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« Last post by mad-dawg on Today at 08:41 pm »
We need a "Hound how to" video for this, I am comfortable with most spanner jobs but last time got a company to fiddle on my behalf. If its as simple as it looks on the video from BeToney I am tempted to give it a whirl. I have to admit I have no idea what oil to buy to improve matters so I am very interested to learn what you think when its done. No pressure 
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« Last post by Hound on Today at 07:02 pm »
Much obliged BeToney. I might actually go for the Motul 15W as it's synthetic, compared to the Bel-Ray which is mineral (unless you bought the HVI).  Viscosity comparison is very close: Bel-Ray 15W 53 cm²/s @40°C, 8.0 @100°C Motul 15W 58 cm²/s @40°C, 8.4 @100°C Both a higher viscosity at lower temps than Castrol 15W - 46cm²/s @40°C, 8.2 @100°C Thanks for starting me down the road to understanding fork oil! 
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« Last post by BeToney on Today at 06:02 pm »
I used 400ml in each leg. 400ml came out so 400 ml went back in. Oil height or "air gap" is personal preference anyway.
There are no "special tools" needed, just make sure you have the correct 24mm wrench or socket to remove the fork cap.
Removing preload wont make a difference since nothing will be disassembled but yes you are correct, I opened the damping fully counter clockwise to allow fluid flow when flushing and pumping the fluid as shown in the video.
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« Last post by Hound on Today at 05:18 pm »
BeToney, I have never changed fork oil or dismantled a fork leg. I looked into upgrading the springs in the forks and decided it was way, way above my skill level, with spring collar holders and goodness knows what. Not for me.
If all I have to do is remove the top enough so I can empty out the old oil and put in the new, that's OK by me. Still won't be easy but not beyond my ability.
Finding UK vendors with Bel-Ray 15W was a bit limited - out of stock in many places - but I've found some. Did you have to buy two bottles? The manual says each fork leg takes 540ml and it's sold in 1 litre bottles... grr.
Might be worth mentioning that it would possibly be advisable to wind down both the preload and damping to minimum before commencing the procedure.
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« Last post by BeToney on Today at 03:05 pm »
This is something I really must get around to. Honda's standard recommended fork oil is KYB 15-10, which is apparently SAE 5W, so going to 15W is quite a jump. If the forks now feel smooth and plush, then I'm all for it. Thanks for the useful vid.  If you follow the video you shouldn't have any issues changing the fork oil. As you probably know, oil viscosity differs by brand. Motul 15w could be a different viscosity than Bel Ray or Maxima 15w, find a brand that you can get local and stick with that brand, if their 15w viscosity is too high or low you can easily change and go up or down to 10w or 20w with the same brand. Considering that I still have the factory fork internals I am actually surprised at how well it feels. The front still dips when braking to a stop but its not a pronounced "brake dive". I got a quote from a local suspension shop for full fork service; piston kit, springs, seals, bushings etc and it was almost $1,000. Along with the recent YSS rear shock, it certainly feels more than adequate for the longer distance touring that I use the bike for. Its not perfect but it is a noticeable improvement, I will use the $1,000 saved for tires and fuel this summer. Again I will reiterate, at the end of the video is the most important part, you should have almost zero resistance, no stiction.
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« Last post by BeToney on Today at 02:47 pm »
I have used Pirelli Angel GT tires on every bike I have owned, they are great tires. I currently have them mounted to my bike and have another set waiting in the garage.
For the CT's rim size they seem to be the best priced tire that I have found and always seem to be in stock, for my Tracer with a more traditional 120/70 and 180/55 profile I still use Bridgestone S22 or T32 but they are becoming quite expensive.
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« Last post by Hound on Today at 11:19 am »
This is something I really must get around to. Honda's standard recommended fork oil is KYB 15-10, which is apparently SAE 5W, so going to 15W is quite a jump. If the forks now feel smooth and plush, then I'm all for it. Thanks for the useful vid.
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« Last post by Hound on Today at 10:49 am »
Oh well, it was a good theory. 'Tis a mystery! 
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Hi,
I have just ordered a Pirelli Angel GT rear for the CT from TwoTyres London for ....£109 pounds. I don't think there is better value around.
A Michelin Road 6 is £156, Bridgestone T32 is £147, Conti roadattack 4 is £171 pounds for comparison.
It can be argued that a Pirelli Angel GT2 is a better comparison to the above, but it's £170, I have had the GT fitted many times before and have had great success, so for a little less mileage than the newer version, I'm happy with the value ( £61 pounds extra for a unknown quantity of extra life is very salty me thinks).
Tom
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« Last post by BeToney on Yesterday at 11:21 pm »
I followed the video from Dave Moss and changed the oil this morning, very simple and straight forward process. The entire process took just under 90 minutes and that included watching the video prior to starting and then cleaning up and putting everything away afterward. I filled the forks with 15w Bel Ray oil, and the damping feels very smooth and plush. Prior to changing the fork oil I had the rebound clickers completely closed on the last full click and it still felt springy. I have no idea what viscosity oil the bike came with so I figured I would start with a 15w as a reference and to see if it improved the ride quality. I tried a few different settings during the test ride before finally settling for -3 clicks back from fully closed, I was hoping that the 15w viscosity wouldn't affect the compression damping negatively and I am very happy with the results. There was no harshness and handling was very controlled -no wallow- on fast sweeping curves. One of the more important steps in the video begins around 13:50, make sure you have NO stiction.
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Originally Posted by Hound ![[+]](https://www.crosstourer.com/vbicons/viewpostright.png "View Post")