Replacing fork seals on a 1982 Yamaha XJ550 Maxim

Hi – I need to replace fork seals. Do you have a good step by step? What oil type and fill level?

1982 Yamaha 550 maxim.

I just did the carb cleaning and it worked thank you.

If you do not have shop manual for your bike I would recommend you buy one. I do have a fork service article in the works, but it is not quite ready.

I have a manual for the Yamaha XJ600SK. The fork seal replacement is quite similar, and in fact it’s very similar to all bikes of the same era.

PDF – Yamaha XJ600s and XJ600n Service and Repair Manual

In all of my older bikes when servicing the forks I use ATF fluid to fill them. Most bikes from that era had a 7-8 weight oil in them from the factory. ATF is generally 7.5 weight and very cheap down at the auto parts store. The XJ550 and XJ750 both use a 10w oil from the factory so you might stick with that if you like the ride quality. I tend to like my suspension a little on the plush side for highway cruising.

I also run ATF in my 2 stroke transmissions.

XJ550 Maxim fork oil capacity is 272cc or 9.20 fluid ounces per leg.

Cheers!
Evan