Vulcan 1600 Classic - Front Fork Oil Change
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.พ. 2021
- Winter is in full force here in Wisconsin, and that means bike maintenance.
Today I want to do something that I wanted to do last year, but never got the time to get it done; and that is changing the front fork oil.
Now, it is a fairly involved process, because you have to remove the front wheel, the front breaks, the front fender, the headlight, the front cowling, then you can finally remove the forks.
there is no time line in the service manual that says the oil needs to be changed every xxx amount of time or xxx amount of distance, but I think I've read somewhere that it should be done every year. but that just seems overly excessive, in my opinion.
Again it is very involved, but not hard either, and I know I feel better knowing the forks have new oil. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
This is a great video! I feel like I can do this now. I just need to change the seal in my left fork of my 02 Mean Streak.
Thanks!
If I can do it, you definitely can.
I love the holes in the hoodie, looks like every garage working clothes I own.
Yeah, it got grabbed by a wire brush on an angle grinder. I like the jacket to much to replace it.
Really enjoy your vlogs. They've really helped me out. Thanks!
Thank you for the kind words. It makes me feel good to hear my videos help someone.
Thank you very much for your front fork video.very well done, i learned alot, keep them comming.👍👍👍👍
Thanks! I'm glad you like my videos.
Really nice job, man! Thank you, from Kansas City!
Thank you for liking and watching.
Great video! Love your easy to follow instructions.
Thank you. Glad you enjoy my style and method.
Great work and great video! Thanks for doing it! Learned a lot from it.
Thank you for watching, liking, and commenting on the video.👍 I hope you like my other content as well.
bonjour de France, merci beaucoup pour ces vidéos de mécanique gratuites qui me permettent d'entretenir ma VN 1600 Tourer. bonne continuation
Thank you for watching. I'm glad my videos help you. I love getting messages from overseas. Where in France are you from?
@@ChefHikerBiker I'm from AMIENS a town in the north of Paris. I buy my vn 1600 tourer in august 2020 with 43000 kms I don't know how many miles... and I want to do everything on it myself so your videos are excellent for me !!
So, you're close to the English Channel. You must have some great roads to ride.
I'm glad my videos help you, but please don't rely on anything I say. Please consult a mechanic if you have any issues. If you take care of that bike, it will last for many more years.
Great vid. Thanks from Norway 🇳🇴
Thanks!
I'm part Norwegian on my mom's side, from Lillehammer.
Aahhh that explains your skills 😊... your videos is brilliant, keep it up!
Haha
Hello, I'm from Germany and drive a VN1600 model A. I think your video is really good and I will also dare to change my fork oil. Thank you and gladly more .... stay healthy in the Corona time, left hand greeting ✌️
Willkommen!
That's about all the German I know. 😊
Always good to hear from people over seas. Glad you like my videos and thank you for watching.
Didnt know they had those in Germany, I have an 03 myself, bought it new.
@@Imachowderhead Here in Germany there was only one recommended exhaust for the Euro standard for all years of construction! unfortunately it doesn't have such a cool sound 😉
@@hollysundaylady I bought big shots that was the only ones available for the bike back in 03. They were expensive. I want to go back to Germany one day and bring my bike.
Nice job. Very informative. 👍
Thank you
Excellent video thanks
Thank you, I'm glad you like it, and for the comment.
Thanks for not having all those shit load adds some sites have which I hate and do not watch. Good job and nice shop.
My add content is auto generated by TH-cam. I don't tell the system to put additional adds every 5 minutes, or anything like that.
My "shop" is just my personal garage. It's not a commercial business.
Thanks for watching.
Hi, thank you for your video 📹. I have Kawasaki Nomad and change oil in engine and wheel after your video. Best regards.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my videos and find them helpfull.
No need to fully disassemble the front headligt. Enough to unscrew 2 bolts on which the headligt platform is held. And then you can move the entire structure and get to the bolts on which the fork holds
Yeah, I realized that, after I did it.
Been following your videos, I have a 04 Nomad 1500. Your coolant flush video helped me BIG time! I did the same solution and everything was fine! Wanted to ask you how you get the bike up on the Jack?! With the engine sticking out from the frame..I don’t feel safe jacking it up.
I have a hockey puck modification done to my jack. I have 2 videos about that modification, on the channel. Go find them, and check them out.
I put in 15w fork oil in my '05 vulcan 800 because I like the stiffer feel up front, put tire pressure up higher also
Excellent
Hi, and thanks for your videos, very explicit and helpful. Can you make please a short clip how do you lift your bike, and where do you put your lifter? Thank you and drive safe🍻
Actually, I have a video on the floor jack and a modification I made and show how I use the jack. Look through my "Bike Maintenance" playlist and look for the Jack Modification video.
you need to get some extention bars of you sockets and ratchet makes the job a lot easier. Also a cheater bar to go over the handle of the ratchet. you don't need to use a hammer. Electric conduit pipe is great to use. Your videos are great.
Thanks for the tips and thanks for watching👍
Excellent video, thanks.
What about whit rear forks?
I have never taken apart the rear shocks or even replaced them. However, I have been thinking about doing that. Just don't know when I'll get around to doing it.
Sadly I need to replace the seals on mine, wish I could’ve seen you do that part. I appreciate you making the video, if you could recommend a video for the seals or make one I’d appreciate you. My bike is the 2003 1600.
Sorry, I don't know of an oil seal replacement video, specific to the 1600. I can make one, but it won't happen until the off season.
Hey Mark, Nice video
As always. Where did u get the skull motorcycle piece above work bench. Thats wicked!! I want one.
Are you talking about this? a.co/d/gVtWmrA
I won it at the VRA West Rally several years ago.
So i'm looking into getting a service manual but i need to find one i can follow. I've been reading on the internet and there seems to be a lot of confusion between models A, B, C, D etc. Do you know how to tell which model you have? I just want to read and learn more. I see amazon have them but the reviews is where i seem to get that confusion. Thanks again for the help. Great video. Definitely going to do that, probably over the winter.
I think, I'm not for sure, but I think the A,B,C and so on, are country codes. You should have an A.
Not bad...wondering what the service recommendation is for the fork oil? My '07 2000 Classic has 14k on it and I am thinking it may need changed soon.
I don't know about the V2K models, but on my 1600 they do not specify any fork oil change duration (i.e. 3 years or 20,000 miles). So, I figure Kawasaki is saying, if your ride is feeing like crap, change the oil.
I'm no mechanic, so maybe talk to your local shop and see what they recommend.
That's good thanks but how does the lower section go back together?? Friend took it apart for me but did not take pictures...and now forgot!! 😢
That sucks. Hope this link will help.
images.app.goo.gl/WN2TrcbbKVjkkMkL7
Thanks for the video brother. I am not asking you to endorse anything just want to know where did you get the after market windshield from. I have a classic as well. Your looks better then most after market ones. Thank you. I will change my oil when the weather gets warmer here in NY. Thanks again brother.
The windshield is a Kawasaki brand. I believe it came in three sizes. They are hard to find now a days. You might find them on ebay, but they are not cheap; couple hundred bucks.
@@ChefHikerBiker thank you. Yes they are hard to find. Thank you again.
Randy.
Thanks for the question and thanks for watching.
I see by that bike tag yr a Wisconsin'er. What part of this great state do you live
I live down by the Illinois state line in Beloit
Is that a car tire your running? I'm putting a 195 on mine tomorrow and a stock rear on the front
Yes, I have been riding darkside for a little over 7 years now. 3 years on this tire alone. I use a 195/60R16.
I hope you like the car tire. It's not for everyone, but I hope you enjoy it.
Hey Mark, i bought a used vulcan 1500 mean streak & my forks are completely seized. They have ZERO travel. Any suggestions on cracking these puppies loose? I'm assuming the spring inside may be rusted to the fork itself? I've never seen this & can't find any videos or articles. The Mean Streak (& Suzuki Marauder) are basically the same bike & have inverted forks, if that helps or matters. Thanks!
That's a new one on me. I've never seen or heard of a fork being seized up. I guess if the outside looks in good shape (no heavy rusting), take it off the bike, crack it open and see what's going on inside. My guess is that you'll need to either totally rebuild it or rplace it.
@@ChefHikerBiker yes thats the intention. Was thinking of using a tow strap to ratchet down on it & see if some pressure would pop the springs loose again. Anyhoo, thanks for the response and great videos. I've subscribed.
Keep me informed as to what you do and if anything works
How’d it turn out? I have the same mean streak bike. I didn’t know the Marauder is the same bike.
I like your videos. You really explain in detail what you are doing. By the way, Do You Have Enough Bikes?.
Well, only 2 bikes are mine, the V-Star belongs to a friend. I just store it in my garage. But thank you for watching, enjoying, and liking my videos. It means a lot.
Having multiple bikes is the way to go that way when you are wrenching on one, there's another to ride. To many of my buddies miss rides because their bike is in the shop for a couple of weeks or months.
Luckily, Angel has been pretty faithful to me over the years. My second bike, Faith, is the project bike I've been trying to work on. So that one is in pieces, scattered around the garage.
Ever since my VRA chapter dissolved, I've been "lone wolfing" it. My only other friend that want to ride is Dell, and he is almost never home, and doesn't have his motorcycle license yet.
@@ChefHikerBiker Riding buddies are good to have, especially on long trips! I'm going to Cycle Gear's bike night tonight to see if I can recruit some new buds. If you have one around you their bike night is on Tuesday nights.
The closest Cycle Gear to me is a little over an hour away. But maybe some day I'll get to one this year.
I've got an 02 Vulcan Mean Streak that just turned 8,100 miles, low miles I know. That's one reason I bought it, she looks like it just came off the showroom. Riding the other day it seemed to be a little rough in the front on road bumps (rougher then last year) and I know it's due for its first shock oil change. Did yours seem to ride better after the oil change? Some guys are telling me to step up to next weight. What say you?
Absolutely, it rode better. It actually took some getting used to, because it felt so different.
I guess what I would do is; I would change the oil and keep it the same weight, if I don't like it, then change the weight.
@@ChefHikerBiker thanks. That's great. Good to know. That is what I'll do then.
Ok, let me know how it goes.
@@ChefHikerBikerhey Mark, was wondering if leaving air in the fork mattered? I noticed you pour the new oil in and just screwed the top plug back on.
I'm sure the air has been removed from just the operation of the forks. But I know it felt better after everthing.
Nomad windshield bolts on about the same way. I took mine off though, I think it looks better without it.
To each, their own. I don't think I have ever riden without a windshield. I would be curious on how going without, would change my gas mileage.
I'm wondering why the shocks need to come off to do this? Is there not a drain screw at the bottom? then you can just take the top cap off and fill it. My Honda has a drain screw which makes it easy.
Yes, I could have just pulled the drain screw, let it drain out, replace the drain screw, take off the top cap, refill it with oil, and put the top cap back on. But I wanted to do the full removal, disassembly, and reassembly, just so people know how to do it and what it entails.
@@ChefHikerBiker perfect. I just bought a Mean Steak. Picking it up tomorrow and I need to put new fork seals in it. Thanks for this info. Good job.
Awesome! I like the meanies. They're really cool. I'm sure you're going to love it. Thank you for liking my videos and I hope you find it informational and helpful.
I have a 2007 Vulcan Nomad 1600. I am about to swap my stock springs for a new set of progressives and of course do the fork oil change. I know my 98 Vulcan A model had a drain plug at the bottom of the forks. Looking at my 2007 Nomad, it does not have one. I do have an oil sump vacuum but I guess I will find out this weekend if I can get the tube to the bottom of the forks to scavenge all the old oil.
If not, this will be my guide to pull the face off the bike and do the tubes off the bike.
ALWAYS helpful to see it done!
That's odd that it doesn't have a drain bolt. If it's not on the outside casing, it should be in the area where the axel goes through.
Thanks for making the videos, I bought a 2005 classic vulcan and I've watched all your videos on it, and one of your motorcycle camping ones. I think I want to go over to the darkside like your back tire. I've never done it before, how long have you been running darkside?
First off, thank you; I am so glad you like my videos.
I went darkside about 4 years ago and find very little difference in the way the bike handles.
@@ChefHikerBiker thanks for the reply! When I watched your tire video I saw you said a 195/60 R16 for the back, do you use a rear motorcycle tire for the front too? The technique you used to balance the tires was interesting I think I'm going to try to change mine by myself
I do not have a car tire on the front. I will tell you right now, putting on a car tire is very difficult. It took me almost an hour to get the rear tire mounted by hand. Make sure you use rim protectors, to save your rims from damage.
@@ChefHikerBikerYeah I definitely want to protect my rims, watching all the maintenance videos made me realize it's a bike I'll have for a long time. I have an '05 Classic. Do you happen to remember what tire you use off hand?
I don't remember off the top of my head; but the make, model, and size is in my tire changing video.
I would like to think, that steps for meanstreak would be the same 🤔
I would think so too. But I've never worked on a Meanie, so I'm not 100% sure.
CAN I CHECK THE OIL just from the top by pilling the caps and removing the springs
I really don't know, but I want to say no. I think the forks need to be vertical to do that type of level check.
@@ChefHikerBiker my 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan mean streak 1500 forks don’t come apart like urs I’m gonna end up pulling my whole front end apart
So, you have to completely remove the triple-tree to remove the forks? That's weird.
@@ChefHikerBiker no like u pulled the cap and the spacer and spring was right there is not like that mine is some type of cartridge
Ooh, you have an air cartridge. Sorry, I can't help you, I've never dealt with those before.
By watching this video i realize i had to do this procedure, i was about to just clean the seals since one is leaking might as well put new ones and put new brakes and new springs since this is time consuming might do it all at once and my problem is just one fork leaking
That sounds like a plan.let me know how it goes.
have you ever put cam chain extenders on you bike ?
Sorry, no I have not done that.
Hi friend, good video
Can you show me your auxilary light bar set up please ?
Is there something specific you want to see about the light bar?
@@ChefHikerBiker how did you conect the auxiliary lights and turn signals?
Is necessary to modify the wiring?
Where did you buy the full set up?
Thanks man
I'll see what I can do
@@ChefHikerBiker thanks
Sir, your front wheel tire is mounted backwards.
You're not the first one to say that, but no it's not. The pattern is just different from the one that was removed.
I would ask that you double check that because it would seem that you might be forcing water hydraulically to the center of the tire which could float / hydroplane the tire sooner. I'm no expert but I can see how it would appear reversed. maybe it just appears that way. Anyway, make absolutely sure.
I am 100% sure it is orientated the proper direction. But, I do appreciate you all looking out for me.