Fork oil on Storm

[Duggo]

Changing the fork oil on theStorms inverted forks is different than the Hawk.

I dont even know what inverted means, but that's what they are called.

I couldn't figure out how to disassemble them. I cracked the top of the forks and then I took each fork out. But after that, they just spin forever.

I'm afraid to mess with that metal ring, as I'm not a mechanic, I'm still learning.

Can I just open the bottom allen wrench deal, drain it, but then how do I get the fresh oil in there without making a huge mess?

[pete]

to do a oil change on USD forks requires a full strip...
But the cheap Chinese USD forks are only USD in looks..
basically the standard forks built up side down..
Bottom allen bolt.... normally that's where the rebound damping valve is.

So I would say that holds the damping rod as in normal forks...

The real different is the spring is compressed by the slider not the damping rod..
the head of the damping rod runs in side the spring.. but they do not come apart
like normal forks by un-doing the damping rod bolt....you have to unscrew the alloy casting off the bottom of the slider "shiney chrome tube"

remove the top cap.... tip them up side down and pump them a few times..

[NzBrakelathes]

If all you need is to drain the oil take it out open the top and drain it out.
The allen key underneath hold stuff together and I recall that being a pain in butt.

Top off, fork out drain maybe push in n out to drain it fully. (Spring comes out ? I think)
If you do not have much skill don't try to take the Allen bolt out or try to remove the bottom part of shock that screws off - gets a bit messy n complex but if you had to do the seals then you would need too.

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by NzBrakelathes

If all you need is to drain the oil take it out open the top and drain it out.
The allen key underneath hold stuff together and I recall that being a pain in butt.

Top off, fork out drain maybe push in n out to drain it fully. (Spring comes out ? I think)
If you do not have much skill don't try to take the Allen bolt out or try to remove the bottom part of shock that screws off - gets a bit messy n complex but if you had to do the seals then you would need too.

100% agree on this, do not take the botton allen. You may be able to put the allen again without using or you are going to have a nightmare...

With a long hose, you are going to be able to fully drain the oil in the forks.

[Duggo]

With the large top dampening cap open and the fork out, you can tilt it upside down and some oil with drain out. I'm sure if I pumped it, a bunch would come out.

I chose not to do that, because then I would have an empty fork. There doesn't seem to be a place to fill the oil back up. Certainly, not with any amount of responsibility.

The videos say that for the Hawk, about 210 ml of 15W should work well. Based on what MegaDan says. I'm 6 foot 220 lbs, so maybe a little less.

But that doesn't matter if I'm just dumping oil all over the damned place. Or do I just dump it into the golden colored sleeve. I think it should go into the interior silver sleeve, but maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe I should get a syringe and use that to load it?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Duggo

With the large top dampening cap open and the fork out, you can tilt it upside down and some oil with drain out. I'm sure if I pumped it, a bunch would come out.

I chose not to do that, because then I would have an empty fork. There doesn't seem to be a place to fill the oil back up. Certainly, not with any amount of responsibility.

The videos say that for the Hawk, about 210 ml of 15W should work well. Based on what MegaDan says. I'm 6 foot 220 lbs, so maybe a little less.

But that doesn't matter if I'm just dumping oil all over the damned place. Or do I just dump it into the golden colored sleeve. I think it should go into the interior silver sleeve, but maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe I should get a syringe and use that to load it?

Yes, do pump the fork to get as much fluid out as you can.

Fill the fluid through the top just like you poured it out. If the cap is still connected to the rod at the top (if it has one) then a funnel is rather handy for making it easier to add fluid without making a mess.

Fluid sits in both tubes. This is one drawback to USD forks as the fluid sits in the upper tube above the seal that faces down. Once they start to leak, they tend to puke most of their fluid out because of this.

As far as volume. That 200ish mL measurement is for the Hawk's small traditional forks. Your larger diameter upside down forks are going to take more oil. Likely at least 300ml. The CSC TT250 takes about 330mL of oil I believe, and that is the amount I would go with as a good analog, unless somebody has the specs for the storm. That's 330 with the fork having been fully drained by pumping the tubes.

[NzBrakelathes]

You could try just turning the whole bike upside down
LOL

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by NzBrakelathes

You could try just turning the whole bike upside down
LOL

Remove the caps while doing a wheelie?

[Duggo]

Take a look at the pics. The oil barely drains out throught that clip looking deal under the cap. I can get the oil to drain real slow, but how would I get fresh oil in there?

[Megadan]

See the two flat sections above that retainer and below the cap. That is meant for a wrench to hold that inner shaft so you can then unscrew the cap from the rod. From there you should be able to get that clip/retainer up and out of the way. Just watch out if there is any spring tension there and keep your face clear. I am not wholly familiar with how these budget chinese USD forks are assembled, so I won't be much help. They aren't quite the same as a more standard USD Showa or KYB cartridge fork.

If you can, post some good detailed pictures of how the parts are oriented for assembly. That should help the next guy out quite a bit.

[Duggo]

Alright, I got a pile of stuff now. I hope 330 ml is what I should fill it with.
For what it's worth the oil that came out wasn't bad looking. When I changed the crankcase oil, that shit was butterscotch pudding, I'm glad I did. The fork oil looks reasonable. Ill try to get a pic of the other fork oil,

[Duggo]

I feel like once I fill it with 330 ml of 15W oil, it's going to be tough to get that clip and nut on, but we will see.

I left the top rod piece out of the assembly order. Look farther down and it will show which direction it should be seated at the top of the assembly.

[Duggo]

The fork oil came out not horribly filthy, but I would say at maximum, there was 200ml in each one. Does anyone know what I should put in there?

The milk jug photo is what the engine oil looked like straight out of the machine, with zero hours on it. Yuck.

No more pics until I figure out what I need to put back into the folks. I'm 6'0" 220 pounds and I'm using 15W fork oil, becuase thats the only weight my carquest place had. If I should use a different weight, then I need to know that too.

Thanks for all the help up to this point. I'm trying to give back with pics, is there anything you want to see that I havent shown at this point?

There is a washer at the bottom, below the spring, but above the metal rod piece. It kind of feels like it has a smooth side and a rough side. The both came out randomly, so I hope that can go either way,

[Duggo]

Better picture of the assembly order.

[humanbeing]

If it's 2xxml ie. the narrow fork (330ml is for the thicker forks as Qlink XF/ XP200...) Spudrider had good tips http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=10266