GrahamNZ
High Miler
Breva V1100 fork oil change (Norge and Sport may differ somewhat)
Changing the fork oil on a regular basis is a good idea. While oil doesn’t “wear out”, it becomes contaminated with wear particles and moisture. If all feels well with a new bike I’ll leave changing the oil until the bike is one year old and thereafter change the oil at two yearly intervals. The handbook calls for 400cc of oil (5W up to 20W – that's a big viscosity range!) per leg. I opted to use 450cc of 15W for increased damping, and air-springing effect at full compression. As it turned out I measured 450cc of oil removed from each leg. When you consider that all the oil is not able to be saved and measured, I estimate that each leg had been given about 470cc at the factory. The old oil was darkish in colour, indicating wear particles, but otherwise quite clean looking and with none of the yellowing which moisture causes. In the saved oil there were the normal metal specks from running-in but nothing of concern. Viscosity was difficult to judge.
The task took slow old me 2.5 hours, which included time for coffee as the legs drained of kerosene, but a real mechanic would probably do it in 2 hours or less.
Here's how I went about the task:
• Place the bike on the centrestand and place timber blocks under the sump so that the front tyre is clear of the floor.
• Loosen the outer handlebar riser screws accessible from under the fork crown. (top triple clamp) This is necessary to allow the crown to open and release the stanchions when the pinch screws are loosened. (In-hex 6mm)
• Loosen the fork leg top plugs now. (28 mm socket)
• Loosen the crown pinch screws to release the stanchions. (In-hex 6mm)
• Remove the front mudguard. (In-hex 4mm)
• Remove the brake calipers and leave them on the hoses. (In-hex 7mm)
• Disconnect the speedometer sensor from the right slider lower. (8mm socket) Cut away the two small cable ties fixing the cable to the slider inner lugs.
• Remove the front wheel. (In-hex 5mm for axle pinch screws and 30mm socket for axle nut) (see "Breva front wheel removal")
• Note how many stanchion rings are showing above the crown. (mine had 3, which happens automatically if the stanchions are pushed up hard against the top stops)
• On one leg, loosen the paired pinch screws of the fork yoke. (bottom triple clamp)
• Slide the fork leg down and out of the bike. (Be ready in case the leg decides drop out!)
• Repeat for the second leg.
• Grip each fork stanchion lightly and vertically in a vice using jaw soft protection and remove the top plugs. (which come out easily but need a little downward pressure against the spring as you do so to ensure that the bottom threads are not damaged as the plug comes free)
• Push the stanchions into the sliders and remove the springs. (the top of the spring is of smaller diameter than the bottom)
• Invert the legs over a container and drain out all the old oil. At the same time the spacer tubes will come out and likely drop into the oil. Pump the legs in and out full stroke several times both upright and inverted to achieve complete drainage.
• Add about a cup of kerosene to each leg, pump upright and inverted full stroke several times, then drain to wash the internals. Allow to drain inverted for a about half an hour at least.
• Wash the springs and spacers with kerosene and allow to dry.
• Add new fork oil and pump the upright legs several times full stroke to prime the damping chambers.
• Extend each leg fully, hold the stanchion vertically in the vice and refit the spacer tube, spring, and top plug after lubricating its sealing O-ring. (Again, apply a little downward pressure against the spring as you start to screw in the plug to ensure that the bottom threads are not damaged as the plug starts to engage)
• Refit the fork legs, pushing them up until they come against the top stop, and tighten the yoke paired pinch screws.
• Tighten the top plugs now.
• Loosen the yoke pinch screws again and rotate the fork stanchion so that the top preload adjuster marks are sensibly and equally placed and ensure that the correct number of stanchion rings are showing above the crown.
• Re-assemble everything else in reverse order.
Note
The plastic spacer tubes measured 38mmOD x 32mmID x 204mm long. I wouldn’t recommend increasing the length to firm the suspension because it won’t achieve that. All it will do is raise the ride height. If firmer springing is wanted then the answer is to fit firmer springs.
Changing the fork oil on a regular basis is a good idea. While oil doesn’t “wear out”, it becomes contaminated with wear particles and moisture. If all feels well with a new bike I’ll leave changing the oil until the bike is one year old and thereafter change the oil at two yearly intervals. The handbook calls for 400cc of oil (5W up to 20W – that's a big viscosity range!) per leg. I opted to use 450cc of 15W for increased damping, and air-springing effect at full compression. As it turned out I measured 450cc of oil removed from each leg. When you consider that all the oil is not able to be saved and measured, I estimate that each leg had been given about 470cc at the factory. The old oil was darkish in colour, indicating wear particles, but otherwise quite clean looking and with none of the yellowing which moisture causes. In the saved oil there were the normal metal specks from running-in but nothing of concern. Viscosity was difficult to judge.
The task took slow old me 2.5 hours, which included time for coffee as the legs drained of kerosene, but a real mechanic would probably do it in 2 hours or less.
Here's how I went about the task:
• Place the bike on the centrestand and place timber blocks under the sump so that the front tyre is clear of the floor.
• Loosen the outer handlebar riser screws accessible from under the fork crown. (top triple clamp) This is necessary to allow the crown to open and release the stanchions when the pinch screws are loosened. (In-hex 6mm)
• Loosen the fork leg top plugs now. (28 mm socket)
• Loosen the crown pinch screws to release the stanchions. (In-hex 6mm)
• Remove the front mudguard. (In-hex 4mm)
• Remove the brake calipers and leave them on the hoses. (In-hex 7mm)
• Disconnect the speedometer sensor from the right slider lower. (8mm socket) Cut away the two small cable ties fixing the cable to the slider inner lugs.
• Remove the front wheel. (In-hex 5mm for axle pinch screws and 30mm socket for axle nut) (see "Breva front wheel removal")
• Note how many stanchion rings are showing above the crown. (mine had 3, which happens automatically if the stanchions are pushed up hard against the top stops)
• On one leg, loosen the paired pinch screws of the fork yoke. (bottom triple clamp)
• Slide the fork leg down and out of the bike. (Be ready in case the leg decides drop out!)
• Repeat for the second leg.
• Grip each fork stanchion lightly and vertically in a vice using jaw soft protection and remove the top plugs. (which come out easily but need a little downward pressure against the spring as you do so to ensure that the bottom threads are not damaged as the plug comes free)
• Push the stanchions into the sliders and remove the springs. (the top of the spring is of smaller diameter than the bottom)
• Invert the legs over a container and drain out all the old oil. At the same time the spacer tubes will come out and likely drop into the oil. Pump the legs in and out full stroke several times both upright and inverted to achieve complete drainage.
• Add about a cup of kerosene to each leg, pump upright and inverted full stroke several times, then drain to wash the internals. Allow to drain inverted for a about half an hour at least.
• Wash the springs and spacers with kerosene and allow to dry.
• Add new fork oil and pump the upright legs several times full stroke to prime the damping chambers.
• Extend each leg fully, hold the stanchion vertically in the vice and refit the spacer tube, spring, and top plug after lubricating its sealing O-ring. (Again, apply a little downward pressure against the spring as you start to screw in the plug to ensure that the bottom threads are not damaged as the plug starts to engage)
• Refit the fork legs, pushing them up until they come against the top stop, and tighten the yoke paired pinch screws.
• Tighten the top plugs now.
• Loosen the yoke pinch screws again and rotate the fork stanchion so that the top preload adjuster marks are sensibly and equally placed and ensure that the correct number of stanchion rings are showing above the crown.
• Re-assemble everything else in reverse order.
Note
The plastic spacer tubes measured 38mmOD x 32mmID x 204mm long. I wouldn’t recommend increasing the length to firm the suspension because it won’t achieve that. All it will do is raise the ride height. If firmer springing is wanted then the answer is to fit firmer springs.
