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252 Posts
how do we drain the oil?the parts diagram shows a drain plug. does this mean the front tire has to come off? all i see is the axle and the lower pinch bolt
CHANGING FORK OIL
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Kawasaki in it's infinite wisdom , chose to eliminate the drain screws in the forks of the 2nd gen bikes. So now you have to completely remove the forks and take them apart to pour out the old oil.
Since I'm smarter than them, I drilled and tapped a 10 32 hole in the base of the slider facing rearwards and put a nylon washer under the screw plug. I also drilled and taped the top plug with a 1/4 27 pipe thread. and fitted a pipe plug to seal it.
Now I could change fork oil in a few Minuit's by only removing the risers and those plugs.
This was important when I was experimenting with various viscosity's to complement my emulators . I could easily change oil between practice sessions..
FOG
Since I'm smarter than them, I drilled and tapped a 10 32 hole in the base of the slider facing rearwards and put a nylon washer under the screw plug. I also drilled and taped the top plug with a 1/4 27 pipe thread. and fitted a pipe plug to seal it.
Now I could change fork oil in a few Minuit's by only removing the risers and those plugs.
This was important when I was experimenting with various viscosity's to complement my emulators . I could easily change oil between practice sessions..
FOG
Can't don't own an EX anymore.
But you CAN read right? look at the fork slider , down near the bottom just where the cylinder changes shape to a rectangle that holds the axel. About 1/2" above the bottom on the cylinder in the back. to keep it away from danger.
Look at the drain screw in a Pre 94 bike.
FOG
But you CAN read right? look at the fork slider , down near the bottom just where the cylinder changes shape to a rectangle that holds the axel. About 1/2" above the bottom on the cylinder in the back. to keep it away from danger.
Look at the drain screw in a Pre 94 bike.
FOG
Joined
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252 Posts
that's another way 4 ya to send it back to the dealer and pay for them to do it. i'll think i will try the 10/32 tap route.i still presume FOG that i will have to totally remove fork to do this.
Nope,
You can do it right on the ground. Just turn the forks to the side to get straight at the back side. Put come grease on the drill and tap to hold the chips from getting in the hole. If you do it with full forks the oil will flush out the chips anyway. The exact height is not that important err on the high side. The Idea is to just be able to remove 90% of the oil .
The top plug needs to be taken out and drilled and tapped in a machine set up to be sure to get a good fit to the plug. Use a 1/4-27 pipe tap. I used a hex socket tapered pipe plug and some Teflon tape to seal it later. This is important as you must seal the air head above the oil in the forks.
I had another set of plugs that had a longer bolt through them that would be used to set the sag. I had about 3" of adjustment. Once the correct legnth of the spacer was determined I made a fixed one and removed the adjustable plug. as it was impossible to seal the straight thread completely.
Once again the top plug must be a tapered pipe plug in order to seal the air head above the oil.
FOG
You can do it right on the ground. Just turn the forks to the side to get straight at the back side. Put come grease on the drill and tap to hold the chips from getting in the hole. If you do it with full forks the oil will flush out the chips anyway. The exact height is not that important err on the high side. The Idea is to just be able to remove 90% of the oil .
The top plug needs to be taken out and drilled and tapped in a machine set up to be sure to get a good fit to the plug. Use a 1/4-27 pipe tap. I used a hex socket tapered pipe plug and some Teflon tape to seal it later. This is important as you must seal the air head above the oil in the forks.
I had another set of plugs that had a longer bolt through them that would be used to set the sag. I had about 3" of adjustment. Once the correct legnth of the spacer was determined I made a fixed one and removed the adjustable plug. as it was impossible to seal the straight thread completely.
Once again the top plug must be a tapered pipe plug in order to seal the air head above the oil.
FOG
Joined
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252 Posts
ok FOG i'll try it!!!by the way u forgot to mention to do it 1 at a time!!! 
i popped the other cap off and the the whole front of the bike did a nose dive. i freaked out!! not to worry i yelled for the ole lady to stradle the back of bike while i'll wrestled the cap back into place. i'm glad i had my FOG toy(2 claw bearing puller) the ole lady did scream at me for her getting grease/road grime on her pants!!!
i popped the other cap off and the the whole front of the bike did a nose dive. i freaked out!! not to worry i yelled for the ole lady to stradle the back of bike while i'll wrestled the cap back into place. i'm glad i had my FOG toy(2 claw bearing puller) the ole lady did scream at me for her getting grease/road grime on her pants!!!
Joined
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252 Posts
as usual, FOG was right again!!it went well. i did not do the plugs on top due to my expertise with the snap ring(2 claw bearing puller works wonders) i put 300ml as per dad. i rode it around the block to chk everything. feels better might need a slight increase in oil. i'll ride it a couple of days to find out. thanx FOG,dad and hot rod for the info
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sorry about the crummy pix it was from my cell phone!!!
sorry about the crummy pix it was from my cell phone!!!
Looks like a good job!
The 300ml is an approximation due to residual oil, if you recall my post. It may be just fine but the only way to be sure you're right is to measure the fork oil height. The factory spec with factory springs is 4 5/8" (117mm). If you've changed springs, use the spring supplier's recommendations. They are usually lower, like 5 1/8" or so.
To measure the oil level remove both caps, collapsing the front, lower legs in the fully compressed position. Remove the springs. Measure from the top lip of the fork tube down to the oil level.
Warning:Assuming you're using the centerstand to support the bike, be very careful that you don't dump the bike forward off the stand. The centerstand depends on the over-center position to stay in position and collapsing the front, tipping the bike forward, uses almost all of that over-center angle. With that reduced angle the lightest of bumps can push it off the stand, dropping the bike. To prevent that possibility, use a tie down (or anything suitable) to tie from the stand forward to the frame, preventing it from being able to fold up. Good precaution.
If you own a Mity-Vac it makes a perfect tool for setting the oil level. Set it up with the bleeder cup and use the long hose as your gauge. Mark the desired oil level, measuring from the open end. A piece of tape wrapped around the hose works fine. Slightly overfill the oil, insert the hose lining the mark up with the fork tube top, then pump out the excess.
Tip: When removing the springs it makes an oily mess due to the oil dripping from the springs. By turning the springs against the top of the tube as you remove them, as if you were un-screwing them, it wipes a LOT of that oil off, leaving it in the tube and not all over the bike and floor.
The 300ml is an approximation due to residual oil, if you recall my post. It may be just fine but the only way to be sure you're right is to measure the fork oil height. The factory spec with factory springs is 4 5/8" (117mm). If you've changed springs, use the spring supplier's recommendations. They are usually lower, like 5 1/8" or so.
To measure the oil level remove both caps, collapsing the front, lower legs in the fully compressed position. Remove the springs. Measure from the top lip of the fork tube down to the oil level.
Warning:Assuming you're using the centerstand to support the bike, be very careful that you don't dump the bike forward off the stand. The centerstand depends on the over-center position to stay in position and collapsing the front, tipping the bike forward, uses almost all of that over-center angle. With that reduced angle the lightest of bumps can push it off the stand, dropping the bike. To prevent that possibility, use a tie down (or anything suitable) to tie from the stand forward to the frame, preventing it from being able to fold up. Good precaution.
If you own a Mity-Vac it makes a perfect tool for setting the oil level. Set it up with the bleeder cup and use the long hose as your gauge. Mark the desired oil level, measuring from the open end. A piece of tape wrapped around the hose works fine. Slightly overfill the oil, insert the hose lining the mark up with the fork tube top, then pump out the excess.
Tip: When removing the springs it makes an oily mess due to the oil dripping from the springs. By turning the springs against the top of the tube as you remove them, as if you were un-screwing them, it wipes a LOT of that oil off, leaving it in the tube and not all over the bike and floor.
Joined
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252 Posts
chk reply #6 that almost happened to me!!if it 2 soft i'm gonna try the 20ml at a time deal, thanx dad
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