Fork oil substitution

I just replaced my fork seals and oil for the first time a couple days ago. Some people recommended the use of transmission fluid in place of fork oil, which really piqued my interest. After a bit of searching, as far as I can tell, Valvoline Dexron/Mercon is identical in every way to Honda fork oil, and actually exceeds most other fork oil brands. Best of all, it's less than half as expensive. I definitely didn't intend to pay eleven bucks per liter of hydraulic fluid just because the bottle says it's for motorcycles.

Since replacing the seals, I have only done a bit of riding, but thus far I'm very pleased with the results. The Valvoline transmission fluid is 7.5 weight according to several sources, but I have no idea what was in it from the factory. Based on the smoother ride, I'd assume the stuff that came in the forks was heavier. Thus far, the transmission fluid gets my seal of approval.

You are right ATF is about the same

Thanks for the heads up. I paid $20 to redo mine when I went with the progressive springs.

Jerry

Those of us of a "certain age" will remember when all the manufacturers just specified ATF for the forks. And why not. Its formulated to be used in pumps (which is what a fork basically is), to lubricate, and to be non-foaming. I was running ATF in the gearbox of my RD 400, and it worked just fine. ( and an automatic transmission is a gearbox also, as well as a pump) It worked way better than Mobil 1 which shortly turned to an emulsion about the color of chocolate milk.
Mikeyrx
(I've posted enough. Time for a beer)