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
Are the tools required to hold the fork cylinder the same on the xj550 as the xj600.
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