R65LS Fork Oil Change

[jgp1854]

Can the fork oil in the LS be changed without the black plastic cowling being removed?

How often should the fork oil be changed?

thanks
73516

[Bob_Roller]

You have to get an allen wrench in the filler plug, then you need to get a wrench on the plug that it threads into, to hold it while you loosen the filler plug .

You may be able to do it, but it's going tobe a real tight working area .

I replace fork oil every year .

But with the job it turns into on an LS, I'm sure you can get two years on it .

[nhmaf]

Well - *technically* you can drain the fork oil from the small 10mm drain plug on the backside of each fork lower, and pump the forks up and down to try to get out the last of the oil.  In reality, unless you  undo the large allen bolts up inside the bottom end of the fork legs, there is always a little bit of old oil that remains in there.   I wouldn't worry about it too much if I was changing the fork oil every year and just do the 10mm nut part, but I don't change mine every year - usually every ~3 years so I end up taking the fork tubes out, etc.

That said - to get the top  fork caps off, top plug removed to get oil poured in from the top, I cannot see how you can do it without at least getting the black cowling piece unbolted and lifted up&out of the way.

[Matt Chapter]

I like to have my fork oil changed every time I have the fork seals done.

I've owned my R65 for 6 or 8 years and 40000 miles, had the seals done about a year after I bought it and this spring.  I should have had the seals done last fall though.

[Barry]

Can the fork oil in the LS be changed without the black plastic cowling being removed?

I wish it were possible but no.

How often should the fork oil be changed?

I do do mine every year which is the official interval and it comes out with enough discoloration to persuade me that it's not an unreasonable frequency given the cost is low .

On a low annual mileage you might stretch it out to 2 or 3 years. Trouble is if you don't do it annually there is the risk of forgetting and it then never gets done. I certainly didn't changed fork oil on any of my previous bike annually but I learned the hard way in my youth when I left it for 6 or 7 years and it came out looking like coffee.