Dirt Bike Fork and Shock Suspension Service How Often Do You Do This??

The manual for most of my bikes says that I should be servicing the fork and shock at 40 hour intervals. Even more often if I want the best results possible. Like many of you, I typically go far more than 40 hours between suspension service. In this video, Kevin Egbert, owner of MotoXperts, and I talk about why that might not be the best plan and some tips for doing this right.

Karen (my wife), Kaylee, Konnor Kase, and Kenzie (the kids) thank you for using these links. It is one of the ways we are supporting our family right now.

Sony Action Cam

Graphics:

Isaac Jarrett, Josh Miller, Scott, Elliot Swan, Jason August, Craig Hoffman, Matthew Woodard, Chad Dwyer, Justin Stanley, Kevin Smith, H5Motorsports, Dave Anderson, Michael Peterson, Clayton Walther, Jeremy Hill, Patrick Barraza, Michael Abramo, Kenneth Conley, Ernest Walley, Marc Mantel, Marting McClafflin, Derek Wylie, Jim Bass, Brian Falcon, Terence Seymour, Ryan Woodley, Steve Brady, Travis Winston, Steve Yurko, Ken Paulino

[kimojon]

I watched probably 50 fork service vids and this guy is the only one that is a "true craftsman" for sure. The others, even guys that own shops, were doing things very sloppy, cutting corners and contaminating the systems. Great work, this guy is the only guy, besides me, that can work on my bikes.

[wildone]

dude, if I follow recommend service intervals from KTM I would be bankrupt long time ago...

[MotoFamMayhem]

Great info thanks for sharing.... We service our forks and shocks at home pretty regularly. Dirty oil is a definite sign of future damage to upper cylinders!!! And yes you need all the right tools but when you have 10+ bikes it's more affordable to get the tools and learn to do it yourself!!!
Thank you so much for sharing 👊😎

[mountainvalleyfrost]

Suspension maintenance isn't talked about enough. When I get a used bike, whether to flip or build up, that is usually the first thing I check. Linkage bearings are usually a good indicator. If they are toast, the rest of the suspension has been neglected as well. Like the bloopers Kyle.

[kelsigraham]

Great information I really like how your videos break the process down and give an explanation of what and why you should do this especially for those of us who aren’t mechanically inclined lol

[archetypex]

I think an important component that has been left out is maintenance in between service intervals. If you clean the fork stanchions and seals and shock piston and seals off after every ride and use the Seal Mate or a similar tool you will potentially extend the life of the seals and reduce the amount of dirt being pushed into the suspension oil. Instead of a 30 hour service interval you may extend that to 40 or even 50 hours, of course this will depend on the type of riding you do and the environment you ride in.

[BackcountryLife]

Got to keep the suspension fresh. Good info brother.

[dr.hugog.hackenbush]

Suspension was the first mod I did to my CR500. Not only serviced, but revalved and resprung for my weight & riding style

[paulpotempa]

MotoXperts, re-valved and did a complete fork and shock service on my KTM that was two clicks away from perfect.

[davidblanchet]

Awesome video! I had no idea the suspension is so complex! Thanks for the basic lesson and great video!

[Danman]

I own the fork tools. I do seals and swap oil in the forks. Shocks....I've not ventured into that yet. I know you can certainly, dissemble the shock, inspect and replace parts, reassemble and refill with oil in your garage. You just need to take care to bleed the oil. Its recommended you use a vacuum pump, but you really don't need one from my understanding. You can take it to a suspension shop or dealer that has the fill gauged to recharge the shock with nitrogen. I usually just farm the shock work out.

[enduro-parts-aus]

Cool video, defiantly a art to a major service on forks

[ssbbmoto]

I heard a good bit of advice towards the end that i too like to pass along to customers when.i can. Use the off season to have your service work performed. The shop won't be busy so the bike wont be at the shop as long and i can say for certain that the bikes i work on this time of year typically recieve a little extra attention. Not that techs in the summer cut corners its just reality that a tech will put out better quality work with more attention to details when they have the time and are not in a rush.

[motovlogsindonesia]

That hill climb at the end is death defying

[forreststrong]

I do my suspension fluids every 30 hours, I put together my own nitrogen filling kit the average person doesn't need a fancy filler tool I purchased one and found that with a good regulator it's not needed you can set the pressure on the regulator and use a regular chuck or no loss chuck if your worried. Or get a regulator for 40 bucks on Amazon an HVAC hose 25ish no loss chuck with gauge 80ish ebay and then find a tank of your choice. My local shop wanted 40 dollars to fill a shock with nitrogen I think it's worth investing in a nitrogen setup and proper tools i also do all my friends suspension. It's worth looking into for sure. If you can do a 2 stroke top end you can do fork seals and rebuild a shock it's really easy once you do it I can rebuild my rear shock in under an hour start to finish.

[joeygioncardi]

Yea I bought wieseco pistons, had a guy replace them, years later I mean years later I go to take it apart and found stock pistons in my bike. Not the ones I bought. Not the ones I asked bro to put in. He took them, pocketed them and his shop has been gone since . I hate letting people work on my stuff trust matters a lot

[Ridefastorgetpassed]

I always laugh when you say winter is your down time for riding . Out here in Cali we right mostly fall to spring time and lay off in the summer due to the heat .

[josephr]

Glad you did this vid. So many guys spend top dollar for the latest bike for the latest technology but that's all for nothing if you dont service it properly. 👍😁

[UTPP]

Great information and well presented video. Cheers

[WildEnduro]

Great video Kile. .... I service my forks every 70hrs and the fork oil comes out quite clean though... unlesss i have a seal damage 30/40 hrs interval is a bit too much.