The front suspension is pretty much the most important handling component on a motorcycle. And what maintenance does that front suspension get? Usually 'none'. In the best case, the front fork seals should be replaced once if they start to leak. And even then it is often overlooked that this leakage is due to the 'pitting' of the chrome of the fork legs. Did you know that there are special tools for removing oil seals? You will find them at our advertisers, they cost little, save a lot of hassle and are kewl on the tool board in the garage.
Watch out for diving!
Running the oil from the front fork legs is usually not a problem. Unscrew the cap on top of the inner leg (CAUTION! UNDER LOWER VOLTAGE!) Or the aeration cap on top of the cap nut. Loosen the drain bolt that is somewhere at the bottom of the outer leg after a container has been placed under it. That doesn't have to be a bucket. There is not that much oil in a set of fork legs either. There is a fairly good chance that there is no trickle of oil ,. but only some drizzly drops come from the front legs. The free end can be hindered by all kinds of precipitated drab. To remove the front fork, the front wheel must be removed. Then the fork legs must come out. That starts with the dismantling of the front wheel. Support the crankcase so that the front-wheel motor cannot tilt forward. The front fender must also be removed and set aside carefully to prevent damage. Then loosen the clamping bolts that hold the fork legs in the T-pieces. Then it must be possible to remove the fork legs with some quiet emphasis
Remove the cap from the top of the fork leg (CAUTION! BEING UNDER SPRAY!). The inner leg now sinks down, the spring sticks out above it and if it is against us for a moment, the first puddle of oil on the ground is a fact.
Lift the feathers off the legs. Put them away on a clean cloth. At that point also consider purchasing a set of new coil springs. There are aftermarket suppliers who supply better springs for the common classics than the factory has ever done.
Pump the inner leg up and down. There is probably more oil coming out of the leg. You can also turn around and deflate. Then rinse the legs with some thin oil or diesel until no more filthiness comes out. Let them drain for a while. Do not forget to screw a new sealing ring under the drain screws. For the sake of good order, mount new seals and fill the fork legs with the specified amount of oil. Gently pump the inner leg up and down during that process. Check whether the air chambers (the space between the oil level and the top of the fork leg) are identical. Assemble the whole stuff in reverse order.
There is then a good chance that you will not remember your motorcycle on the first trip
