Fork Oil Alternative

[LanaTheGreat]

The wife and me both have Yamaha XT350's. It's been a couple of months since I have noted that my wife's bike forks have been leaking. The leaking has since stopped, I guess there is no more oil to leak out. I obviously have to renew the fork seals.

It seems that fork oil is pretty expensive, and I would like some advice on an alternative cheap oil that can be used instead of the fork oil that the manual specifies. Any ideas?
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Born to fish, forced to work
Kazuma SilverFox, Yamaha XT350, Yamaha DT175, Yamaha XT350

[stinkwheel]

Automatic transmission fluid. Same as 10wt fork oil.

I've also had bikes that used engine oil or a mix of engine oil and ATF.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[kestrel]

I used to use Shell Tellus 27 hydraulic oil in my bikes, but have used light engine oil in the past.
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Isle of Man.........Road Racing Capital Of The World

[MarJay]

Its not *that* expensive. A litre of Motul 15 weight fork oil is about £6 from Wemoto. a litre per bike should be fine.

Automatic Transmission fluid is probably more expensive...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[stinkwheel]

ATF lasts longer though.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Raffles]

Is the grade of fork oil critical? I only ask as my three bikes all specify different grades of fork oil. One specifies 5w, one specifies 10w and the other specifies 30w.
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A good loser will always be a loser.

[LanaTheGreat]

Thanks for the replies. ATF it will be then, since I can get a lot of it for free from work.
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Born to fish, forced to work
Kazuma SilverFox, Yamaha XT350, Yamaha DT175, Yamaha XT350

[Teflon-Mike]

Some bikes actually specify ATF as thier fork oil. Its approx 5wt, possibly a little lighter, and it's a very good general purpose hydraulic fluid, but it doesn't have the seal swellers and other addatives of propper fork oil.

and unless you are buying the stuff in bulk, from an agricultural supplier for the ten gallon tanks of a tractors hydraulic lift system.....

Its rarely any cheaper than either regular gear oil, engine oil or fork oil.

OP.... if you think that 'propper' fork oil is too expensive..... flog your XT's and buy a couple of old piston ported air cooled trail bikes like a Bultaco... becouse fork oil ENT expensive.

My local Motorfactors flogs the stuff for £7 a litre, which is about £2 cheaper than Busters down the road.

It'll only be 'expensive' if you are buying it from the wrong place....

Shop around!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[MarJay]

[Kickstart]