Fork Oil Change 900ss

I've been putting this off myself, but I have bought the oil! It was fairly cheap as part of a purchase from Opie Oils - I went for Castrol fully synthetic fork oil and bought both 5W and 10W grades because Ducati recommend 7.5W for my SSie so I am planning to blend 5W and 10W.

Because there's a bit of fiddling around to get the top caps fully removed and springs out etc (just to change the oil - I'm not talking seal replacement) it's worth spending some time looking for the right manuals, youtube videos (I haven't found a relevant one though) and write-ups in forums (there might be something here). I found this PDF for the ST2/ST4 which I filed away because it gives some advice on home made tools:

http://www.mad-ducati.com/Technical/Fork_oil_replacement.pdf

It looks as if you need to make a U-Shaped thing to hold the spring when removing the cap on the upside-down forks.
Apart from that, based on recent right-way-up Suzuki fork experience, making sure to use the right quantity of oil, and if measuring the level to use the right process (e.g. having the springs out and tubes right down in legs in the Suzuki case). It's also worth checking exactly what position the rebound damping adjusters should be in before and after - on my Suzuki it is easy to cock up the adjustment range by not doing this properly.

 

I found the standard 7.5 oil gave a very harsh ride and I'm convinced is a large factor in the cracking front frame rail problem. I put 5 weight oil in mine and found it gave a much more forgiving ride, although it did mean more dive when braking.
I got the old oil out by putting a plastic tube in there and allowing the oil to enter the tube. I then stuck my thumb over the end of the tube to keep the oil in there and withdrew the tube. Repeat until empty.

 

I didn't use any special tool and managed just fine. I supported the bike so the forks were extended and did one side at a time.

 

Interesting... did you switch to 5W then?
And you changed the oil without dropping the forks and inverting them, by the sound of it. But if some of it hung around you could have ended up with more than expected, unless you adjusted the level correctly - as I understand it, a higher level is a bit like more preload (air gap compresses) but with the added factor of hydraulic lock at some point.
Otherwise, I found that the harsh ride on the SSie could be moderated a bit by adjusting rebound damping (top adjusters) to a softer setting, even though the compression adjusters at the bottom made hardly any difference. Several articles have suggested that the design of these forks is poor, with the rebound damping mechanism affecting compression too.

 

If the fork oil has not been changed for a long time, there may be a lot of sludge in the bottom of the forks, I would suggest that the caps and springs are removed, empty the oil out and pour in some brake cleaner, thinners, parafin etc and then pump the piston rod up and down till it moves really freely, drain and repeat. Invert the forks and allow to drain and dry before topping back up with oil.

 

I actually mixed 2 1/2 with 5 but wasn't going to recommend that, although not because
It was too soft, I actually liked it like that and it gives a very similar ride to the 999 I have now.
I measured the oil level from the top to make sure I had the correct level. I used threaded studding to do that. It makes an excellent dipstick because the oil is retained nicely in the threads so you can see the level easily.

 

I have done both Showas and Marzocchis from the carbed SS............The Marzocchis are much easier to dismantle and rebuild etc.

However, with both, when they were stripped apart and drained, I left them upside down overnight..........I was astounded at how much more had collected in 12 hours..........

When they were finally completely disassembled, there was still loads of old oily thick crap left inside.........The Marzocchis were easily cleaned out, but because I had some spring queries and spacers in the Showas, I took them to MCT for a complete re-spec and re-valving......luckily I saw the cartridges removed on the bench......sho' nuff, more crap.

 

A one handed Showa compression tool........A modified Victorian Cartwheel spanner

NB....Be careful if you try to pull the whole lot apart....sometimes if the guide and slide bushes are worn, one can get stuck inside the other as you try to pull the slider out.......and it's a b*****d to get the slider out then.

 

Had to do it trackside on a DD race day, nothing we did to this guys DD bike would soften his suspension, so it was off with the caps and springs, problem found, the rod would hardly move due to thick oil sludge clogging the pistons, shims etc, so it was a case of pouring in brake cleaner and pumping the rod up and down till it freed up, pouring the gunk out and redoing it till we had free movement, put fresh oil in and refit, job done.
Not sure what suspension shops would use but all we had was brake cleaner.

 

try this, cheap for the price and all you will need

DUCATI FRONT FORKS SHOWA LOCK TOOL IN 3.5mm MILD STEEL | eBay