Surprisingly, there was oil in the forks, but nothing which looked particularly pleasant, so I changed the fork oil and here I discuss the process, as well as a few other front end related items and findings.
I've added the 21 front sprocket to my 70 A65T and can thoroughly recommend it. A little more relaxed at 60-65mph; but i found the biggest change was it allowed 2nd gear to be held longer so made the bike much more responsive on a twisty road. Didn't have a big hole to third either. I'm a big guy as well. The US bikes particularly were partly geared for 1/4 mile time, so one extra tooth helps on the open road. Hassle to change though thru the primary/clutch etc. Cheers!
Yes Paul , Had the same mayonnaise out of my old B40 , been stored since 1977 . Stripped the stanchions only to find they were rusty and pitted so replaced with new ones , new bushes and seals , used SAE 30 in them worked a treat after that !
That “ fork oil” looked like it’s had water contamination,definitely on the left leg,I’ve recently acquired a bullet that seems to be in the same mechanical condition ,everything needs attention,unbelievable what some “ mechanics “ find acceptable,I reckon you’ve saved that machine from the scrapyard,
G'day Paul,time for new seals I think, cheers mate, thought I had trouble with the sound coming through its my headphones on the blink the buggers are just new, bloody modern crap.
Very interested to learn that you use 20w50 oil in the forks Paul. I would have thought that would have been way too heavy. I usually default to ATF in conventional forks but there you go - we live and learn!
A 20W-50 oil is a 50 2wight oil that acts like a 20 weight oil at low temperatures. If it works, it should not harm a thing. I never though of using that in my original Bonneville forks. I cannot anymore try it due to the forks getting twisted in an accident, a friend wanted to ride it and hit a tree. Luckily he was not injured. The owner will think he has a new motorcycle once you are done with fixing the neglect.
When stuff like that came out of my front end, penicillin provided the cure lol. These days I often find people have used ultra light 10w oil, or even thinner. May as well use WD40 for all the good it does.
Hi Paul I've been following your progress with interest. Lovely result and the owner should be rapt. Question: If you were to raise the final drive ratio, would you change the crankshaft sprocket or the gearbox sprocket? How much time is involved in swapping the gearbox sprocket?
Is it easier to put the fill caps back on with the bike in the air? i did my left leg on the ground (probably like a fool) and it took me two hours to force it back on, because the spring fought me. Am i just living up to my name?
