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**Prith** · 06-02-2011, 07:43 PM

Alternatively, you can go for all time favorite DIESEL. Very good cleaner, leaves very less residue except for good smooth waxy coating (beneficial). I have used that for cleaning chain/bearings/cables/ and my hands after messing it up with ol' black grease.

My all time favorite was aviation kerosene. I m not sure of its authenticity, but I used to get it in old Bisleri bottle from a mechanic. He used that as cleaning agent in his "Premium" service package.

. But, boy oh boy, cleaning with it was a magical experience.

@Prince: Given the steep price, I would suggest mere kerosene would suffice (the ones that we get from PDS or Paint shops). If possible, try white kerosene, significantly better than the blue one (cause unknown).

**psr** · 06-02-2011, 07:50 PM

Originally posted by Prith View Post

Alternatively, you can go for all time favorite DIESEL. Very good cleaner, leaves very less residue except for good smooth waxy coating (beneficial). I have used that for cleaning chain/bearings/cables/ and my hands after messing it up with ol' black grease.

My all time favorite was aviation kerosene. I m not sure of its authenticity, but I used to get it in old Bisleri bottle from a mechanic. He used that as cleaning agent in his "Premium" service package.

. But, boy oh boy, cleaning with it was a magical experience.

@Prince: Given the steep price, I would suggest mere kerosene would suffice (the ones that we get from PDS or Paint shops). If possible, try white kerosene, significantly better than the blue one (cause unknown).

Yes I use Diesel to clean Self

and tools after a work. Kerosene cleans ,but the stink also sticks to your hand for long .Aviation kerosene/petrol is no longer available outside now..

**Prith** · 06-02-2011, 07:50 PM

Awesome thread guys.. Keep experimenting..
I also want my front to be stiff a little, because i ride on the india's worst road may be world's.. Its with lots of big fat potholes & speed breakers, my front forks use their full travel length almost all the time. It gives a thud noise when forks bottoms out. After reading all this I feel using 10w30 oil is good for me. So, what's your suggestion guys?

@Honda_CBF: Just hold on until Saturday till I get my report card for this.

. Its going to be 1 week and I have got almost all the conditions that Indian roads can throw. Rain/Sun/Dirt/Potholes are covered. The only one missing is harsh riding and speed bumps, which I will do tomorrow

. Looks like I m the only guy (in this thread) riding with this concoction.

**Prith** · 06-02-2011, 07:55 PM

Originally posted by psr View Post

Yes I use Diesel to clean Self

and tools after a work. Kerosene cleans ,but the stink also sticks to your hand for long .Aviation kerosene/petrol is no longer available outside now..

Yup. Sad. Though it had nasty flash point. I remember those guys in that repair shop keep it inside a large steel locker. I used to think it was trade secret of some sort..

. Since I grew along with those kids in my neighborhood, they used to be generous to lend me some.

**Honda_CBF** · 06-03-2011, 02:12 PM

Originally posted by Pinaki View Post

Yes , you can try out a 10w30 , no harm in it . Also remember , you don't even need a motorcycle specific ( jaso MA etc ) oil for this purpose , some leftover car oil would do fine , isn't it ?

.

you sure? old, dirty car engine oil can be used? I have some 20w40(used) oil

Originally posted by Prith View Post

@Honda_CBF: Just hold on until Saturday till I get my report card for this.

. Its going to be 1 week and I have got almost all the conditions that Indian roads can throw. Rain/Sun/Dirt/Potholes are covered. The only one missing is harsh riding and speed bumps, which I will do tomorrow

. Looks like I m the only guy (in this thread) riding with this concoction.

ok bro, I'm waiting..
BTW, when one should change fork oil?

**Pinaki** · 06-03-2011, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by Honda_CBF View Post

you sure? old, dirty car engine oil can be used? I have some 20w40(used) oil

ok bro, I'm waiting..
BTW, when one should change fork oil?

LOL , NO , I did not mean used or old dirty car engine oil

. You can use fresh engine oil only , whose first number ( in a multigrade oil ) is near about that of a fork oil . Like a 10w30 or so . A 20weight (20w40) would be too heavy for a fork , by itself . Infact I'd rather not use spent oil for anything

, I dispose it off to my mechanics shop , who sells it to recyclers . Any oil near about that weight can be used ( car/bike etc oils ) , however it is not advantageous to do so always , because specific fork oils are not more expensive anyway ; it all depends on what you have readily available for you .
A oil change in the fork is called for when it shows too much hardness in compression/rebound or too much freeness in compression/rebound , both . Better to replace the oil seals at the same time too . I will change it once every two years , at least .

**Honda_CBF** · 06-03-2011, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by Pinaki View Post

LOL , NO , I did not mean used or old dirty car engine oil

. You can use fresh engine oil only , whose first number ( in a multigrade oil ) is near about that of a fork oil . Like a 10w30 or so . A 20weight (20w40) would be too heavy for a fork , by itself . Infact I'd rather not use spent oil for anything

, I dispose it off to my mechanics shop , who sells it to recyclers . Any oil near about that weight can be used ( car/bike etc oils ) , however it is not advantageous to do so always , because specific fork oils are not more expensive anyway ; it all depends on what you have readily available for you .
A oil change in the fork is called for when it shows too much hardness in compression/rebound or too much freeness in compression/rebound , both . Better to replace the oil seals at the same time too . I will change it once every two years , at least .

lolz.. Just went through your old post it clearly says "LEFTOVER"..
I don't think any 10w30 mineral oil is available for car, may be semi-synth. So its not cheap.
I'm still thinking about hero honda oil. Any cons using it? Do fork oil need any special additives or something?
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**Prith** · 06-04-2011, 01:42 AM

SO ATLAST. I was lucky enough to ride in some tough conditions and furnish my report below
OBJECTIVE: It has come to the attention of few of ardent xBHPian’s that one subject from their clan has undergone a strange situation (which happened unexpectedly) and that this situation needs close attention of brotherhood to analyze and provide feedback that one day may lead to a new school of thought that has been overlooked otherwise.
SITUATION: Subject had taken his thoroughbred to the service station for regular service which resulted in a situation where the front fork oil of his thoroughbred was “adulterated”. On enquiring, it was bought to the amused attention of the subject, that “adulteration” was fine. Adulteration in this case was addition of regular engine oil to the 10W30 fork oil. Enough speculation was aroused and at last the brotherhood was notified of this situation.
DIRECTIVE: After intense debate for a day, it was understood that this situation can be only be validated if the rider was comfortable with the “adulteration” and that it suits his needs of his riding style. Additionally, this was a common practice among mechanics and that should be looked over. Rider took this objective in relentless unbiased manner and with the help of his brotherhood rode his thoroughbred in different environmental conditions to check if the prophecy was indeed true.
TEST:
1. Normal condition: Day today ride of 40 Kms to office on normal city roads. Average speed of 50 Kms, and sudden breaks at traffic signals to avoid collision with vehicle in front. This condition utilized 80% of fork arm length and significant differences were observed in ride quality. Temperature ~ 35C.
2. Harsh braking and speed breaker breaker test: This test was carried out in midday sun (temperature ~ 43 C). Harsh braking and extensive use of front disk brakes to see if the fork arms worked in stressful conditions. Additionally, intentional scaling of speedbrakers was done (also tried climbing footpaths). This test utilized 90% of fork arm length. Recoil / rebound were closely observed.
3. Rainy condition: This test was conducted to check if the fork arm performed under slippery conditions and that the oil did not condense due to sudden difference in temperature (~ 30-35 C). Recoil / rebound were closely observed. This test utilized 50% of fork arm length.
4. Desi Dakar rally test: Ran the bike at 30 Kms hour for 30 min in shrubs/herbs/trees/cactus/stones/snakes/scorpions/goats/cows/buffalo/crow infested area. Though no harm was inflicted on Mother Nature, rider suffered saddle sore and cactus thorns on his butt. This test was carried out with the help of his brother who acted as technician/emergency rescue team. Temperature ~ 43 C and conditions bone dry. Recoil / rebound were closely observed. This test utilized 100% of fork arm length and maxed out twice.
OBSERVATION: In all of above mentioned conditions, fork action and recoil/rebound was observed to be different from the condition that existed pre-fork oil adulteration state. Vibration on the handlebar was observed to be minimized. The rebound/jumpy feeling post jumping a speed breaker reduced drastically. During front brake application, the compression of forks was observed to be consistent with unconditional simplicity. Recoil post sudden breaks were very gentle and this eased a lot of wrist action. Sudden change in temperature did not have any impact on the fork action, but this needs to be tested extensively. Desi Dakar rally did cause the fork to max out twice, but that did not cause any drastic change in fork performance though cushioning effect was consistent with road condition.
COMMENT FROM RIDER: “All I can say is wow. This works indeed. Though I had my initial doubts, they were all erased from calming reassurances from senior (experienced) members of my brotherhood. Thanks guys. I just love this Molotov concoction. Victory and Peace”.
FINAL CONCLUSION:
1. Speed breakers: every one of them will be summited.
2. Potholes: What potholes…did someone see any recently?
3. Lakshman rekha by Telephone and Sewerage department: It’s alright guys. It’s a free country. Build a Suez Canal if you need one.
4. Sudden brakes: Good day starts with this.
5. Surprise manholes and black holes: Yawn…
Guys, writing this took me 2 hours of office time, but I didn’t mind. Hehehehe..

If someone wants to give a try with this cocktail mix in their front forks, you will love it. The recoils magically transform your bike into Royal Enfield’s step son…hehehhehhe..

Jokes apart. Conditions may vary and I’m very confident about it. If your fork has undergone extensive erosion from dust and if the springs in the tube chamber have become squiggly, then max out is unavoidable. Additionally, you must have noticed that bikes nowadays don’t come with fork cover which gives ample opportunity for dust and mud to enter the chamber (at least till the first oil seal). Thus, before you try this concoction, see that there is no spillage or oil residue on your exposed area of fork arm. This turned out to be good for me (Thanks Pinaki/PSR for giving me encouragement, you guys rock). Check with your trusted mechanic if forks need oil change before going forward. Else, trust your gut feelings.
Cheers and safe riding guys.

**Prith** · 06-04-2011, 03:49 AM

ok bro, I'm waiting..
BTW, when one should change fork oil?

believe me.. I know guys who have absolutly no track record of oil change in their forks. One guy even reported that his brother's front forks were dry when he checked up with his mechanic. If you feel that your bike is having tough time softening the road for you and frequent banging noise from max out of your fork arm, you should check it at authorized service centre. By the way they do check oil seals and spring too for potential wear tear signs else remind them to do so. Its all in the feeling man.

.

**Honda_CBF** · 06-04-2011, 08:21 AM

@Prith: Thanks for your extensive test report.. Btw loved your write-up!
Senior members (knowledgeable) like psr, pinaki and many others always rock..
<Posted via Mobile>

**Pinaki** · 06-04-2011, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by Honda_CBF View Post

lolz.. Just went through your old post it clearly says "LEFTOVER"..
I don't think any 10w30 mineral oil is available for car, may be semi-synth. So its not cheap . I'm still thinking about hero honda oil. Any cons using it? Do fork oil need any special additives or something?
<Posted via Mobile>

I meant leftover from after filling bike/car , some of them uses odd volumes so you have to buy the next liter can or bigger jug and you get a big leftover . I don't think they have any special additives for forks , since they are single weight oils of 5-10 weight , not multigrade . They should be having some regular anti-foaming agent but thats found in all petrol/diesel motor oils too . Unless your forks are bottoming out too often under you

, there is not much point in buying a whole can of new HH oil or anything , it won't work out cheaper than say motul fork-oil . If you want stiffer forks , try out prith's 50:50 mixture . Good 20w40 motor oil is available "loose" or in cheap polypacks too .

**psr** · 06-04-2011, 10:54 PM

Originally posted by Honda_CBF View Post

@Prith: Thanks for your extensive test report.. Btw loved your write-up!
Senior members (knowledgeable) like psr, pinaki and many others always rock..
<Posted via Mobile>

@Prith .....Thats quite an expansive observation and reporting..Thanks for the effort and time...
@Honda CBF....I don't rock friend..not at my age.

The only rock I have is in between my ears..

@ALL .....They say Necessity is the Mother of Invention...nowhere is it more explicit that in this thread...
Thanks to all Fellow Xbhpians, we are now more informed and Knowledgeable than two days ago...

**Honda_CBF** · 06-07-2011, 02:36 PM

Fork alignment..

Guys, sad & shocking news to all..
I met with an accident..
Swingarm, crashguard and handel bar was bent. Everything else including me are in ok condition.
Was busy fixing the damages yesterday..
So, now i want to check the alignment of forks, it looks ok but i don't want to take any risk.

**Prith** · 06-07-2011, 04:26 PM

Guys, sad & shocking news to all..
I met with an accident..
Swingarm, crashguard and handel bar was bent. Everything else including me are in ok condition.
Was busy fixing the damages yesterday..
So, now i want to check the alignment of forks, it looks ok but i don't want to take any risk.

Dude .. glad to hear that you are safe. what happened ?

**psr** · 06-07-2011, 06:02 PM

Originally posted by Honda_CBF View Post

Guys, sad & shocking news to all..
I met with an accident..
Swingarm, crashguard and handel bar was bent. Everything else including me are in ok condition.
Was busy fixing the damages yesterday..
So, now i want to check the alignment of forks, it looks ok but i don't want to take any risk.

Sorry to hear of the crash,...but happy to note you are ok

..
Take care and ride safe.

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