A buddy of mine purchased a YZ250F a few weeks back. He was telling me that the service manual recommends replacing the fork oil after the initial break-in period.

Does that sound right? Could it be that the factory fill is some sort of break-in oil that needs to be replace?

Thanks

NO. But just like a motor the forks seat themselves and small metal particules will suspend in the oil and should be flushed out for maximum suspension performance.

That is correct. Your fork oil should be replaced after break in. As the parts wear in there are metal particles that contaminate the oil and will cause excessive internal wear over time. To do this correctly you must disassemble the forks. However, a basic oil change, without complete disassembly, is covered in the manual and is better than doing nothing. Another good reason to change the oil is because the level will most likely be incorrect from the factory.

I changed mine after about 1500mi (6 months) and it still looked perfect (brand new) so I don't think it's absolutely mandatory after break-in.

I replaced my fork oil with less than 250 miles and the fish oil (or whatever Kayaba put in for shipping) was already getting black. It kinda looked like brake fluid out of an old car.

Think of it as preventative maintenance, and it gives you a chance to grease the steering stem at the same time.

I replaced the fork oil last night on my '03 YZ 250F, after 12 hrs on the bike. I will post the pictures comparing the new KYB Enzo oil with what came out of my forks. It was greenish black. Nasty. Glad I did the replacement. I will be riding this weekend to test the new oil @ stock clicker settings.

-Fiddler