How do you add fork oil?
 

I have 13,000 miles on my hawk and the forks bottom out over bumps, rail road tracks etc so I think I need to add oil or change to stiffer. How do I do that?

It's the forks (Springs/valves) giving you fits... most Hawk Riders have this issue... it's pretty common. You'll want to swap to a spring that matches your weight at a minimum, and possibly add the damping valves as well depending on your finances (Race Tech).... do some searches on the site, you should be able to find some info pretty easily on these topics.

Here are some other "off site" links that may be helpful as well....

http://ablett.jp/bikes/vtr/vtr_sus.htm

http://www.vlc.com.au/~justin/about/...valve_kit.html

Only problem you'll have is once the forks start working great, you'll notice how bad the rear shock is!!!! hahahaa.

J.

here is another site with more useful info on suspension than I recall seeing in any one place. Nice discussion about setting oil height etc and its impact and a host of other things in there.

http://www.peterverdonedesigns.com/suspension.htm

Remove forks from bike.
Remove lower bolt and sealing washer
Loosen and remove fork cap (careful it's aluminum and easily marred)
Drain forks and remove internals and pump those to remove oil inside cartridges
When filling with oil I suggest using stock Showa SS-55 unless you are changing valving/springs. There is also a bleeding procedure that you should go through to ensure the cartridge is filled fully. Install the cartridge, fill with about 400ml of oil and pump until no air comes out the rebound rod.
Air gap is 155mm, fork bottomed, spring out.

If all this seems really complicated and you want to have someone else do it shoot me a PM. I can revalve and respring for your weight for a lot less than other guys.

i made a little tool. it's a hollow aluminum rod mounted to a block with a set screw. i adjust the length of the rod to the air gap. then add a bunch of fluid - pump it as instructed above. then i attach my mighty vac ( hand held vacuum pump ) to the rod and pump out the extra fluid. perfect air gap every time. quick & easy, mac & cheezy.

tim