Member Contributer maxredline Posted February 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 8, 2016 Has anyone drilled and tapped their forks to install a oil drain bolt for easy changes? Im thinking about it as my forks are apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRMAN Posted February 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 8, 2016 Just about to do the same job, don't really fancy stripping the forks down completely,that way maybe I can still keep the fork seals in place etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MadScientist Posted February 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 8, 2016 An interesting idea, would potentially save you the time spent removing the front wheel and fork legs. You will still need to relieve the weight from the front so the springs aren't under more tension. I guess I would use a mighty vac or some other vacuum oil extractor before I drilled and tapped my lowers. If you drill and tap without removing the uppers and dampers, you run a risk of trapping some metal shavings in the fork leg. This may be minor, but worth noting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Terry Posted February 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 8, 2016 I have read that it is possible to pull the fork damper bolts out while the forks are still installed, and drain the oil that way. You'd need to get the axle out of the way first. I haven't tried it myself as I usually mess around with the cartridge while I'm in there. Saoirse you don't need to pull the fork seals out to change the oil. Loosen the fork cap while the fork is installed, remove the forks from the bike, unscrew the cap fully and break it loose from the locknut, then invert the forks and pump them and the damper rod to flush out the old oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MadScientist Posted February 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 8, 2016 I have read that it is possible to pull the fork damper bolts out while the forks are still installed, and drain the oil that way. You'd need to get the axle out of the way first. I haven't tried it myself as I usually mess around with the cartridge while I'm in there. Saoirse you don't need to pull the fork seals out to change the oil. Loosen the fork cap while the fork is installed, remove the forks from the bike, unscrew the cap fully and break it loose from the locknut, then invert the forks and pump them and the damper rod to flush out the old oil. Pulling the damper bolt would work. This bolt doesn't always play nice though. +1 on the second part you only need to pull the fork seals out if you plan on checking/replacing bushings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted February 8, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 8, 2016 Email Jamie . http://www.daughertymotorsports.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted February 9, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 9, 2016 Email Jamie . http://www.daughertymotorsports.com/ Excellent suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFROZ Posted February 9, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 9, 2016 There is a drain bolt already. Support the bike with a jack under the headers. Remove the axle and undo the bolts. Can't be much easier. Personally I wouldn't change oil without removing forks and cleaning properly. Also the only way to measure oil accurately. I can do this under an hour now, lots of practice. My opinion is that doing anything half arsed is pointless. But each to their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRMAN Posted February 9, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 9, 2016 Got to be easier changing the fork oil in Australia seeing that the bike is upside down already didn't realise there was a drain bolt already in the forks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted February 9, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 9, 2016 Got to be easier changing the fork oil in Australia seeing that the bike is upside down already didn't realise there was a drain bolt already in the forks? That's funny ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 The third gen comes standard with a drain bolt at the bottom of the fork lowers. I tried it once and and ended up doing it the regular way by disassembling the forks. It takes ages to drain the forks and not much cruds was coming out of the forks with the oil so I suspected all the dirt just sat there at bottom of the fork lowers. Maybe I could have used some petroleum for flushing but I don't expect the petroleum to reach (and clean) the cartridges. The 4th gen has the same fork lowers as the third gen, only Honda ditched the drain bolts. Maybe they too found it is not the best way to replace the fork oil. Baileyrock wrote a howto on doing a quick fork oil change: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/55878-30-min-fork-oil-change-on-bike/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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