Hello everyone, i am going to maintain my forks, so i would like to ask you what kind of fork oil do you use for your F4i bikes, is it 5w or 10w. The next season i will use my Honda only for track days, so what kind of oil can you recommend?

 

It would depend on what track you are running at. Different track layouts, surface, and temperatures will change the dampening demands.

Honestly, unless you're Marc Marquez or the like, you probably won't notice much difference.

 

Do you have your forks dialed in the best you can right now? That would give you an indication which oil weight to get. Or just go with what RaceTech recommends.

 

Or just go with what Honda recommends and uses, SS-8. Its a 10w, but oil ratings are not consistant and cannot be compared between brands. A 10w showa can be more like a 7w motul etc.
I've used SS8, then i switched to SS47 which is the oem fluid for USD hondas like the RR. I'm now running Maxima blue label 7w as it works with my setup better [valved for 10w rebound, but the stock compression valving which is too much with 10w and heavier springs].
You don't change fork fluid for track. That's not how suspensions really work. It can band aid certain problems, but adjsuting the suspension is so much easier.

 

Thanks a lot for the advices and your experience. I am certainly not like Marc Marquez, I would like to be like VR46 but actually I am not, just ride for fun and to escape from the reality for a while. I don’t change the oil because I will ride at the track. The reason is that it is time to maintain my forks – the front is too soft and goes down too much. I saw that the in the manual it is recommended SS-8 and I was wondering whether it is 5 or 10w, so I thought of buying Castrol 10w or Motorex racing 10w again.

 

If the front end feels soft, then you need new springs. If you weigh more than like 120 pounds and they are the stock springs, then they are way too light. Get springs for your weight and riding style.

 

Like ^this^ guy said, that's not the oil problem. Well, slightly yes if its old and worn. But new oil will not eliminate the issue. What do you weigh?

 

The oil is more than 3-4 years old. I am not heavy at all - 68 kilos. When i open the forks, are there any signs that show the springs are worn?

 

Thats right about 150lbs, which is about 50lbs too much for the oem fork springs. Weirdly enough [probably because of passenger possibility] its about perfect for the rear shock spring.
The springs aren't worn, they are just much too light. .68kg/mm stock, where for 150lbs you should be right around a .9kg/mm spring.

 

In my case I couldn't get the spring seats out at all. You need a very long and narrow forceps or something like a circlip puller to grab it and pull it out.