FJ Fork Oil Change

I guessing that changing the fork oil is pretty low down on most owners maintenance list. Maybe I'm saying this because I'm a bit lax in this department. So this evening I changed the FJ's oil in anticipation of the coming riding season.  

Actually looking at my workshop manual there is no specified interval to change the oil. I'm doing it anyway.   

The fork oil provides damping and lubricates the bushings etc inside the forks. My experience is that the oil is always in a sorry state after any kind of use.   
 

FJ in the garage

Like my other bikes I usually remove the forks to change the oil. But the FJ has drain screws that will make this task easier. The problem is low to catch the oil. When you remove the drain screws and pump the forks the oil will spray out with some force.    

The drain screw

I caught it in an old basin supported by a timber stand.

I buy a carton of oil at autojumbles etc. I'm not sure why the Halfords oil is a multigrade - does the oil get hot enough to require this? Fork oils come in different viscosities. If you want harder damping use a thicker oil. Come to think of it I've no clue in what ways fork oil is different to other oils….except price - £13 per litre!

The old & the new - a bit of a difference. The old oil had a metallic sheen to it indicating that some wear has taken place.

A measured amount of oil to poured into the top of the forks.