www.BurgmanUSA.com

by **allwalk** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 12:28 12

Ok in this post I will attempt to go through the procedures for changing the front fork oil.
The first problem (only problem really) I encountered was how to lift the bike to do the service work. There have been other threads asking if you could use a standard bike jack with the burgman and the answer is yes. It's ackward but can be done.

1) Raising the bike

The burgmans low engine funny frame make using the bike jack ackward. First using wooden blocks under the engine area. This was not secure enough for me so I raised the machine to a point where I could set the back wheel down on a cinder block and the front on another stack of wood
see photo forkoil 1
I then repositioned the bike jack under the extended center stand and supported the front of the bike frame with my car jack, see photo forkoil2 fork oil 2
2) Remove handle bar covers

I just realized i didnt take photos of this process and will do so in the next day or 2 when it stops raining and edit this section. Sorry to all

3) Removal of Front Panel

Very easily done by removing 8 screws and pulling the front panel forward towards the rider seating position see photo forkoil5 for screw location fork oil 5and see photo forkoil6 before pulling off the front panel fork oil 6 4) Remove the brake Calipers
This task is straight forward as there are only 2 bolts on either side to undo and one bolt higher for the brake line, see photo fork oil 7
5) Remove the front wheel

Undo the front axle locking bolt located bottom center of the left fork (right hand as you look from the front) I supported the wheel using wooden blocks before I took out the axle picUsing a 12 mm hex key remove the axle making sure you dont lose the spacer on the left side as you look at the forks. Pull wheel out and set aside.

6) Remove the front fender
Very basic and straght forward as there are only 4 bolts total.
pic forkoil9 shows all front end components removed . Wheel & fender removed

7) Fork removal

Doing one side completly at a time and reinstalling the finished fork.
First undo the top clamping bolt on the fork you are going to service. Next using the 17mm hex key just loosen the fork cap. Don't remove cap at this time. Next from the front of the bike undo the bottom 2 bolts on the lower clamp and the fork will easily slide out. Picutre

Now once the fork is out you can completly take of the cap. NOTE! the cap is under spring pressure so as you see the o-ring I put downward pressure on the cap so as not to be caught by surprise as you clear the threads. The cap will raise about 1/2"to 5/8"

Pullout the top spacer tube and pour out the old oil. As your pouring be prepared to catch the small washer that fits between the spacer and the spring fork componentsNow remove spring.

While holding the fork upside down , work the shock in the dampening motion to get out all the oil.
Now refill the fork with 482ml of the shock oil weight of choice. Work the shock in the dampening motion to get rid of all the air bubbles. Re insert the spring paying attention that the smaller or tighter wound spring section remains at the top. Reinsert washer and then spacer tube. Apply oil to the o-ring on the cap and tighten down the cap.

Re-install this fork and go on to the next. Just go through the instructions in reverse order untill the bike looks like a bike again.

This job is really not that difficult. Like I said at the top of the thread the hardest part was figuring out how to support the bike so I could do the maintenance.

Hope this helps again and feel free to ask any questions.

by **Jim** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 15:08 15

Thanks Allwalk,

As I noted in the comment section of the photos, This does answer the question about progressive wound springs in the front forks.

by **pauljo** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 18:37 18

Jim wrote:Thanks Allwalk,

As I noted in the comment section of the photos, This does answer the question about progrevvive wound springs in the front forks.

Jim,

What was the question? The picture in the service manual does clearly show a progressively wound spring (if that was it).

by **Jim** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 19:43 19

About a week ago on this forum reading about Koni shocks, the question came up wondering if the front fork springs were progressively wound. I was just commenting on that. Sorry for any confusion.

by **Ted White** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 23:18 23

Great job, Allwalk.

Looks like you were working in a university parking lot. At any rate, appears to be in a distinctly urban environment.

I'm anxious to see how you got the handle bar covers off, and whether you decided to just leave them off.

by **corvairbob** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 19:14 19

ok now we know how to remove the front shocks. what oil can be returned to the shocks? i read in this forum that the oil was 15 wt. oil what oil can be used instead of the 15 wt oil? i want the lightest oil i can get for the front shocks but also need oil that will work and not damage the shocks! my oil looked to me to be transmission type oil. and it was dirty only have 1200 miles on the bike.

i find the fron shocks to be to stiff for my pleasure and by replacing the oil with a lighter type of oil will make the ride a bit smoother? or am i thinking wrong?

i also removed one inch from the spacer tube to lower the bike just a bit. if this fails to help improve the ride i may go to a softer spring.

the back shocks have been lowered also by one inch. thanks bp.

by **allwalk** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 22:06 22

Hi corvairbob.

The 650 comes shipped with 10 wt oil in the front. I was experiencing the front end bottoming out. Thats why I went to a thicker oil. It increases the dampening and made my ride smoother. I found the stock oil was great for speeds under lets say 50 mph. Over that and the front end couldnt absorb the bumps fast enough. If you go to a lighter oil I would guess that the bumps would be felt even more at higher speeds.

by **magyver** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 21:09 21

Three things to add. Make sure You don't mix up the spacers on the front they are not the same!! After I drain out the oil I put in about 300 to 400 cc
of Mineral Spirits and move the fork tube up and down to clean out the gunk the hang upside down to drain even over night then refill.Yes 10w is the stock weight but I thought the front end is to stiff so i went to 7 1/2w get it from BMW shop that is what they use and it seems to smooth out the front end. I weigh 185 and don't baby the way I ride and have had no problem with the front end hiting bottom.

by **Dodger** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 21:18 21

Did my forks a while ago. Measured what came out of each fork, right 392ml, left 415ml (supposed to have 489ml each). Poured the old oil into a jar and left it sit. About 1/8 inch of water in the bottom of the jar along with a lot of crud. Would recommend everyone get the fork oil changed.

Dodger

by **NormanB** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:28 03

by **corvairbob** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 10:37 10

this week i removed the oil in the front shocks. the old oil looks like trans fluid. I'm looking to get a softer ride. on this site i read that the oil is 15wt. what oil can i put into the shocks to achieve the desired effect? if softer springs are the answer then where is a site to order them suzuki has no springs to replace the burgman spring other that original.
i have the dimensions in U.S. .185 wire dia. 13 11/16 overall with 4" closer wound. 1 3/8" total dia. for anyone interested it this for research.

by **Jim** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 10:51 10

Dodger wrote:Did my forks a while ago. Measured what came out of each fork, right 392ml, left 415ml (supposed to have 489ml each). Poured the old oil into a jar and left it sit. About 1/8 inch of water in the bottom of the jar along with a lot of crud. Would recommend everyone get the fork oil changed.

Dodger

How many miles on the scooter ?

by **Dodger** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 21:23 21

Sorry Jim, I got called away. The bike has 5,824km (about 3,000 miles).
Never ridden in the rain. Only washed by hand (no power wash).

Dodger

by **corvairbob** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 23:04 23

allwalk wrote:Hi corvairbob.

The 650 comes shipped with 10 wt oil in the front. I was experiencing the front end bottoming out. Thats why I went to a thicker oil. It increases the dampening and made my ride smoother. I found the stock oil was great for speeds under lets say 50 mph. Over that and the front end couldnt absorb the bumps fast enough. If you go to a lighter oil I would guess that the bumps would be felt even more at higher speeds.

well i put in 5wt fork oil and it did nothing for the ride today. looks like the heavier oil is the way to go just what wt did you install alwalk? it is not hard to replace. but i want a smoooooth ride and not one that just about throws you off the bike. like others on this site the burgy has way to hard a ride for a scooter. i miss the helix ride alot. thanks bob p

by **allwalk** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:55 06

corvairbob wrote:well i put in 5wt fork oil and it did nothing for the ride today. looks like the heavier oil is the way to go just what wt did you install alwalk? it is not hard to replace. but i want a smoooooth ride and not one that just about throws you off the bike.

I installed Bel-Ray 15 wt fork oil and the ride improvement was incredible. Definetely try it. If 15 doesnt work than try 20wt. BTW when I did my fork oil I weighed around 200 lbs. , just to give you some idea of the bikes load.

by **seatec** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 9:21 09

But what do you weigh now

by **allwalk** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 13:42 13

seatec wrote:But what do you weigh now

180 lbs and 4 inches off the waist line!!!!!

by **mulepwr** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 22:12 22

I have the Hyper Pro springs on order. Will post here when I have installed them. Will take picts of them againist the stock spring and note any difference in (recommended) oil.

by **seeker** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:34 10

OK - a word of warning. The fork oil replacement job is fairly easy, except for one step. The tricky (and dangerous) part is getting the caps back on the forks. You really need 2 people for this step. I sliced my thumb wide and deep when the cap slipped and the super sharp metal of the spacer shot up and attacked me.

Here is what to do - Put the bottom of the fork in a vise. Have an assistant hold the slider tube up and also keep it from turning (preferably with a pair of gloves on). Somehow position your body atop the fork and tighten the cap with a straight down motion to prevent cross-threading. Once you tighten to the point where the slider spins despite your assistant trying to prevent that spinning, you are done.

Also - Good luck finding the 12mm and 17mm hex heads!!! I looked all over town and finally found them in a 3-pack of 12, 15 and 17 for $7.99 from AutoZone. Sears didn't carry any bigger than 12, and this was a big, ugly Allen Wrench for $9 and change. No luck with Parts America.

Suggestion - get these hex head tools before starting the job!

by **Jim** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:32 08

seeker wrote:OK - a word of warning. The fork oil replacement job is fairly easy, except for one step. The tricky (and dangerous) part is getting the caps back on the forks. You really need 2 people for this step. I sliced my thumb wide and deep when the cap slipped and the super sharp metal of the spacer shot up and attacked me.

Here is what to do - Put the bottom of the fork in a vise. Have an assistant hold the slider tube up and also keep it from turning (preferably with a pair of gloves on). Somehow position your body atop the fork and tighten the cap with a straight down motion to prevent cross-threading. Once you tighten to the point where the slider spins despite your assistant trying to prevent that spinning, you are done.

I installed the fork tubes in the steering head (triple tree), and tightened it up before I installed the cap. That way you only have to push it down an inch or so, and you don't need the assistant.

by **geoffrey** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 13:21 13

I just remove the steering shroud and the front wheel. The drain plug on the bottom of the shock is then unscrewed and the top cap removed (with extreme prejudice). Drain. Replace the bottom plug and flush with mineral spirits. Work the two sides up and down (together) to loosen the crud . Drain and let dry overnight. Replace drain w/Blue Loktite while dry.
Refill w/482cc each of your favorite synthetic flavor and zip it up. While you're putzing around up there, check the steering head play.
Getting lazier or smarter. I haven't decided which.

by **Jim** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 16:20 16

geoffrey wrote:The drain plug on the bottom of the shock is then unscrewed and the top cap removed (with extreme prejudice). Drain. Replace the bottom plug and flush with mineral spirits.

Now I feel really dumb. I never looked for a drain plug at the very bottom of the fork tube. It makes a lot more sense using that, than removing the tubes.

by **Wes** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 18:07 18

The front forks on the 650 do not have any drain plug on the bottom. I assume you're talking about the "Cylinder bolt" which holds the damper cylinder inside the fork tube. This is not intended to be used as a drain plug. You'd need to be quite lucky to get this bolt out, drain the fork oil and get the bolt back in without the damper turning. I've taken many forks apart and usually the damper bolt turns so you either can't get it out or can't get it tightened back up.

by **Jetfixer** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 20:03 20

I'd like to add my two cents worth to this procedure. I placed a small block of wood on my floor jack and positioned the jack under the transmission area. From there I only jacked the bike enough to get the front wheel barely off the ground while on the center stand. Using a 10mm ratcheting box wrench, you can remove the two front fender bolts that are behind the forks. Next remove the two forward bolts using a hex key. The front fender will slide right out. From here you can easily remove the two calipers and the front wheel. After the fork work is complete the only thing to be careful about is to make sure the fender bolts are all correctly located on the shoulder areas of the bolts before you tighten them down completely. I feel this is a far safer method of removing the forks than to jack the whole bike up on blocks.

As for my results, both of my forks had the correct amount of fluid. The left fork fluid was red and smelled like transmission fluid. The right fork looked and smelled like yesterday's coffee! I replaced the stock fluid with 15w fork oil, and the ride difference is noticeable. I have over 14000 miles on my 05 650, and this is the first time I've opened up the forks. I guess I'll be checking them more often.

by **Colchicine** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 21:08 21

I've got 2 pennies to throw in...

I feel as though the procedure described above is far too elaborate for the result. I felt no desire to disassemble the front end of my bike to swap out the oil. So, when I went to change out the OEM springs with Ikons, I used a Mighty-Vac to suction the oil out. Of course, this is not as thorough as the above procedure, but I plan to change out the fork oil every year or so. Therefore, the oil won't get dirty enough to warrant the standard procedure.

I measured the oil level before I removed any oil so that I could return the new oil to the same level. I am posting this solely as a reminder of alternative methods existing beyond the procedures in the service manual.