Any thoughts on why most forks no longer have small drain plugs?

[ohiorider]

Aside from my 1991 BMW R100GS with Marzocchi forks, none of the bikes I've owned over the past several years have come with drain screws on the fork sliders.  All of them have required removing the fork tubes, taking the springs out of them, and pumping them over a catch bucket until all the fork oil has been pumped out. 

What a PIA!

What happened to these handy little fork oil drain plugs?

[oldbike54]

 Kind of disappeared with cartridge forks .

 Dusty

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

It costs too much to drill two holes, thread them and plug them with screws.   

[oldbike54]

It costs too much to drill two holes, thread them and plug them with screws.   

 Well , that too 

 Dusty

[slowmover]

I’m overdue to change the oil at 16k miles but my dealer shutdown and the local Honda mechanic won’t touch it. Is it difficult on a 2013 Stone?

[Moto Vita]

Aside from my 1991 BMW R100GS with Marzocchi forks, none of the bikes I've owned over the past several years have come with drain screws on the fork sliders.  All of them have required removing the fork tubes, taking the springs out of them, and pumping them over a catch bucket until all the fork oil has been pumped out. 

What a PIA!

What happened to these handy little fork oil drain plugs?

 I really like that you consider 1991 to be in the "past several years", makes me feel not quite so old.

[oldbike54]

 Maybe the aliens have stolen the engineering drawings ?

 Dusty

[Old Jock]

Always thought it was becuase newer USD cartridge forks are much more sensitive to oil level in the fork and a few mm either way apparently has a pronounced affect on the damping.

As you need to measure the quantity with the fork upright they need to come out anyway.

Or so an Ohlins guide stated, I'm in total agreement absolute PIA................ .......Charlie's probably nearer the mark though

[John Warner]

How do you refill the Forks Ohiorider?
You have to remove the Caps anyway, so you can just drain them that way.
Draining via the little Drain Screws will usually leave a little of the old cruddy Oil inside (depending on Fork type/design), I wouldn't want that.
Stripping the forks also lets you inspect the Bushes, and properly clean the rest of the internals and the Seals.

There's nothing to stop you Drilling and Tapping Drain points of course, if you really want them.   

[SIR REAL ED]

It costs too much to drill two holes, thread them and plug them with screws.   

This ^^^^, plus the aliens!  Plus most riders have never ever changed their fork oil, or brake fluid for that matter.  Some OEM's don't even put grease in bearings.

It is probably also much along the lines of installing sealed bearings vs. grease fittings.  Most don't own a grease gun, and some that do blow grease seals out the first time they use it.  So OEM's probably have a lot of data showing sealed bearings are more reliable.

[jacksonracingcomau]

IMHO
Drain plugs became obsolete when oil performed compression as well as rebound duties
Cleaning requires dismantling
I may be the only one here but since installing emulators a few years ago  in my Marzocchi’s (fitted 1982 on 78 bike) I only drain them removed. Every 2 front tyres, not too much ag
Actually I always did steering bearings then anyway, time difference is only in the internal cleaning

Bit like the oil filter in sump argument
Change all the oil or just some of it ?

[Zenermaniac]

I agree it is a PIA. I don’t take mine off the bike any more. I use a $7 hand pump from Lowe’s and pump it out. First go for a ride or pump the forks up and down a few times to stir up any dirt. Pump it out. Work the forks again and pump any remaining out. Any left behind is going to be an insignificant amount. Refill to the required level. Even thought the forks are not straight vertical it’s not hard to estimate where it should be. I use a syringe with a length of tubing at the depth I want and as long as you draw out from the center it doesn’t matter that the fork is tilted. On standard Kaifa forks it’s just not real critical. On my V9 which is like the later V7 it works out to about 400ml per leg. My bikes have all had standard non-cartridge forks so I can’t speak for those.

[kingoffleece]

Having assisted Hamlin several times in his shop renewing forks on several different motorcycles it's my conclusion that yes, it's a pain in the butt, and no, it's not possible to do the job completely without disassembly, speaking about front fork service.  It's also interesting to see how the professionals use reference sheets with exact measurements, and in this case construct special tools to make the job foolproof and easier at the same time.  I've also never witnessed a rebuild completed without the use of Ohlins Red suspension assembly grease.

[LowRyter]

Maybe that's a sign to leave the forks alone until the seals leak?

[Tom]

The additional cost of putting the holes in and adding screws.  +1  Consider this too.  Most bikes aren't owned long enough for changing the oil in the forks to be a maintenance problem.  The manufacturer is gambling that it's not a problem and saves in the long run.

[kingoffleece]

Interesting thought.  After two years mine always looks like it needs to be renewed.

[Tom]

Long term/high mileage Moto Guzzi owners are another story. 

[Wayne Orwig]

On my EV, I have just pulled the axle, taken the large bolt in the bottom out, pumped he fork tube, it is empty. Not much need of a drain screw.

But, that still leaves a lot of sediment inside the tube that has snuck past the seal. You need to disassemble them to get to that.

[SIR REAL ED]

On my EV, I have just pulled the axle, taken the large bolt in the bottom out, pumped he fork tube, it is empty. Not much need of a drain screw.

But, that still leaves a lot of sediment inside the tube that has snuck past the seal. You need to disassemble them to get to that.

My approach is to remove fork cap, pull the fork leg, invert to for a few minutes to drain the fork oil, then add a couple hundred cc of kerosene to the fork leg, replace cap, invert several times and drain.  If the kerosene is not crystal clear, repeat again as needed.

[Tom]

 

[rtbickel]

I had several bikes in the distant past with the drain screws.  After 2 or 3 removals to drain the oil, the threads on the aluminum sliders would strip out and I just ended up epoxying the holes and not messing with changing the oil again.

[Huzo]

My approach is to remove fork cap, pull the fork leg, invert to for a few minutes to drain the fork oil, then add a couple hundred cc of kerosene to the fork leg, replace cap, invert several times and drain.  If the kerosene is not crystal clear, repeat again as needed.

That’s exactly what I do every 20,000 k.
Been changed 9 times and due again soon.
Bike is still on original fork seals.

[Tom]

 

[Perazzimx14]

When I do fork service I'm not terribly keen on drain, refill and call it good. I prefer to remove the fork drain the oil flush with kerosene (if not totally disassembling to clean) then rinse out with brake cleaner then reinstall and fill.

The drain plug really does not matter to me. Oil goes in/out of the fork cap.

[Tom]

On another thought.  If a dealer does the work, more cost for labor charges but I don't think that's a reason.   

[kingoffleece]

Any dealer worth their salt will do removal/install for fork service.  It's the only proper way to do it.
"Home remedies" are fine for just that but a shop has a higher standard.

If you want to see something interesting look at Hamlin's detailed install of a Matris front end kit and all the additional steps he takes to do it correct that are not in the instructions.  It's on his FaceBook page.

[sign216]

I had several bikes in the distant past with the drain screws.  After 2 or 3 removals to drain the oil, the threads on the aluminum sliders would strip out and I just ended up epoxying the holes and not messing with changing the oil again.

Seems like an awfully short life on those threads.  The engine oil plug also goes into aluminum, but lasts much longer.

[Moto Vita]

I had several bikes in the distant past with the drain screws.  After 2 or 3 removals to drain the oil, the threads on the aluminum sliders would strip out and I just ended up epoxying the holes and not messing with changing the oil again.

 Oddly, all the 70s vintage bikes I work on the fork drains have held up just fine. Maybe lay off the steroids for a while.

[bad Chad]

That’s exactly what I do every 20,000 k.
Been changed 9 times and due again soon.
Bike is still on original fork seals.

Interesting.  In 80,000 km I have had the forks done once, about 40km. They are over do, and I intended to do them soon.  Yet the seals don’t leak and I can feel no degradation.

[slowmover]

2013 Stone manual says change at 12k .