Correct fork oil or did I Fork-up things?

[MikeF]

OK, here's a question for the experts. I have an 03 with 6500 miles on it. I have gotten used to the front brake dive and was ok with it. About a month ago the brake dive became much worse and then after the stop the front would bob up and down a couple of times. I checked and could not find any leaks. So the other day I jacked the bike up and took the fork caps off to see if one side had lower fluid then the other. They were both the same level. I did notice that one side had red fluid and the other had brown fluid. So I thought I'd try something and I put 50cc's of 15 weight fork oil in each leg.  I went for a ride and it has transformed the bike. It is now nice and firm. But, and there is always a but, the front is now up higher then it was by about an inch. I have the forks up about an inch and a half in the trees because I'm a short guy, and now the bike is so high I can only touch with the tips of my boots whereas before I could get my toes down.

So here's the questions.

Since there seemed to be two different types of fork oil in there have I messed up my seals or something else in there by using regular fork oil someplace it should not be?

I did all this with the bike in the air, so did I trap too much air in the fork by putting the cap back on with it up in the air? Is this why the bike is now more nose up and will this kill the seals because the air will try to push out past the seals? Sould I crack the caps with the bike on the ground and let it sit that way for a while to let the pressure bleed down with the forks compressed?

Should I just ride it and not worry? I love the  way it feels now except for the extra height. I have the rear adjusted turned right side up, when I got the bike I had the dealer turn it over to lower it but after I got used to the bike I put it back up because I read that it would wear stuff out being upside down. So this is not really about the height but about adding the wrong fluid in the wrong manner.

Any ideas?

[Sasquatch]

You did not mess anything up.  You can mix all kinds of fluids in the forks and still not mess anything up.  I personally use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF in all the suspensions I rebuild for my customers.  They love it.



By adding more fluid you stiffened the initial sag of the forks.  Air compresses easier than fluid.  By replacing some of the air space at the top of the forks, you in fact stiffened it.

[MikeF]

Thanks SAS that is what I hoped would be the case. It just through me that there was 2 different kinds of fluid in there. I am not sure why it had changed so much seemingly overnight, but it sure feels better then new now. I hope it stays that way.

[djr]

If one side of the forks had mucky brown oil in it you have only made a stop gap to the problem. The oil is done and needs changing.

[djr]

while you are there put in some WP springs and 15weight oil and she wont dive on you.

[MikeF]

So djr your saying that they should both be the red color, not the brown color that the one side is? I guess if that's the case I now understand why I lost some of the damping on the front end. I will look into the springs. I had opened it up to maybe cut a couple of coils off the spring and make a spacer to take up the extra room, but I thought I'd try the fluid first. I like the feel now, so I may just change all the fluid to 15wt and see how that goes before I do anything else.

[djr]

I dont know what colour the stuff was originally but both forks should be the same - ALWAYS. If its mucky/cloudy/whatever it needs changing.

[Guest]

I know a lot of guys on here recommend using 15wt oil but I've just put it in mine and I've found the ride quality is too harsh now. I'll probably go to 12.5w. Personal thing, but I like the forks to absorb the bumps!