One of the fork seals has popped on my 1998 Daytona T595 so I'm just about to order the parts. Seals are no problem, but trying to find out which grade of fork oil to use has defeated me. It's not in the owner's manual, can't find it by googling, and can't even find a mention on this forum, although it must be here somewhere. Anyway, can any of you wise folk enlighten me as to whether to order 5w, 10w, 15w or whatever? Much appreciated!
You will regret asking...... http://mahonkin.com/~milktree/motorcycles/fork-oil.html The nominal weight varies from brand to brand. I would guess you are aiming for about a 7.5 so mix equal quantities of 5 and 10 of what’s easiest to procure.
I reckon the above list of fork oil specs offers more questions than answers, and it certainly makes a mockery of quoted viscosity by the makers. But, if the Showa 07 oil is standard - and this seems to be unobtainable - a fairly close substitute seems to be Motul 5w Factory Line, so I've ordered that to give it a try.
I need to refresh my fork oil too (for a 955i) - has anybody else done this and can they recall what grade they used?
I know this is an old thread but I need to know too. The manual lists Showa SS-8 which some say is 10wt. Obviously things have changed in almost 25 years. Anyone have an idea on the best oil for the T595 forks? I can get Castrol 10w fork oil for less than £15 for 1.5litres. Each fork takes 589mm then set the air gap at 76mm once you’ve pumped the damper rod.
The general concensus of opinion seems that 10w oil is closest to the Showa SS8 spec. I would think that any major oil company's 10w fork oil would be fine, as I'm sure Castrol will be.
Cheers Dave. I’ve been pointed in the direction of this oil selection chart which changes the way the selection criteria applies and uses something other than viscosity. Apparently a better match for the SS-8 is Silkolene RSF7.5. https://transmoto.com.au/comparative-oil-weights-table/
