Approaching 40K miles

[Newoldbiker 45]

Hi

 

My 2013 700S is approaching 40K miles.  I've done the servicing myself since the warranty ran out including the valves.  Oil, filters, coolant, brake fluid etc all changed as per service schedule along with tyres and chain/sprockets as required.  The question I have is about the fork oil and the rear shock.  Should the fork oil have been changed by now and would a rear shock change be worth it.  Not really noticed any drastic change but guess I wouldn't as change would be gradual and I'd just adapt my riding automatically.  Lots of motorway miles but Central London too for the past 3 years.  At that stage where I'm thinking about a different bike but can't really afford it so looking to maybe keep the NC for another 2-3 years and wonder if an upgrade would be worth it.  Also is there anything else I should consider.  The bike is running fine - 80mpg, starts first time, every time.  Thanks for any advice :-)

[jeremyr62 2,605]

Sounds to me like you don't need to do anything. If it passes the MOT and you haven't noticed any ill handling characteristics then why bother. I never really understood the obsession with fork oil changes. Yeah it gets nasty looking and the viscosity might change a bit but I really doubt it has any significant impact on damping. I could never the notice a big difference anyway.

[Griff 1,556]

Some of these motors have huge mileage on them, waaay beyond 40,000 or even three times that, so if all is kept up to scratch then no need to do much. On the forks I tend to leave them for as long as they work well,  but within reason. Sometimes so much sludge can built up that it can cause wear internally. To combat that I regularly clean and put a thin film of lube on the exposed aspect of the fork stanchions. However the first sign of trouble is usually a leaky seal and if the mileage is high enough I service them with a complete kit of seals and bushings. At 40,000 miles I would consider a fork service. The shocks are basic and imho they have too much compression damping from the getgo but they are built to last. As the mileage builds up though they can tend to soften up a little with wear. Unless You perceive an issue I would tend to leave the shock in situ. The shock on my X-Adv was very hard when new and I was close to a change, but now with almost 30,000 kms I will be able to live with it. If I do replace it I will look closely at YSS. I have one of those shocks on my CRF and it has taken the abuse and works well. More to the point it was a significant improvement on the original. 

[Dunnster 1,650]

My 2012 is just about to reach 32k, I've done all the services in that time, I changed the original fork oil two years ago, and looking at it it needed doing. With new oil I did notice an improvement and will probably replace it this year when I do the valve check, it's a lot easier with the forks out of the way 

I've not touched the rear shock but will upgrade when it wears out, only replaced consumables and last month I put new Cush drive rubbers in. I've decided to keep it until it dies but I think it will see me out  it's passed every M.O.T. 

 

Edit, I used Fuchs Silkolene RSF 7.5 Maintain fork oil 

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Dunnster

[embee 7,288]

I reckon fork oil starts the downhill slide after typically 10k miles, so at 40k I'd suggest it wouldn't be wasted money! 

Like Dunnster above, I use Fuchs/Silkolene 7.5W Maintain RSF fork oil, usually get it from https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/ (note a pop-up says 10% off first order if you sign up for news), they also do genuine OE oil filters at sensible prices if you're interested.

I set it to a height rather than an amount, but either way 1L will do a change.

The Silkolene Maintain RSF 7.5W (used to be called PRO RSF) is about the same viscosity as most 10W rated oils at around 35cSt (e.g. Showa SS8 or Honda Pro HP 10W, you can check the table here )

http://peterverdone.com/wiki/?title=Suspension_Fluid

 

Rear shock will probably be getting a bit tired, but if you're happy with it then all is well. If you want a change, give Trisaki a message for a YSS shock, a good quality value for money replacement.

Grease the rear suspension link bearings if you can, a doddle if you have a centre stand.