Recommendations please for fork oil for my 1981 350K Sport.
I've given the bike a service over the last week or so and just have fork oil to change now and would welcome advice from fellow Sport owners please.
Brand, grade and capacity are the key things I'm after.
Thanks in advance.
Keith
Fork oil for 350 Sport
Re: Fork oil for 350 Sport
Hi Keith, I have a 350K. I was advised on 220cc per leg, which is more than the earlier bikes. As to weight that's more down to preference and the condition of the forks. Most run 10 grade but 15 will firm things up a tad and can help if things are worn, any good quality quality fork oil should do the trick, I've always liked Bel-Ray.
Si
Si
Re: Fork oil for 350 Sport
Thanks for suggestions. Still unsure of capacity as Dutch Morini site suggests 320cc per leg on "later models" which seems a lot and 220cc seems more realistic.
Any other thoughts from owners please?
I'll probably give NLM a ring to see what they think before carrying out the job.
Any other thoughts from owners please?
I'll probably give NLM a ring to see what they think before carrying out the job.
Re: Fork oil for 350 Sport
I've got an '82 350K Sport, and went for 220cc of 15W oil, which was about right with standard length shocks on the rear. I've since fitted longer shocks which have pitched more weight onto the front end, so I'm currently using 20W oil. 15W is on the plush side, 20W is on the firm side.
The capacity per leg seems to depend on the type of forks you've got and the stroke length; earlier models are certainly different to the above which means the 'Blue Book' is wrong for K models, for instance.
Can't remember the brand I used, but I think it might have been Motorex. Steer clear of anything labelled "medium" and so on; you want to know the weight of the oil as some mediums are thinner than others.
It's an easy enough job if you've got the right tools, and it makes a significant difference to the stability and feel of the bike.
There's a write-up on my fork rebuild here: http://www.realclassic.co.uk/morini05101400.html and there's a Marzocchi fork manual here: http://www.ducatimeccanica.com/marzocch ... /index.htm
The capacity per leg seems to depend on the type of forks you've got and the stroke length; earlier models are certainly different to the above which means the 'Blue Book' is wrong for K models, for instance.
Can't remember the brand I used, but I think it might have been Motorex. Steer clear of anything labelled "medium" and so on; you want to know the weight of the oil as some mediums are thinner than others.
It's an easy enough job if you've got the right tools, and it makes a significant difference to the stability and feel of the bike.
There's a write-up on my fork rebuild here: http://www.realclassic.co.uk/morini05101400.html and there's a Marzocchi fork manual here: http://www.ducatimeccanica.com/marzocch ... /index.htm
Morini stuff on RealClassic.co.uk: http://www.realclassic.co.uk/profiles.html#morini
Re: Fork oil for 350 Sport
Thanks again.
You are right about the job being easy - was done in just over 10 minutes once I located the correct socket to unscrew the caps.
I'm always wary of changing fork oil as I once had a bike fitted with a sidecar and standard forks with an extra spacer fitted. I didn't know this until I undid the first fork cap and it promptly flew off and tried to emulate a rocket launch! Was a sod to get back together too, but that's history. The Morini was a doddle and just another example of good design.
Plumped for synthetic Castrol 10W grade after chatting with Stuart at NLM. Seems to be fine (just had a wee blast this morning to make sure everything still OK - any excuse to give the bike a run)! Always good to know that heavier weight oil can also be used, may try that next time but as my bike leads a fairly quiet life (not raced or heavily thrashed) the 10W oil seemed fine.
I've now performed all routine service tasks myself and found that was a good way to get to know the bike, cheaper than paying for a service too. However, I have learned that one needs to allow a fair bit of time to carry out a service as, although not difficult, some tasks are fiddly and require lots of bit removed to carry out even simple tasks (changing the air filters for example).
Had my Morini since last April and still very pleased with it and looking forward to riding (and not fiddling with it) when the better (warmer) weather arrives.
You are right about the job being easy - was done in just over 10 minutes once I located the correct socket to unscrew the caps.
I'm always wary of changing fork oil as I once had a bike fitted with a sidecar and standard forks with an extra spacer fitted. I didn't know this until I undid the first fork cap and it promptly flew off and tried to emulate a rocket launch! Was a sod to get back together too, but that's history. The Morini was a doddle and just another example of good design.
Plumped for synthetic Castrol 10W grade after chatting with Stuart at NLM. Seems to be fine (just had a wee blast this morning to make sure everything still OK - any excuse to give the bike a run)! Always good to know that heavier weight oil can also be used, may try that next time but as my bike leads a fairly quiet life (not raced or heavily thrashed) the 10W oil seemed fine.
I've now performed all routine service tasks myself and found that was a good way to get to know the bike, cheaper than paying for a service too. However, I have learned that one needs to allow a fair bit of time to carry out a service as, although not difficult, some tasks are fiddly and require lots of bit removed to carry out even simple tasks (changing the air filters for example).
Had my Morini since last April and still very pleased with it and looking forward to riding (and not fiddling with it) when the better (warmer) weather arrives.