what weight fork oil for 89 max?

[mvvette97]

I'm about to change fork seals but am not sure what weight oil I need for the forks. What do you guys recommend?

 

[vmaxcruzer]

I use Bell ray 10w I'm 210 with gear on.

 

[Transam]

If you have stock springs I use 15wt Belray. It will give
you a bit better dampening. If you have progressives you
might stick with a 10wt.
Chris

 

[mvvette97]

Mine is all stock suspension. I had a guy tell me to use 5w but I thought that seemed thin. So the 15w would work better?

 

[vmaxcruzer]

I have progressive springs and the 10w allows for a soft ride on the end of the spring and doesn't get too stiff when I'm up into the heavier part of the spring. for a stock set-up 15w may be too harsh as the stock spring is single rate and feels the same on top as does the bottom on big bumps. some like that because it gives a pos feel on the road, improved handleing etc. The thicker the oil the more harsh the ride will be. If you weigh alot and carry lots of equipment or have bad roads then go 15w. Belray is a synthetic oil and a good brand to use.

 

[richwrench]

FWIW - I use 20w Maxima with Progressive springs. I'm 215 without gear. I haven't tried any other weights yet so I can't say this is the best, but it works for me right now. And don't even THINK about Leak-Proof seals !!! THEY LEAK !!!:bang head: Go with Yamaha seals & you'll be good for a few years at least.

 

[Transam]

Yep stick with Yamaha seals. Just did my seal change a couple of
weeks back. I weigh in at 210 with gear and the 15wt helped
with fork dive on braking. Still seems to absorb the bumps
well. Cheap fix if you can't afford to upgrade
the springs or go to the Ricors.
Good Luck,
Chris

 

[mvvette97]

I'll probably go with 10 weight then. Anybody know how much oil each shock requires?

 

[vmaxcruzer]

Can't remember, you'll have to look in the manual.

 

[naughtyG]

You need 451cc in each fork tube.

The way to measure it is with the springs in and forks fully compressed, oil level should be 5.5 inches from the top of the tube.

I changed from 10W to 15W with Progressive springs, and didn't notice much difference.

Then I added the Ricor Intimators and went to their recommended 5W oil, and it's way better!

 

[mvvette97]

well I'm not very heavy, 180lbs so I wonder if 10w would be the best? I think the 15 may be a bit heavy for my light butt.