Hitchcocks Forum

2007 Electra, what's folks opinion on best oil, and how much please ?

My 350 Bullet had forks that were so stiff they seemed to almost be rigid. I was advised to replace the oil with ATF, which I did. Now the bike has movable front suspension; it's far nicer to ride on bumpy roads (of which there are plenty round here).

I found the softer springs made very little difference. Switching to ATF made LOTS of difference.

I have found that the softer springs back and front worked better in my 2003 350, and also in the front on my 2005 Electra X, used with ATF or gnats pee weight oil.
I can enjoy riding on our awful roads now and things are so much kinder to my dodgy back, comfort is the priority now for me it seems.

Interesting comments about the benefits of ATF in forks. But the only ‘advantage’ in using ATF is its relatively low viscosity – about an equivalent to an SAE w10 oil. Which begs the question: why not use an SAE 10 fork oil? Or even an SAE 5 fork oil? Or mix the two to get a ‘customised’ ideal viscosity?

When you’ve got ATF on the shelf for use in your primary drive why bother with something more expensive with such limited applications, especially when ATF works so well?.
I certainly wouldn’t entertain ATF in my cartridge forks, but it’s fine for the older Enfields with their less complex design and damping requirements.

Thanks for the advice folks. 10w it is, I have gallons of it.

But which brand?
http://www.peterverdone.com/suspension-fluids/

Honda actually stipulate ATF for the forks on some models.