Scooter Front Fork Service : Fork Oil Change, Seal Replacement & Checks

[@LabCoatPaul]

Awesome tutorial! Very clear and useful. Video quality is great, and you even have part numbers. This is the kind of video that make KZbin great. Thank you.

[@49ccscoot]

Thank you!

[@telosfd]

Someone with knowledge of the subject describes in detail the whole process. Well done, I liked it very much.

[@staninjapan07]

That was a very well-made video indeed. Thorough and detailed, but no more complex than it needed to be. Though I do not have a vice or workbench (and will not attempt the job without something suitable as an alternative) I feel much more confident about doing this job for the first time having watched this step-by-step video, covering all the important points. I am not new to scooter maintenance, but I have never done this job. Thank you very much indeed. I am sorry that I have no such thing as Internet payment accounts, or whatever you call PayPal and such like. EDIT I did at least like and subscribe. I will be doing this on a 2015 Honda PCX 150 at 80,000 kilometres / 50,000 miles (a bit late, yes).

[@Farseer1995]

What i love about your videos is that you show what ELSE you could do in order to achieve the same. Bloody brilliant channel, I'll have to do my forks soon, too.

[@barrenfluffit2637]

For the initial oil height measurement, you could use a dipstick and measure it off that. The dipstick can go below the oil's surface, measuring the clean bit would give the right height without having to get it just on the oil's surface.

[@mprime6807]

Fantastic video. Everything is well laid out and easy to understand. Great idea fabricating the oil height tool!

[@Alan-ur9jo]

I know this is an old video, but it was very useful.

[@Hotlineelec]

Thx for the video!! Haven’t found much info about this out there on scooters!!

[@Kingpin403]

Good video. I'm going to attempt this for my YY50QT-15 ... No local service shops around here so I get to play mechanic. Your video helped a lot for confidence and knowledge.

[@49ccscoot]

Good luck with it. If you run into trouble, consider joining the forum where there are a bunch of scooter enthusiasts or reach out here.

[@frankierutherford1888]

Needed this one buddy thank you. I appreciate your time to do these needed videos. Good job

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks.

[@paulfensome1404]

Excellent Tutorial , Bravo

[@I_Am_Michael]

very well done. I find all of your videos easy to follow and well thought out. thanks.

[@49ccscoot]

Thank you.

[@ht-ve9fe]

great detail will really help me in repairing my motorbike.

[@jeffreymorales5648]

Your the best dude I love your videos

[@49ccscoot]

Thanks!

[@lilman1796]

Thanks for the video everone, i have to do this for my 1996 tomos full restoration great info, keep up the great work everyone ☆☆☆☆☆

[@genarocabrera2869]

Glorious guidance, thank you.

[@johanmattsson6572]

great video! now i know how to service my shocks on my yamaha aerox and slider(: i know its probobly not the same but now i got an idea of how its done! thank you for making youtube great (:

[@49ccscoot]

Thank you!

[@middlesiderrider]

How many mL fork oil did each tube take? Thanks for all you do buddy

[@49ccscoot]

Mine were 50ml each, but it will vary.

[@middlesiderrider]

@@49ccscoot cool, that's how much I put in. I changed the fork oil in my Honda cb750 fourteen years ago and when searching the Internet for what oil to use, I found a lot of old timers mixed motor oil and ATF 50/50. I think their reasoning was that motor oil was a good weight and had lubricating properties, and the ATF stopped foaming. Back then I was getting ready to ride 1200 miles so I just bought some actual fork oil. But for a junk scooter (and this one is junk) homemade is good enough. Thanks again PS the Internet is crap now. Fourteen years ago I found good answers immediately. Last night it took ten minutes of scrolling to find any halfway useful answer. Ruined

[@prestonhensley6844]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[@phillewis7910]

Hi, Awesome guide thankyou ..I have just recently picked up a TGB R50X with leaking fork seals. As per your guide I will measure the height of the fork oil when servicing them but a bit concerned as I don't know how much has been lost by the previous owner and I am not able to find anything on the net. Have you got any ideas.

[@49ccscoot]

See if you can find a manual or maybe lookup a TGB dealer and ask. If all else fails, make sure the fork oil is at least an inch above the damper rod with the fork extended.

[@garyspeedjr6465]

Excellent, really helpful,good job ,Thanks

[@thephranc]

Perfect timing. I was going to posit this question on the boards later.

[@49ccscoot]

Nice!

[@jefferyharper5720]

thephranc which boards? Looking for active scooter boards.

[@thephranc]

Jeffery Harper 49cc forum. 90gtvert is the page master. Also not limited to 49cc. Lpts of active users and a deep knowledge base

[@49ccscoot]

49ccscoot.proboards.com

[@jefferyharper5720]

90GTVert thanks! Just bought an 01 aprilia sr50 with 3k miles.

[@kan815k]

Very informative and detailed. 😊👍🙏

[@dean3434]

Regarding the existing amount of the fork oil in the tubes, how does one really know for sure if during the factory installation and first fill of fork oil at the factory the fork oil was at a correct level at that time of factory install and filling of the tubes? I'm learning that metric bikes often are lacking in correct fluid fills as well as lacking in the correct viscosities of the various factory fills. For an example my 2016 Sym HD 200 (171cc) calls for 85-140 Hypoid gear oil. Upon my first change out of the gear oil the factory oil was a thin almost watery brown oil. Hypoid 85-140 gear oil is red in color and engineered for hypoid style gears like my Sym HD 200. If the factory was thinking the need for a thin gear oil for break-in then why do they not say in the common owners manual to be sure to change out the gear oil after a specified break-in period? And so it goes with metric scooters I guess... A great video and thanks.

[@ianbrock7190]

Excellent tutorial really helpful

[@rosco9134]

Spot on very helpful. Thanks 🙏

[@NorthSurvival]

Hello, I have a problem, I have a Peugeot Speedfight 1 100cc that recently seized up/heat seized. It was not tuned. I then changed the cylinder, piston etc. It now starts up right away, but after a while it dies all of a sudden (as if you had turned off the key) and then I can start it right up again, this usually happens when I go over 60 km/h or uphill. When I changed the cylinder etc, I also cleaned everything thoroughly, such as the carburettor, intake, new air filter, new fuel filter (there was no fuel filter before) new spark plug. I also removed the oil pump and put a metalplate with a gasket over the hole instead, I now mix the oil directly into the gasoline. Some other info that might be important. - When I drive over 60 km/h, it starts to make a noise from the variator (CVT), it´s sounds quite a lot. - When it died, I tried to start it again while it was rolling and then it started right away, but it made a noise from the variator, like something "let go" that had been seized up, like a rubber sound, maybe from the belt. - The variator belt touches the variator cover on the inside and has grinded a cut in the metal. - In the variator, where the weights are, the belt does not go down to the bottom of the wheel. - The clutch bell had turned blue from the heat. - The place where the connecting rod attaches to the crankshaft had turned blue from heat. - There was no fuel filter on it before. But i now saw there is an internal fuel filter in the gastank, can it affect the vacuum if you now have 2 fuel filters. Please help me. Regards Andree.

[@49ccscoot]

It's OK to have an in-tank and inline fuel filter, but I would suggest checking flow. At least watch to make sure it looks like reasonable flow. It could be running the bowl dry if it's not flowing enough... or if float height is too low. Make sure it's getting oil too. Should see it smoking and the plug will show signs of oil usually. The discolored conrod makes me worry about this, but you should also see a lot of wear and scoring if it's not getting much oil. I've got a full service CVT video if you want to go over that. Covers the whole deal.

[@NorthSurvival]

@@49ccscoot Ok, thanks for the respons. I took it for a testdrive today and after a while it stopped, so i removed the variator cover to check how it looked and the axle where the weights are that goes into the engine was stuck, so i turned it a bit and it let go, and after it was a bit hard to start again. What could this be? I checked the fuel line and the vacuum valve that goes into the gastank and they worked, if it was some bad bearings in the engine would that be enough to stop the engine while running? If it would be some bad bearings wouldn´t that just like vibrate a bit more, and not stop the engine all toghether. Could something in the engine have taken damage when it heatsized? If so what is the most likely to have taken damage.

[@49ccscoot]

@@NorthSurvival Take the variator off and rotate the crank and see if there's play. Could be the crank or bearings or still possibly the engine is seizing or soft-seizing.

[@NorthSurvival]

@@49ccscoot Hello again, today i opened the cylinder to check, and there was scratches in it, not deep, i could see them but not feel them. So that must have been why it was stuck after it stopped. Does this mean that the crank or bearings are bad? I don´t know what else it could be. Like i said before, i now use premixed fuel with 3% oil, and i have checked the vacuumtap that it worked, i have removed the extra fuelfilter, the carb is cleaned and has the right size jets. It has new airfilter and sparkplug. I saw now that the scratches are pretty wide, one is like in half the cylinder, almost like the pistonring itself has made the wide scratch, could i have stretched them to much when i installed the cylinder?

[@49ccscoot]

@@NorthSurvival You can't really tell if the crank is bad without checking the crank. Something could still be off and causing it to overheat and soft seize. Could still be a fuel issue as they can be hard to sort out. Could be overheating for some other reason. I may be wrong on all of this, because it's tough to diagnose from afar and without hearing and seeing it happen.

[@jaykent6645]

Thank you great video Regards Jay

[@ResponsiveWeb24]

Nice info. Wish you made video about stripping the paint and re-paining too.

[@49ccscoot]

I used aircraft stripper by Rustoleum. Makes it peel and then it can be scraped off. Painting was just spray paint. Duplicolor self etching primer followed by Duplicolor wheel paint. Paint and body style work aggravates me. lol

[@ianbrock7190]

Excellent, really helpful

[@kdir8727]

Oil level with Airgap Height is the best way to do it. I always do it.

[@thusarapriyaperera6809]

Hi!, I have got a question that when you are holding the 49CC Scooter Fork Damper - rod or otherwise it's known as the Fork Piston - rod, are you using the 3/8" drive extension bars or otherwise 1/2" drive extension bars? Could you please, explain it to me? Thanks a lot. Best wishes or kind regards from Mr. Thusharapriya Perera. I'm happy to hear from you as soon as possible.

[@49ccscoot]

I'm using 3/8" drive extensions with an allen socket.

[@thusarapriyaperera6809]

@@49ccscoot Thanks for your response or reply. See you soon or later.

[@shubhammathur4118]

Hey, I am currently working on a maintenance manual for my company, can I have your permission to use snapshots from your video? This is the best tutorial I have seen for fork maintenance!

[@49ccscoot]

That's fine.

[@shubhammathur4118]

@@49ccscoot Thanks a lot!

[@TheVegasbud]

That is a good Video , a lot of Chinese scooters come from the factory with insufficient oil viscosity and level ... Ever notice the excessive front end dip on braking? Spring rate or Oil just depends or both ! lol

[@49ccscoot]

I never really knew if the weak front suspension was the scoot or me, since I've been 250-300lb for all riding I've done. lol

[@TheVegasbud]

Yeah i have the same issue i am 240 i have been on 100's of scooters and Genuine kymco Sym/Lance are the only scooters out of the box that had nice front forks that never failed .. lol

[@madhousediy5050]

It would be great to have some sort of compatibility between common scooter models for upgrades. I got my TaoTao VIP 50cc for not much more than I paid to register it and I’m stuck with it, so making the most of it. I love scooting around on it and the improvements I’ve made so far. The suspension has never been great or even good. I acquired a wrecked donor scooter and swapped its long-case 139QMB so I could fit 130/90-10 dual-sport (Shinko R426) tires on it. They are much heavier, but I like the ride much better. I had to fit a 50mm BBK, A9 cam, 7.5g Dr Pulley sliders, higher needle, bigger jet, and exhaust to get the zip back after the bigger, heavier wheels. The speedo is only off 5mph instead of 10mph now, and it still buries both needles, so I guess I gained 5mph? Sometimes it hits 42 on flat ground on the mo.ride app. If I could get better dampening and more travel on my suspension, that would be another huge improvement. Does anybody know what swaps would fit that criteria? Is this something that anybody does?

[@49ccscoot]

You can measure fork tube diameter and take some length measurements and compare with whatever you can find online. There aren't really Chinese Scoot Make/Mode Fork Upgrade kits sold generally. You're kind of stuck with checking your measurements vs listings. If you had say a Yamaha Zuma or Honda Ruckus, then you'd probably have more luck finding a simple swap. I tend to look on AliExpress, because some of the sellers there do provide quite a few measurements. You could also try to get different fork springs to change the ride, but they're going to need to be custom most likely. Sometimes more or thicker fork oil can stiffen the front. I've even tried cutting fork springs to stiffen them before : kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHnHeZ-vfNGbjZI

[@68pishta68]

put a cork on a kabob skewer and drop it in the old fork tubes oil, note where it floats on the skewer and fill new one to that height.

[@faisal007af]

Hey.. i saw a tamx 2009 in the back ground. I own one and a fork oil change is due. Plz plz help me choose a good fork oil and the capacity it needs 2 be filled with. What weight oil is recommended? Is 20w weight fork oil better as the factory recommends 10w? You advice is highly valued.. 😊😊😊

[@49ccscoot]

17.48oz and 87mm fork oil height are the factory specs. The TMAX is a big heavy machine, so it's suspension is setup better than the small scoots for me and I don't see a need to take a big swing at fork oil viscosity. 10W is probably fine, or if you think it feels a little soft, try 15-20W.

[@faisal007af]

@@49ccscoot thanks alot for the quick revert..!! Much appreciated..

[@Lyli_istupid]

what about replacing the stripped out star insert inside the pipe that goes to connect the stem to because i stripped mine out and needs replacing

[@49ccscoot]

Are you talking about a fork tube cap? The threaded plug/cap at the top of each one of the fork legs.

[@IosuamacaMhadaidh]

Great video, but damn! I think I'll buy new forks lol! After seeing the oil level contraption lol! Either way I saved this one.

[@49ccscoot]

It's really not complicated. As shown, you can try volume as well if you can get a spec for that.

[@GONEWILDFILMS]

Your opinion on ZNEN Motors Scooters, they also make them for Bentelli ??? Thanks for the awesome scooter videos.

[@49ccscoot]

They are supposed to be one of the better Chinese scooters, but honestly I don't follow all of the manufacturers.I think they also make Lance scooters which are well received, but different levels of quality control or build and dealer support can make a big difference.

[@TheVegasbud]

I was a motorcycle scooter dealer in Vegas for 20 years and a Bentelli dealer as well ..I sold Kymco Sym Lance but the Bentelli was a good scooter reliable quality , meaning we would get the same quality scooter even after 200 are sold . They are not a Kymco or Sym ,Lance but for the money good quality ..

[@braxy6107]

Nice

[@jerrybanks9216]

Can you tell what was the volume of oil that came out mine is dry im working on it as we speak also what type of oil should be used

[@jerrybanks9216]

Never mind I got it at the end of the video thanks alot

[@georgiemelendez6154]

Very help full Thank you so much, I watch your videos then check my bike i learn allot from you Thank's. I'll keep watching.

[@49ccscoot]

Thank you. Always glad to know the vids help someone!

[@corypalmerini1610]

Excellent ty!

[@thusarapriyaperera6809]

Hello!, Could you please, give me the Internal Diameter of the Front Fork Inner - tube which you were working on to get a comprehensive understanding of my below mentioned question? Thanks. Have a good or nice day.

[@49ccscoot]

I don't know ID on these. OD was 26mm. Can guess at wall thickness of roughly 3mm, which would mean ID would be about 20mm.

[@thusarapriyaperera6809]

@@49ccscoot Thanks a lot for replying or responding immediately. See you soon or later.

[@sygthaaaar]

Great video. I'm about to change the seals on my 50cc Piaggio, and this helped a lot. Doesn't look that difficult. Thanks a lot

[@eldorisalvadori8869]

good job :) Thanks

[@arnomaas6452]

excellent video ! It can't get more explanatory and helpful .

[@hobohacker258]

Removing o-rings for reuse I like to use zip-ties, less chance of nicking them. Even if I'm going to replace the o-ring, I'll still practice not nicking them.

[@zahersaab943]

I liked the way you teach. But i have a question what if i had a fork arm oil suspension and it has been repaired by another person and he didnt put enough oil. How should i know the exact oil volume if i dont have the specification from the company. And i have a stunt bike and old one and it has no oil leak at all should i chand the oil from time to time? Depending on what if so

[@49ccscoot]

If you can't find the spec anywhere (not uncommon for many Chinese bikes especially) and you don't know how close the current level is, then you kind of have to guess at it. Make sure you get oil at least an inch above the damper when extended.

[@zahersaab943]

@@49ccscoot its an jog scooter 49 cm³. Yamaha brand

[@49ccscoot]

@@zahersaab943 If you know the model year or number, there's probably some Yamaha service info out there for it then.

[@zahersaab943]

@@49ccscoot its 1994

[@zahersaab943]

Well actually i wanted to ask u. I have a scooter bike wich is automatic driving belt with the rollers. But its i giving the second gear so ealry. When i am driving up wards its giving the second gear very quickly wich is making it slower

[@commandokittykitty726]

I hope you someday make a tutorial to how to replace front fork oil on a scooter with the sealed fork like the vento zip

[@49ccscoot]

The Vento Zips that I recall had forks just like the ones in the video. I've seen shocks in a leading arm front suspension on some scoots, like my Keeway Venus, but they would generally just be replaced if there's an issue.

[@commandokittykitty726]

90GTVert I see, thank you i will check , but last time i saw, i cant find any bolt

[@melvinbenton1415]

Valuable price valuable price on 55 gasoline scooter shocks

[@Tashyncho-Sapa]

what front and rear suspension should I use, I want to be soft

[@KyamilDjezmi]

Use oil

[@matthewmarshall2270]

Hay hi, love your vids really helpfull, i have a question, i have a 50cc 2T moped,sachs. I changed the variator weights to 5.8 gramms, plus the belt. Everything fine, well top end, but on setting of it seems to struggle, like bogging, or not getting fuel. But then it gets going, any tips, im stuck, plus my vront forks seems to be also quite weak, when breaking, but after watching ur film it seams to be more work than i could do, there isent a quick fix with the forks eh.lol. shame. Hope you have a or some tips for me. Thanks again, keep it up with the vids....

[@49ccscoot]

Are the rollers heavier than what was in there? Could be too heavy for good takeoff. Same spec belt as it had? New belts at full width often affect takeoff. The wider belt doesn't go as low in the front pulley and it won't give you use of the "1st gear" so to speak... the best ratio for takeoff. Some people shim the variator with 0.5-1.0mm thick washers to make up for this. Can be removed as the belt wears. Some just deal with it, because it's usually not as drastic as what you describe.

[@herminigildodelacruzjr1752]

Video tutorial is good i m not really sure if you should put any grease on your oil seal cuz in my experience all purpose grease destroys ruberized oil seal well just a heads up and no offense intended

[@slottaway]

Use Red Rubber Grease ;o)

[@QwertyQwerty-jj5ob]

Как определить нужное количество масла? Спасибо.

[@49ccscoot]

The best way is to find a specification from the manufacturer in a service manual. Otherwise, measure what came out or measure the height before draining if the shocks were working well.

[@QwertyQwerty-jj5ob]

​@@49ccscootв том то и дело что не работают.

[@leventecseh5802]

What is the scooter model, this fork belongs to?

[@49ccscoot]

Vento Triton

[@kathrynjones6491]

what about the bush?

[@Val_530R]

I don't really understand, if you know how much fork oil was in do you need to set the height?

[@49ccscoot]

No. A couple of options. Some specify one or the other. Some don't give you a spec.

[@jevgenyivanov838]

What scooter it is on video?

[@49ccscoot]

Vento Triton, but it's a lot different from stock. I've had it for more than 10 years.

[@kiranmanepalli2264]

Sir iam from India, may I know fork oil capacity for Honda Aviators

[@49ccscoot]

I've never even heard of an Aviator. You'd have to look for a service manual.

[@kevinstearns4198]

awesome as always!!!!!!!!!!!! what about the rear shocks? i guess just shit can em?

[@49ccscoot]

Pretty much.

[@TheMarkmarkusmarko]

Buy a new one