Fork tube cleaning/flushing

[Jeb]

What have you fork-mod guys used to flush or clean the forks - anything other than wiping out stuff that's visible? Don't know if this is critical or not . . .

Thanks!

[krazyinski]

when I clean the forks they are totaly dis assembled and I use simple green and water and swab the tubes out using a home made Qtip (rag on a stick).

[motorider200]

I have also cleaned them with them fully disassembled... I had a "mechanic" at a bike shop tell me that I could flush the forks out with kerosene... Don't really know if that would be a good idea you would sure want to get all of it out of there before adding your oil.

[IdahoCharley]

No matter what solvent you use - plan on flushing a little fork oil through the tubes to flush any traces of solvents. Personally, I would only flush disassembled fork tubes (removed cartridge and base valve) with anything other than fork oil.

I've found on my own bikes that if I just pull the Base valve and drop out the oil through that opening; then use maybe half a pint of new fork oil to flush each fork leg the fork leg will be clean upon total disassembly. (There will be some slightly dirty residue on the base valve shims, and minor residue on the active valving shims, which you can clean with a brake cleaner spray can approach). For a basic oil change though this is all I do.

I believe that many people turn the forks upside down and attempt to drain the oil out the top of the fork tube. To me this doesn't make sense since the settled particulate mater is encouraged to start the journey from the bottom of the fork to the top. Most of it doesn't make the complete trip without a lot of flushing fluid being used.

[bradf]

I used brake cleaner on totally dissasembled tubes. I pushed a cotton shop towel through the tubes a bunch-o-times like you would do on a shotgun. I then sprayed again and used compressed air.

[Jeb]

Good stuff guys, thanks!

[IdahoCharley]

I used brake cleaner on totally dissasembled tubes. I pushed a cotton shop towel through the tubes a bunch-o-times like you would do on a shotgun. I then sprayed again and used compressed air.

I also use brake cleaner quite freely upon disassembled forks. I also had to dump solvent into the lower leg to free up residue which collects where the leg necks down for the BV threads on bikes that were not routinely serviced. Basically break-up the crud with solvent and flush it out the BV threaded hole. How do you force a cotton towel through the lower end of the leg? Wood stick?