fork oil change

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

To slow the damping rate?

Yes, that is exactly correct.

The fork springs provide the general support for the suspension. It is important for the fork springs to be well matched to the weight of the bike and rider. Perhaps CSC will provide a selection of aftermarket fork springs in the future. If so, we can then adjust the forks for riders of different weights, et cetera. As of now, we must accept the factory fork springs.

The viscosity of the fork oil moving through the damping cartridge provides the damping. A lighter fork oil, with lower viscosity, provides fast damping. A thicker fork oil, with higher viscosity, provides slower damping. As set up at the factory, the Zongshen RX3 forks have very fast damping. The stock fork oil has a viscosity of about 2.5W. The Mobil1 Synthetic ATF has a viscosity of about 10W. The thicker ATF slows the damping of the forks, and provides a much smoother, less choppy, fork action.