2.5 Mystery Fork Oil

[Mongler07]

Oil Weight all depends on the orifice of the internal dampener in the fork tube. Lighter oil moves faster and can give a better ride like a cruiser , vs a 400lb cr0tch rocket that takes 10w because you want a stiffer ride for performance.
Being big or heavy has almost nothing to do with it. If it calls for 5w and you put in 7, it might feel worse.

 

[Journeyman]

another website who is selling showa brand kit for servicing showa 47mm forks

Showa Genine Factory OEM Motorcycle Part Parts Service Kit FF Showa 47mm

Showa Genine Factory OEM Motorcycle Part Parts Service Kit FF Showa 47mm

www.teknikmotorsport.com

The 48 and 49mm fork kits on that website also show that same weight oil, so I'm not sure that it is necessarily the right weight for ALL 47mm forks, just what they are offering for a wide range of forks.

Plus, if it's at all like more conventional fork oils the actual viscosity across brands varies wildly- see link to chart I posted earlier here...

http://peterverdone.com/archive/files/suspension%20oils.pdf

It calls for Showa SS-47G in the 3R service manual. The mystery remains what weight that actually relates to compared to a particular brand.

When I get to this job in the coming weeks I'll probably take some of my existing oil to get it analyzed and share that information with everyone.

 

[Mongler07]

I had no idea it was so wide across so many brands. Wtf!?

 

[Journeyman]

Further geeking out on Fork Oils....

I've found enough references now to convince me that the SS47 is 10wt. OK, but as we've seen in not only the chart I posted, but others, fork oil weights are kinda meaningless across brands.

On an ST 1100 forum someone said this about SS08 vs SS47

Honda Fork oil SS 47 weight?? | ST1100-Suspension

I am going to swap the fork oil soon in my 2001 ST1100 and the manual calls for 7.5 wt oil. The local shop around here has Honda SS 47 oil but there is nothing on the bottle to tell me what weight it is. Some searching online shows other retailers calling it 10 wt. Has anyone used it before in...

www.st-owners.com

"Good thing here is Showa makes this oil and it is directly comparable to Honda SS-8 which is "10 wt" and also made by Showa. The major difference between SS-47 and SS-8 is the former has additional anti-foaming and long wear additives and is supposed to be higher performing than SS-8."

I'm probably going to just spend the extra money on the SS-47, but for those who want to go rogue I found another chart that does list SS47 along with viscosity at 40C.

Suspension oil weight chart - Motorcycle Integral Services

There's a lot of confusion about the suspension oil to use in our front forks/shock absorbers. Find our suspension oil equivalence chart..

motoiservices.com

Going by that metric you might consider one of these other brands with similar viscosities (above and below).... Notice the discrepancies in viscosity between these two charts - Showa SS08, for example (WTF )

1338ml required for both forks total = 47 ounces. Gonna need two quarts :-(

 

[1olbull]

why would showa OEM kit will sell 5w to service their own showa 47mm forks?

Showa don't ride my Rocket.
Showa likely addresses the needs of a beginner to average rider.
I ride pretty hard and my opinion is only what I have found works best for me after several hundred thousand miles hooning around the USA.
By all means choise what works best for you.

 

[EskimoPie]

You cant get the oil from Triumph? I bought the extended warranty so I was lucky and got my forks done on the 2020GT a few months ago at around 70,000 miles or so for free.

Are you saying that the first time you serviced your shocks was at 70k miles and that your dealer covered it under the extended warranty? I would think that would be a major battle with a dealer as fork oil replacement is regular maintenance.

 

[Azisbest]

Are you saying that the first time you serviced your shocks was at 70k miles and that your dealer covered it under the extended warranty? I would think that would be a major battle with a dealer as fork oil replacement is regular maintenance.

My dealership's service advisor told me the forks were covered by the extended warranty. I fully expected that fork seals were a wear item but not so. And my extended warranty has zero deductible so it didn't cost me a penny and no argument whatsoever. One shock had been done somewhere around 40,000 miles because it was leaking.

 

[Kiwicol]

Journeyman is spot on with this. Showa SS47G is considered a 10w oil. BUT, one brand 10w oil can be waaay thicker than another brand. What you need to match up is the Centistoke (CST) value, which Showa SS47G is rated at 34.88, as above.
This 34.88 is of much more relevance than a 10w or 7.5w from a particular manufacturer, because it's a specific standard. If you look at the above chart, you'll find some 2.5w are thicker than 5w or even some 7.5w oils. and some 7.5w thicker than 10w. You can see the issue here of going by what a particular manufacturer says the weight of their fork oil is. Use any oil weight that gives you the base line of 34.88 CST and you'll have the 'right' viscosity of oil. A range is also acceptable, you don't have to get it exact, close will be fine, as in 33 - 36 CST & you'd never feel the difference. So, use the CST rating of the oil to find out what viscosity you're actually putting in there.