Being new to the 2 wheeled way of things I will be changing fork springs and oil on my KDX for the first time later this week. With the help of this website, youtube and cyclepedia the task seams fairly simple but I'm looking for some of those unique tips/ideas for getting the desired fork oil level without having one of the actuals tools.
Thanks for the help.
Fork Oil Level Tool...don't have one
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- Julien D
- KDXRider.net
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Fork oil is set by distance from the top of the tube. Ghetto trick I use:
Grab an old spray bottle top and mark the tube at the level you want. If it's 120mm, mark it at 120mm from bottom of the tube. Slightly overfill the fork, bleed everything from the cartridige, insert your fancy marked spray bottle top, alighing your mark (i wrap tape around the tube) with the top of the outer fork tube, or bottom of the threads depending on how your forks are specified, and spray out the excess. Pow, perfect oil level set.
Grab an old spray bottle top and mark the tube at the level you want. If it's 120mm, mark it at 120mm from bottom of the tube. Slightly overfill the fork, bleed everything from the cartridige, insert your fancy marked spray bottle top, alighing your mark (i wrap tape around the tube) with the top of the outer fork tube, or bottom of the threads depending on how your forks are specified, and spray out the excess. Pow, perfect oil level set.
Last edited by Julien D on 08:58 pm Mar 09 2011, edited 1 time in total.
- rbates9
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You can make one pretty cheap.
I used a cheap large syringe from a pet supply store, a piece of 3/16? brake line and a flat piece of light steel with a hole for the brake line to go thru, I connected the brake line to the syringe with a length of small plastic tubing. Once all assembled I just used a set of calipers to measure from the end of the brake line to the flat piece of steel to get the depth I wanted.
I used a cheap large syringe from a pet supply store, a piece of 3/16? brake line and a flat piece of light steel with a hole for the brake line to go thru, I connected the brake line to the syringe with a length of small plastic tubing. Once all assembled I just used a set of calipers to measure from the end of the brake line to the flat piece of steel to get the depth I wanted.
- Tedh98
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That is almost just like what I made. DIY fork toolrbates9 wrote:You can make one pretty cheap.
I used a cheap large syringe from a pet supply store, a piece of 3/16? brake line and a flat piece of light steel with a hole for the brake line to go thru, I connected the brake line to the syringe with a length of small plastic tubing. Once all assembled I just used a set of calipers to measure from the end of the brake line to the flat piece of steel to get the depth I wanted.
I measure out and draw a line on the rigid plastic tube with a fine tip marker. Brake cleaner takes the line right off if I need a different measurement.
I have to hold the tube in place with one hand, so it isn't as convenient as the flat steel approach.