intend changing it yearly. This service took me about 4 hours. Now I reckon I could do it all in 1 hour. It's not hard, so have a go.
 | Start by removing the wheel, fender and brake calliper. You'll need to jack the front off the ground high enough to get the wheel out. My 1/2 inch drive handle and inhex socket wouldn't reach into the fender bolts so I had to resort to an Allen key. The ring spanner gave me more leverage. Make sure you have a good fit with the Allen key or you'll round off the bolt. |
 | Lift the fender up, then rotate it to get it out. |
 | Loosen the top cap before you loosen the fork clamps. Ideally I'd use a ring spanner but I didn't have one big enough - something else to add to the tool rack. The crescent did the job but I had to to put a ring spanner on the end of the handle for additional leverage - make sure you have a good fit on the cap before you apply pressure. If your fork caps are flush with the top of the clamps, you might need to loosen the top pinch bolts so that the caps can be loosened (see next pic). |
 | Undo the pinch bolts at the upper and lower triple-tree clamps. (Actually, it's easier to loosen these before you jack up the bike.) |
 | Slip the fork out. I had to lightly prise open the triple-tree clamp to get free movement. (The decorative caps on the bolt heads broke up when I tried to remove them. Some sort of cheap alloy or hard plastic. I'm not going to replace them.) |
 | Remove the fork cap. As the last thread let's go the cap will jump and inch or so. It won't go flying across the shed! |
 | Turn the fork upside down and allow the oil to drain out. Catch the PVC tube and spring. The fork oil was a dirty grey. I rinsed the tube out with kerosene and left them standing to drain overnight - a bit over-kill really. |
Refill the forks with .560 litres of oil. I used Penrite ATF. (These automatic transmission fluids are commonly used in forks. Most oil company sites will have a recommendation for your bike.)
Pour in half the fluid, pump the fork until it operates smoothly, then add the rest. Replace the spring and PVC tube. I initially had some trouble replacing the fork cap, trying to push it down against the spring pressure and turn it at the same time. It was simpler to push the cap down with the heal of my right hand and turn the fork with my left hand. Tighten it up with the crescent as much as you can.
Replace the forks. You'll probably have to prise open the clamps sightly again. The bottom of the forks will easily swivel around to allow you to replace the fender and wheel.
At the top clamp, get the fork position right then tighten the triple-tree clamps. The cap should be smidgeon above the top clamp, I found, because tightening the bolts on the triple tree will prevent the cap being tightened. Tighten the fork cap, then ensure that all the bolts are tight.
Replace the fender, wheel, brake calliper and go for a test ride.
