Front Shock Mod ($15) and Shock Oil Replacement By audionut74 (Read 7,507 times)

[audionut74]

:)Here is a guide to modifying your front shocks on a typical Chinese 50/150cc scooter should work on many types or years of scooters (shock showed below is from a 2010 scooter)

[glow=red,2,300]FYI you must remove your shocks before starting this mod[/glow]

parts need are

1# you need a wench to remove the top cap of your shock depending on the type of cap your shock has will determine the need wrench will be IE "Allen or socket"

2# 2 clear cups

3# 2 sockets of same and proper size for shock cap (sizing is covered below)

4# I used 1 QT 30w synthetic fork oil (but you are welcome to experiment with different weight 30,25,20,15,5 oils) any brand will do


feel free to PM me if you have any Questions about this mod



















Hope this helps

Brian

[LUKE]

...you made it so easy and simple...good post!

hey,audionut,,is it not adviceable to take all apart to see if the inner pistons are still ok or has no scratch? and if the bushings and O-rings are still tight?...maybe that'll be a better idea huh?...but honestly what you did was great...now i'm thinking of changing my fork oil this weekend..thanks bud!

[Hammerspur]

Good step-by-step on the oil measurements, etc.
Not sure about the 30w fork oil selection, really depends on what OEM viscosity was. More than a grade or two heavier fluid would probably yield very harsh action.

You can use stacked washers or varying lengths of PVC tube for infinitely adjustable spring preload spacers.
Heck, my apx. 700 lb. Vulcan has PVC spacers in the 1" lowered front end with 35,000 mi. on them.

[audionut74]

Feb 3, 2011 9:48:40 GMT -6 LUKE said:

yeah, i agree...you made it so easy and simple...good post!

hey,audionut,,is it not adviceable to take all apart to see if the inner pistons are still ok or has no scratch? and if the bushings and O-rings are still tight?...maybe that'll be a better idea huh?...but honestly what you did was great...now i'm thinking of changing my fork oil this weekend..thanks bud!

true that would be advisable if your scoot has hi miles, but this was done on a brand new bike so seal checks were not needed although I am glad I redid the factory fork oil it had a bunch of very very small metal particles in the oil almost looked like glitter in the oil

if the seals were bad it mite just be easyer in a worst case you could just buy factory replacement complete shocks I bought one to use as a sample for painting it was like $40 for a complete new shock so its not that expensive as an option

[audionut74]

Feb 3, 2011 11:10:31 GMT -6 Hammerspur said:

Good step-by-step on the oil measurements, etc.
Not sure about the 30w fork oil selection, really depends on what OEM viscosity was. More than a grade or two heavier fluid would probably yield very harsh action.

You can use stacked washers or varying lengths of PVC tube for infinitely adjustable spring preload spacers.
Heck, my apx. 700 lb. Vulcan has PVC spacers in the 1" lowered front end with 35,000 mi. on them.

the reason I went with 30w oil was the factory shock is so poorly designed as far any semblance of precision found in these Chinese scooter shock units its certainly not a WP or ohlins shock...lol if that was the case I would 100% agree with you but these shocks will give you a lot of wiggle room as far as oil viscosity goes and 30w seems to slow them down just enough to make them work much better " IMO" but by all means experiment with different oil weights as not all scooters will have the same results with the 30w oil but I think its a good start for my setup

now for spacers you could easily use washers but I wanted any easy and quick way to significantly stiffen the front pre load of the front shock thats why I use a socket to accomplish this + its easy to find one at any tool store and it seems to work very will for this scooter

[trancebear]

So basicly it makes the shock stiffer?

[meeners]

I'm bringing this thread back to life... I want to re-confirm audionut's comment on oil. I bought a brand new set of chinese forks for my girlfriends 150cc Lifan (30mm forks, brake on right fork) and 15w still was not enough to feel much damping. I went with 90cc's / 3oz in each and I think if I have an opportunity I will redo the shocks next week with 30w.

Also, If anyone reads this that has a Lifan LF150-T9a You will be hating life removing the stock forks. The stock caps are wider than the fork triple... and there is no way to remove them without unscrewing the cap inside the triple. You at least have to remove the front fascia, fender, and figure out a way to get under the cladding above the lower triple with a 12mm hex. If it's tighter than hand tight, seriously good luck. Not to mention they actually placed a lip at the upper end of the bottom triple that is actually LESS than 30mm, so it's not possibly to raise the forks at all without first grinding the lip out.