2010 forks

I went in a while ago for a typical maintenance and the (D)ealer noticed the stearing head bearings were wearing and wanted to get it in before the warrenty ran out. I thought that was pretty nice and brought the bike in today to have it done. I got a call saying during a test ride the front suspension felt soft. I had already maxed out the front, both preload and rebound so I was a little confused. They made a call to Honda and ended up putting a 15 weight oil in the forks and wow, I finially gotta sense what you suspension fanatics whine about. I know it's a mild step for a track guy but it made a suprising difference for a backroad enjoyer of spirited riding.
Just wanted to share a good dealer experience and an inexpensive improvement that has the beast leaning harder with a lot more stability. :smile:

 

Wow is exactly what I thought. The bike comes stock with 5 weight oil. Stepping up to 15 is pretty dramatic.

 

Also I thought I would pass along that the service manual suggests a Kawasaki fork oil for replacement. ???

 

As an alternative fork oil or the only replacement oil? Thats very strange for honda to spec a kawasaki oil for replacement when honda has a full line of oil. I like the maxima fork oils myself.

 

KYB KHL 15-10 is the "recommended" fluid. It is not a 10 or 15 weight oil. It is actually a 5 weight. Fork fluid weight ratings are not very consistent between brands. One manufacturer's 5 weight can be heavier than anothers 10 weight. The Cst rating of the stock fluid, which is more accurate than weight ratings in fork fluid, is 15.3.

Run whatever brand you like and no damage will be done. If you don't like the resulting ride, replace with a lighter/heavier fluid as desired.

 

this is very interesting, esp the fact that Honda recommended a change from their published spec. should there be a recall ?? either way i'm going to have the fluid changed...i see that Bel Ray offers a wide range of viscosity options
Bel-Ray High Performance Fork Oil | Bel-Ray Company, Inc