Triumphrat

2004sprint · 07-28-2009, 08:39 PM

Anyone have any ideas on what would be a good upgrade for my fork oil. Also, how much oil to use, and where is the drain hole fto empty the old oil.

steventhechef · 07-28-2009, 10:10 PM

You have to pull the forks to get all off the old oil out

Standard weight is 8wt but no one actually makes 8 wt oil so 10 is the next best. I went with 15wt oil and 15 ml more than spec to firm up the front end under dive but it was a little too much for my weight (90kg) IMO.

DaveM has the same and finds it a good (cheap) mod but he is a slightly more rotund build than I.

I have to take the 15 ml out at some stage but it is not unbearable.

frider · 07-29-2009, 12:39 AM

Why DID they do away with drain holes??

Apart from the cheesy, almost 'jeweler's' phillips head screws, they were something of a god send...in my 'umble opinion....

Now, a 20 minute job, is .......a wee bit longer, especially for those of us without 'overhead beams'.......

dolson · 07-29-2009, 02:21 AM

I could be wrong but in for a penny and all that. I seem to remember something on this. Remove the front wheel and axle. Look up at the fork with the axle removed and there might be a plug there in the axle recess. Should be a hex head.

Other than that it's easy.

CharlieS · 07-29-2009, 06:45 AM

2002 Sprint
Remove the axle, there is a sockethead bolt up in the bottom of the lower fork that fastens the damping cylinder. Will removing it allow you to drain the oil? I don't know, I haven't tried it. I would think that if it would, Triumph would have said to use it as a drain, but they do not.

---Charlie

steventhechef · 07-29-2009, 09:58 AM

To drain the oil you have to remove the forks. The oil won't drain out of the forks if you remove the hex heads unless you pump, pump, pump, pump, pump, the forks............ you get it,,

pushr0d · 07-29-2009, 11:22 AM

Unless you pull the forks and dump the fluid (while also pumping the leg to evacuate all the fluid), you won't get the mung that has collected in the bottom of the slider out.

Try and do a search of the site. There are (were) several threads that addressed the whole procedure.

A caution about pulling the damper rod bolts. Unless you have either the special tool to hold the top of the rod, or an impact wrench, you may have trouble getting the bolt out, and you will almost certainly not be able to get it back in and tight.

Besides, once you have the front wheel off the ground and removed, you are most of the way to having the legs off.

Oh, and +1 on the 10 weight plus 15ml. I'm 220 before breakfast.