Help needed for fork problem

[jimspeed]

ok i took my 1999 kawasaki el 250 for its mot today and they advised refilling the forks with oil, now i am a quailfied car mechanic but not done much on bikes yet..
i removed the rubber cap from the top of the forks and there is a metal bung which appears to be held in place by a small circlip, do i press this down against the spring pressure and remove the clip or what??.

also i can not find anywhere that has a workshop manual for sale for this bike so any ideas how much each fork should take and what grade oil as the mot place suggested filling slowly until i couldn't bottom the forks out as they can now.
cheers
____________________
Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"

[yen_powell]

Have you got a picture of the top and the bottom of the fork?

Some have a drain plug at the bottom, some you have to remove, unscrew the top and turn upside down to empty (whilst stopping the internals falling out and bouncing all over the floor).
____________________
Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[jimspeed]

i didn't get a pic mate but they have drain plugs in the bottom (mot bloke pointed them out) 10mm bolt on each one yea ? was the top bit i was concerned about with trying to push down the bung etc really and how much oil to put in
____________________
Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"

[Robby]

Sounds like some rather odd advice. If the forks have lost their oil, it has to have got out somewhere. Generally means you need to replace the fork seals, and oil.

There are many variations of fork setups and methods to dismantle them, so the best bet is to get a workshop manual for your bike - either haynes or download a genuine one.

Get genuine Kawasaki fork seals, pattern ones always leak and only cost a couple of quid less. 10W fork oil is probably the right grade, maybe 15W if 10W gives insufficient damping. Bike shops sell fork oil, I often just use ATF because I have a gallon of it in the garage.

If you do just refill, and don't know how much is in there now, you can measure the air gap in the forks to get a level, but it's far more straightforward to fill it with the correct amount of oil in cc when you rebuild them.

[jimspeed]

ok thanks for that i have found this https://www.kawasakiepc.com/SystemSearch_Frames.cfm?QuickSearch=1&SearchFor=EL250%2DE1&SearchBy=Model&cGroupID=&CFID=4141343&CFTOKEN=88300187
which shows the parts and how they are set out,
good thinking on the why the oil is low i cant see any evidence of leaks but i guess its not going to leak out if its low
think i will try some oil first and get some miles under the bike so i can see if i need to do anything else to it too..
____________________
Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"

[Kickstart]

Hi

Did they say to fill up with oil or just replace the oil (it is meant to be changed occasionally).

FRom an Autodata book, 10W20 oil in the forks and 219cc of oil in each fork for 1990-92 models or 185cc of oil in each fork for the 1994~1996 models.

With the forks you need to push the top down so you can get the circlip out and then the top will come up. Bit if a pain to do.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[stinkwheel]

You need to press the cap down and hold it there while you prise the circlip out. You then accidentally slip off the cap which flies into the air and lands on the tank, chipping the paint.

In the past I used a 1/2" drive T-bar with a long extension to press the cap down and hold it there while I prise the circlip out. Much easier with two people, one to push, one to prise.

Do them one at a time. Take a cap out, fill with oil, replace cap then do the other.

If they need to be drained, you'll probably need to take the fork out and upend it because they don't seem to fit forks with drain screws much these days.

You fill both forks with an equal amount of oil according to the manual. It is better practice to fill them to have an equal air gap (measure with a dipstick, underfill slightly then top up a bit at a time until it's right) above the oil rather than rely on the volume of oil in them.

Now for the top-tip which makes the whole job much easier.

Get a two leg puller. Hook it under the top yoke and use the screw to compress the cap. Prise out the circlip then release the spring pressure by backing off the puller. Reassemble in a similar way.
____________________
“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.

[jimspeed]

brilliant thanks guys, yes they have a drain plug so i will drain off the old oil first and then refill... as for the tip with the 2 leg puller ...why didn't i think of that great idea cheers mate..
its a 1999 el so i will go for 185 ml cheers for that
____________________
Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"

[jimspeed]

ok great advice guys i used a puller to remove the tops and drained the old oil which seemed to be the right sort of amount but really grey and manky, i flushed it thru with some clean engine oil before filling the correct amount and it feels great now, no signs of leakage around the seals or on the forks them selves so i'll give it a go and maybe buy some seals for next time..
thanks again guys for some great advice
____________________
Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"