honda valaredo 125 fork oil?

[fiveus]

hi i find the
forks on my valadero a little to stiff for my weight i'm 11stone and would like to change the fork oil for somthing a different weight.Could you please advise what oil weight would be best cheers.I Have checked the net a still can't find what weight is in it now

[Mark65]

I went from an alleged 10w to 15w on my ybr and im 113kg , your manual should tell you which you have, most likely 10w.

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[alun111]

Yes it's 10w in the varadero as standard. Nothing to say that the forks haven't been done before though - unless you've owned the bike from new.
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Summer: '00 Honda CB600F Hornet
Winter: '93 Suzuki GSF 400 Bandit VP Variable Valve
Past Bikes: Lifan LF100-5 Lifan LF125-A Honda C70

[unitybiker]

I overfill my forks on my 88 Honda cg by about ten per cent because they can be too bouncy .I suppose you could put thicker oil in or add a little more, if you add a little more don't go over ten per cent .


If it' 10w as standard and you want to soften it then get a thin clear plastic tube and cut markers in the outside plastic .Put the tube down the fork legs (springs still in) and do the pipette trick with your thumb and remove a bit equally both sides but only do one fork at a time as your forks will squash down .

make sure you have a measuring pot to estimate how much has been removed . If fork oil is uneven then you can expect front mudgaurd fractures and dodgy handling on tighter bends on smaller bikes . after road testing make sure the back suspension is adjusted to balance out the softer front .

Warning .....softening the front will extend your braking distance slightly.

[fiveus]

ive looked at the manual . it does say 10w but got bike 2nd hand .
will try 10w in them see what happens will keep you posted.

[stinkwheel]

Altering the weight of the oil will adjust the rate at which they compress and rebound (using lighter oil may give the appearance of feeling "lighter" but is actually making them less dampened).

If it were me, I'd go with altering the preload on the springs by fitting a shorter spacer between the top of the spring and the fork cap. Blue plastic water hose cut to size with a hacksaw makes an excellent "custom" fork spacer.

Progressive springs (ones that get stiffer the more they are compressed) are also good but are (a lot) more expensive.
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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.

[unitybiker]

never thought of that Stinkwheel .

that suggestions got me fettling on my trial special already

It saves psssssing around with oil and measuring and keeps the fork oil as manufacters spec.

It a good idea if you need to stiffen it rather than soften it.

[neil.]

Perhaps the oil in there is old, and things are feeling a bit stiff because of that? I know before I changed the fork oil on my YBR (at 20'000 miles) it felt a bit stiff and didn't rebound as well as it does now that I changed it (used Castrol 10w fully synthetic). Perhaps it's worth seeing how you get on with just new oil of the specified recommended type for the bike first?
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)