Fork oil weight

[Decor58]

My left fork is leaking oil so I want to replace the oil and seals, but I'm unsure what weight to use.

As I'm sure many of you will know, yamaha simply say to use their owm '01' oil, however on wemoto it suggest you use a common synthetic fork oil and lets you choose the weight you want.

I've done a bit of research and 5w seems to be a common choice, but I was wondering if anyone on here had any recommendations.

Also, would I be right in thinking that the higher the weight, the harder the suspension will be?

 

[greg]

i think i used either 10W or 15W, i think 5W would be too thin

 

[iSteve]

The oil doesn't really make it harder it only slows the action of the forks down. The Fz6 comes with 0wt so any heavier oil will make the fork slower.

A lot of people like 15wt to slow the dive when on the brakes. Of course in our bike it also slows the rebound and a quick rebound is necessary for keeping the tire on the ground after a bump and making for a smooth ride.

 

[Decor58]

Thanks Steve, I think I might go for the 7.5w then, I do think it dives a bit quick but not excessively so I'll go for the middle option!

 

[Maverick]

Maybe it would be a good time to consider RaceTech fork springs and 5 wt oil...

I can't believe the improvement in handling and braking with this inexpensive modification...

 

[Decor58]

Well I got the forks done last Thursday, then went and did about 200 miles over the weekend with pillion and the bike feels amazing!!

Used 7.5w and the bike handles great!