Front Fork Oil ?

Paul604 · 08-10-2010, 04:11 PM

Is there much you can do with the front forks on a china bike? My girlfriends lifan 125 is really stiff up front, almost seems like its binding up a bit. Took the caps off, doesnt seem to be much oil in there, just lots of air. There is a long spring with a spacer on top. Tried just taking the spacer out and i compressed the front end a bit while tightening the caps, seems a bit better. Any recommendations? Should i change the oil? what should i use? how much? Obviously shes not hitting any jumps, just trail riding so we want to soften it up. The rear shock doesnt seem to have any dampening at all, not sure if those are able to come apart?

Cal25 · 08-10-2010, 04:52 PM

Did you buy this bike used? Sounds like a previous owner was looking for stiffer front suspention and added the spacers. If you need it softer yet, I would remove the forks and turn them upside down and measure the poured out oil. Replace with the same amount of a thinner wt oil. A motorcycle shop wil have a variety of fork oil. Maybe 5wt would work for a light rider that does not push it hard.

The rear shock sounds like it is toast.

Paul604 · 08-10-2010, 04:53 PM

Thanks ill try draining them tonight and trying some 5wt oil

brentn · 08-12-2010, 12:06 AM

The problem is knowing how much oil to add, and to bleed it properly!!

On the Orion that I used to have, one fork controlled rebound and the other controlled dampening, they both had a slightly different design. Thing was though that when I popped the caps and exposed the springs, one cap came off no problem, but the other one would not budge at all!!!
You must remove the caps and springs to properly bleed the fork of air.

On top of that, how much oil do you add? I've found nothing regarding this information. People say, "well take the oil that's in there and measure it" but realistically what if you miss some that is in the fork? WHat if some has leaked out since you bought it, this is not an accurate way of measuring oil.
Oil amounts are crucial to dampening, too much and the fork is a rock, too little and it doesn't dampen... China forks, who knows how well they work with too little/too much..

Weldangrind · 08-12-2010, 01:01 AM

With a little research, you could find a comparable Japanese shock and use the same volume as a starting point. Just be sure to compare USD with USD, conventional with conventional.

08-10-2010, 04:11 PM	#1
Paul604 Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 4	Front Fork Oil ? Is there much you can do with the front forks on a china bike? My girlfriends lifan 125 is really stiff up front, almost seems like its binding up a bit. Took the caps off, doesnt seem to be much oil in there, just lots of air. There is a long spring with a spacer on top. Tried just taking the spacer out and i compressed the front end a bit while tightening the caps, seems a bit better. Any recommendations? Should i change the oil? what should i use? how much? Obviously shes not hitting any jumps, just trail riding so we want to soften it up. The rear shock doesnt seem to have any dampening at all, not sure if those are able to come apart?
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08-12-2010, 01:01 AM	#5
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	With a little research, you could find a comparable Japanese shock and use the same volume as a starting point. Just be sure to compare USD with USD, conventional with conventional. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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08-10-2010, 04:52 PM	#2
Cal25 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Terrell and Grapevine Tx. Posts: 1,585	Did you buy this bike used? Sounds like a previous owner was looking for stiffer front suspention and added the spacers. If you need it softer yet, I would remove the forks and turn them upside down and measure the poured out oil. Replace with the same amount of a thinner wt oil. A motorcycle shop wil have a variety of fork oil. Maybe 5wt would work for a light rider that does not push it hard. The rear shock sounds like it is toast.
	0

08-10-2010, 04:53 PM	#3
Paul604 Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 4	Thanks ill try draining them tonight and trying some 5wt oil
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08-12-2010, 12:06 AM	#4
brentn Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 26	The problem is knowing how much oil to add, and to bleed it properly!! On the Orion that I used to have, one fork controlled rebound and the other controlled dampening, they both had a slightly different design. Thing was though that when I popped the caps and exposed the springs, one cap came off no problem, but the other one would not budge at all!!! You must remove the caps and springs to properly bleed the fork of air. On top of that, how much oil do you add? I've found nothing regarding this information. People say, "well take the oil that's in there and measure it" but realistically what if you miss some that is in the fork? WHat if some has leaked out since you bought it, this is not an accurate way of measuring oil. Oil amounts are crucial to dampening, too much and the fork is a rock, too little and it doesn't dampen... China forks, who knows how well they work with too little/too much..
	0