Fork Oil Change for ST1100 Actually, you're very lucky to have a later-year ABS bike. Here's what's involved to do a complete front-end service including the steering stem on '96 and later ABS models. This is from an earlier poST I made in December of 2000: Special tools required -- metric Allen socket set, Torx bit set, calibrated torque wrench, spanner wrench, breaker bar and medium locktite. 1) Pull the plastic side panels, top shelter and handlebar cover. 2) Jack the bike up about a half-inch with a piece of wood between the jack plate and the underside of the motor. Make sure it is stable! Test it! 3) Remove the front fender, and the speedo cable at the wheel fitting. 4) Remove the calipers, and suspend them from the handlebars with strings having adjustable slip-knots at either end. Remove the brake line rigging from the lower triple-clamp and fork legs. Be careful not to tweak the cross-over piping too hard, as you can develop a leak there. Don't forget about the ABS sensor, too. 5) Remove the main axle nut, loosen the axle pinch bolts, and slide the axle out. The wheel should slip right out. Then, unbolt the brace piece between the fork legs. 6) Loosen the top triple clamp fork leg Allens, and then loosen the oil caps at the top of each leg. Then loosen the dual Allens in the lower triple clamp. Watch that the legs don't fall free and get jammed there. 7) Remove the legs with a straight, rotating motion, unscrew the loosened caps, and then do the old "pump and dump" (hold the slider vertical, bring the leg up, hold for a second, then compress and dump) to drain the oil. You'll have to do this repeatedly to remove all the oil, and it's a good idea to measure just how much you get out. Then, fill the leg with the free spring (no damper rod) with 18.02 +/- 0.08 ounces, and the other leg with 16.43 +/- 0.08 ounces of fresh Dexron ATF, and repeat the dance to flush any crud out. Simply draining by turning the legs upside down is NOT adequate if you really want to clean the forks out. You'll know if all the old oil/flush oil is out when you no longer hear any gurgling while pumping. 8) Set forks aside after pumping/draining dry to continue draining (preferably overnight). 9) Remove the bars. Run an 18-inch bungee around the front of the windshield to suspend them. You'll be able to keep the fluid reservoirs level this way, and the calipers will stay in place on their strings. Remove the ignition tower (it takes a Torx bit) from the top triple clamp. 10) Remove the main top triple clamp crown nut (torque value is 105Nm, so don't be surprised if you need a breaker bar) and washer. Take off the top triple clamp. 11) Unbend the tangs on the top spanner stem lock washer. 12) Remove the lock nut, tang washer, and then just loosen the main spanner nut. 13) Position yourself so that you can support the bottom triple clamp from underneath, and then remove the main spanner nut. The unit should relax and fall into your hands. The top bearing will be left behind, carrier ridge-side down. 14) Clean up races, bearings and dust seals. Get all the old grease out. Inspect, inspect, inspect! 15) Grease everything well (here's where the group-buy synthetic "red stuff" would go, guys, as long as it is not moly-fortified) with a standard bearing grease (not the 3% moly or Moly Paste-60), re-insert the stem, and tighten the main spanner locknut to finger strength only, pressing up from underneath on the lower triple clamp. 16) Using your spanner wrench, tighten the main spanner nut in steps while rotating the lower clamp back and forth. It should be quite snug, but not too tight. Don't be fooled into thinking you have it too tight, as the new grease will make everything move slow for a while. It should be snug without binding, but don't over-do it. AFTER you're satisfied with the feel of the stem, replace the tang washer, locking spanner, top triple clamp and washer. Temporarily install a fork leg for alignment, and then torque the main crown nut to 105Nm in a series of steps. Remove the temporarily installed fork leg. Test the stem again for sideways motion. 17) Fill freestanding forks with fresh OEM Honda SS-8 10wt Showa fluid or a 10wt fluid of your choice, preferably synthetic. Also, clean and lube all the bearing-supported pivot points on the fork sliders with waterproof grease or standard bearing grease. 18) Cap forks off, and set aside. Be careful threading the caps. 19) Clean inside of triple clamp holders, and lightly oil. This will allow the legs to slide in easily without scoring, and will also prevent rust forming. No slipping will occur after final tightening. 20) Slide fork legs in to just where the top of the leg (not the cap) is flush with the top triple clamp. 21) Torque the lower Allens to 45-50 Nm in a series of steps (believe me, these will seem tight! I left mine at 45Nm). 22) Torque the upper Allens to 22 Nm in a series of steps. 23) Pull and tug on the fork legs to see if there's any slop in the stem. There should be absolutely none, and it should feel excellent when going from side to side. This is the critical check of the whole process! 24) Re-mount brace piece, brake rigging, wheel, calipers, ABS sensor (watch it's clearance against the sensor wheel, and it's wire routing) and plastic, and you're done. Torque for the main axle nut is 90Nm. Pinch bolts I just did by feel. On removal, be sure to note which bolts use locktite, and re-goop them lightly. Also, the nuts on the back of the LBS half-moon pivot pieces (which drive the secondary master cylinder via the aluminum lever piece) are prone to stripping, so go easy there. And while you're at it, your speedo cable could take a shot of white lithium or standard bearing grease, too. Mark Frost STOC #1162 San Diego, CA '00 ABS