What does adding more fork oil do?

What does adding more fork oil do?

Adding oil to your forks reduces the air volume. Since air is compressible, a smaller airspace is harder to compress than a larger airspace, which results in a stiffer fork.

What is front fork oil?

Hence for that reason the front forks of the bike are filled with a highly viscous liquid, Fork Oil. Those who are not familiar with the term viscous or viscosity, it simply means the thickness of the liquid to provide proper lubrication as well as has load carrying capacity.

Is it bad to ride with leaking fork seals?

You should notride with a bad fork seal for many reasons, safety being number one. A bad fork seal could leak oil onto your brake calipers, resulting in trouble decelerating and stopping the bike. That, plus poor shock absorption and an unbalanced ride makes a leaky fork seal dangerous to ride on.

How do I know if my fork seals are bad?

The telltale sign of bad fork seals is that they no longer do their job of keeping the oil in the forks. Evidence of this is oil on the outside of the fork lowers and sometimes on the brake calipers, pads and discs as well, which is not a good thing when you want to stop.

Can you ride with no fork oil?

If the damping doesn’t suck, the stiction will, and potentially it will destroy those rubber bits, although frankly, if there is no fork oil, those rubber bits will already be shot.

How often should you replace fork seals?

Fork seals should be replaced after 40 hours of riding or two years if you don’t ride very often. Even if you regularly clean the seals, they wear out eventually and leak no matter what you do to keep a tight seal.

How hard are fork seals to replace?

Fortunately, fork-seal replacement is generally uncomplicated. As always, the task is easier if you get your tools and supplies ready. You’ll need whatever tools are necessary to remove the fork tubes from the bike, plus a hex socket to fit the socket-head bolt securing damping rod or cartridge.

How do you protect fork seals?

Without proper care, you may shorten the effective lifespan of your bike’s fork seals.

1. Tools for the Job.
2. Step 1: Remove Fork Guard.
3. Step 2: Dislodge the Fork Seal.
4. Step 3: Clean Inside the Joint.
5. Step 4: Pump the Fork.
6. Step 5: Clean the Seal Itself.
7. Step 6: Lubricate the Dust Seal.
8. Step 7: Reconnect the Dust Seal.