Changing fork oil

[Nebraskarider1]

Getting ready to change my fork oil in my 97 Ultra. I saw a post awhile back about different oils to use but can't find it. I was just wondering what my options were and the benefits/drawbacks were to each. Last time I did it I didn't seem to get much old oil out of the drains and I don't want to overfill it so should I pump a little air in with the hand pump to purge it out? Also I have a friend who has an 89 FLHTC can we use the same process with a Mity-vac to suck the oil in on this year as I did on my 97? I have the svc manual for the 97 but not an older one and the parts man at the dealer says the older ones cant be done that way. Thanks in advance, I really like these boards for help.

[Norton Commando]

After removing the drain plugs in the fork legs and allowing the fluid to drain for 15 minutes or so, I hold the front brake and pump the front end up and down several times. This pumping action forces the last bit of oil out of the legs.

Then I refill the legs by pumping fluid in at the drain port using a Mity-vac. It takes practice to get the drain plug back in the leg without any fork oil escaping, but with practice it can be done without so much as losing a drop.

I use Dexron ATF, which is cheap, plentiful and works great in my '90 FLHS forks. Notably, this was the recommended fork oil in all the old British bikes such as: BSA Triumph and Norton.   

Hope this helps...

[Nebraskarider1]

Thanks for the reply. I had not heard of using the ATF before. As with any oil thread I will probably get a whole bunch more feedback before it dies off.