The Confusion that is Fork Oil

[Fred W]

I go to the local Yamaha dealership where you might expect them to have the 01 and / or M1 or maybe even the the Ohlins fluid they recommend be used on all 2nd Gens, and guess which one the have there in stock? None of the above.

So guess which one of those three recommended fluids they would refill my forks with if I let them close enough to my forks to do any service on them? Same answer. I'd wager dollars to doughnuts that they would just grab whatever brand of 5 weight oil they have off the shelf and use that.

The two brands they do carry were Silkolene and Motul. When I looked at those on the fluid chart I saw that the Silkolene was not even close to the 01 that was called for on my old 1st Gen. but the Motul Light wasn't too far off so I went with that. That is the value of understanding all of this hoopty-do.

PS- the Motul wasn't all that cheap as I recall.

 

[RossKean]

Same with my Yamaha dealer. Most places (at least around here) seem to stock the Bel-Ray 5W and it is right in the middle of the range with the Ohlins, Yamaha 01 and Yamaha M1. I have used that for the last 3 or 4 changes.

 

[BanjoBoy]

If people are "Trying to replicate the Yamaha 01 fluid" why don't they just buy THAT fluid? Is it a matter of a couple of cents, or this another, anal FJR, "I have to find something that is the same, but is better" game so many here love to play?
I cannot believe the OP didn't call GP suspension immediately when he had a question. If he is the same weight as when he had the forks built, I would bet they would recommend the same fluid. If he's heavier, they'll know how to adjust for that, within reason.

THIS is why I pay my Yamaha dealer to do my forks. They have been perfect every time!

Yeah, I do like "to play" and feel what different changes make to the bike. I went with the Red Line light because;

1.) it's cheaper than the Yamaha 01.

2.) It's easier to purchase from Cycle Gear online. (Sit'in here in my fuzzy rabbit slippers)

3.) It's fully synthetic, and the very knowledgeable author in the Wiki article dun recommended Red Line & Silkolene brands. (So it's gotta be good!)

And 4 after studying the Wiki chart, it's slightly heavier.

As mentioned above, I have stiffer springs in the front, which seem to overwhelm the rebound damping. The slightly stiffer oil will give me slightly more rebound damping, though the ride may get a little harder?