Can I use motorbike fork oil?

felix.london

Can i use 5W motorbike fork oil for my Marzocchi Bombers?

supersonic

Yes, as long as is fully synthetic and contains no seal swelling agents.

felix.london

fully synthetic. Got it. Toot the fork into the LBs and he said he couldn't service it til Wednesday and it'd cost €70 - thought sod that I'll do it myself but the only fork oil I can source locally is the above.

also what type of grease should I use?

benpinnick

If your in a motorbike shop, get the lightest fork/bushing grease they have. Something for an MX bike would probably be best.

benpinnick

felix.london wrote:

Can i use 5W motorbike fork oil for my Marzocchi Bombers?

Also remember you can mix and match oil weights to get the desired response. Plus, if you're finding you run the rebound and compression at one end or the other (either loads or none), don't be afraid to go up or down weights slightly to compensate.

felix.london

aha - I didn't know you could do that. Anyway - blown out the motor bike shop.

€20 for 500ml of oil & €15 for the grease! - as opposed to £6 + £9 from CRC with free delivery to France.

Already stripped and drained fork so bike out of action til that turns up

...but gives me a good excuse to take a couple of test bikes out

- they got a 2011 Stumpy, Epic 29er and Enduro

btw Ben - can you recommend a grease that might be a bit more versatile than 'fork' grease i.e. something I could use for another application too?

Cheers

benpinnick

This stuff:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=2610

Its ace.

benpinnick

Oooh, just noticed CRC still have Pace grease... I always liked a dollop of the brown stuff....

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=47506

felix.london

Sorted

All ordered and just spent an hour cleaning forks - Shiny shiny shiny

...and booked the Spesh Enduro for 2 days 8)

felix.london

Right, Fork oil & grease just turned up

What changes to fork performance could I expect if I added slightly more or slightly less than the recommended amount of oil in each stanchion?

(just for my own knowledge base really)

Thanks

1mancity2

felix.london wrote:

What changes to fork performance could I expect if I added slightly more or slightly less than the recommended amount of oil in each stanchion?

Thanks

Add the amount stated, changing the weight of the oil will make your fork perform differently, thicker oil = slower, thinner oil = faster. (I think!)

The Rookie

Changing the oil level will have no effect at all (apart frommaking the fork slightly lighter if you add less and risking losing damping if you start aerating it!

Simon

supersonic

Changing the oil level has quite a pronounced effect with open bath Zocchi forks. WIth some models you can add up to 10mm in height more - this makes the forks ramp up at the end of the travel.

What Bombers are they?

felix.london

I thought I'd read something like that somewhere

They are 105mm MX Comps (twin air type)

They're back on the bike now (with the recommended amount of oil in them) and looking and feeling pretty good

Ordered a set of 120mm Reba's yesterday but if I could get a bit more travel out of these in the mean time it would be good.

supersonic

The MX can be tuned with oil levels as above.

The fork is 105mm max unless it has remoavable negative springs.

TuckerUK

What year are they?

2004-2007 can be made into 120mm travel by just removing one internal spacer.

felix.london

They're 2006 (I think) - is that an easy job? Would I then add more oil?

Might be worth having a play around with them

Cheers

97th choice

If it's like other zocchi's there will be a plastic 20mm spacer which you take from one side and put above the spring on the other side*


*this may be completely wrong for your fork.

felix.london

I have the forks with the internal rebound adjust in the right hand leg. So I guess the spacer would come from that side and and go on top of the other side?

Anyway - will investigate.

Thanks.