Author Topic: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?  (Read 482 times)

Offline murfalert

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V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« on: May 18, 2022, 03:01:52 PM »
New to me 2010 Cafe Classic. I changed fork oil with 10w. Left it 150mm from the top of the tube with forks extended, springs and spacers in. It was about 400ml. It feels good while riding but there’s no way I’m getting more than 3” of travel. In fact; with a zip tie marker I can’t get 2 1/2” of travel even though I hit the front brake hard enough to lock the tire.
Normal?
Murf

Offline Kiwi_Roy

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2022, 04:20:17 PM »
When I first read your post I thought 150mm from the top sounded like way overfill but on reading an old post I made its probably ok.
The more I read about servicing forks I realize I know very little about it, probably something a dirt bike rider would know a lot more about but then again a dirt bike would have better forks full stop.

Hopefully an expert will jump in and tell us all about the V7 forks, for sure we will be told to scrap what we have and spend lots of cash LOL
« Last Edit: May 18, 2022, 04:23:26 PM by Kiwi_Roy »
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Offline guzzisteve

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2022, 05:16:21 PM »
Not an expert but serviced those models. Been 10yrs but I think you fill to 150 below with tube down in leg and no spring or spacer tube inserted. helps to read service man which I just looked at in my files.
Plenty of others on here have earlier SB's.
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Offline kingoffleece

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2022, 06:32:21 PM »
Normal?  Uhm, no.
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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2022, 06:32:21 PM »

Offline murfalert

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2022, 06:25:11 AM »
The forks make sense now that I think about it more. There is supposed to be 5.9” of air space above the oil. And the specs say 5.1” of travel. That has to be theoretical travel because there is no realistic way for that air to compress from 5.9 to .8” unless a strong hydraulic press was used that blew the seals. Therefore actual travel is much less than the theoretical measures with empty fork tubes.
Physics: it interests me, yet eludes.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2022, 06:26:16 AM by murfalert »

Offline mechanicsavant

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2022, 06:31:45 AM »
Manual I have for a later model says to measure with fork fully compressed & no spring .

Offline Vagrant

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2022, 07:59:56 AM »
Two different brands of forks on V7. I don't remember when they changed. Maybe 2013-15 to Kaifa?
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Offline Stevex

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2022, 03:01:41 PM »
Air gaps are set with springs out and stanchions lowered in to sliders.
Where did you get 150mm from?
10w could be anything dependent on manufacturer, best to go with Centistokes, then you know exactly what viscosity is going into your forks.
http://www.peterverdone.com/wiki/index.php?title=Suspension_Fluid

Offline murfalert

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2022, 03:19:18 PM »
I read somewhere in here ~400 ml and 150mm air gap. It seems awful coincidental I put in 400 ml and it was about 150 mm from the top with sanctions lengthened and springs in. Are you sure there aren’t two types? And, I got about 300ml or so of dirty crap out of each.

Murf

Offline twowheeladdict

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2022, 03:48:01 PM »
Filling oil
• Place the sleeve upright in a vice fitted
with protection jaws.
• Compress the sleeve in the stem.
• Pour part of the fork oil into the sleeve.
• Wait some minutes until the oil fills all
the ducts.
• Pour the remaining oil.
• Pump out oil a few times.
• Measure the air gap between the oil
level and the rim.
THE SLEEVE MUST BE PERFECTLY UPRIGHT IN ORDER
TO MEASURE THE CORRECT OIL LEVEL. THE OIL LEVEL
MUST BE THE SAME IN BOTH STEMS.
Characteristic
Oil level (from sleeve rim, without the spring
and with stem at the end of the stroke)
150 mm (5.9 in)

AGIP FORK 7.5W Fork oil



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Offline murfalert

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Re: V7 fork travel/ too much oil?
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2022, 04:59:05 PM »
Ok thanks to all. I finally found a service manual which showed just what you all said. I re-did it and now have all my travel back. All is right with my V7’s world.
Thanks again,
Murf

 

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