Ok so I have a 92 gs500 and I am changing my front springs tonight.  What is the trick to getting the oil out..?? Can I take my forks off and flip them upside down?  Do I have to remove the oil at all?  And if option one works what weight oil should I replace it with.... I weight around 170 lbs and I am installing .90 racetech springs!  Any help will be appreciated Thanks

I'm not sure what the Racetech website states about oil level, but you could use a turkeybaster to remove oil.  Otherwise, yes, you'll have to turn them upside down to let out a little oil (hold the internals with your fingers over the opening and let the oil out between your fingers).

Regarding weight selection: www.peterverdonedesigns.com/introduction.htm

any race tech users out there have any input??

I have Sonic springs , but they're still straight-rate springs so they should be similar ... i used .90s also , but i'm 205lbs . We were doing my seals also , so the forks were off . I changed the oil and put in 15w and it's pretty stiff for me - i'd say you're probably gonna want to change to a lighter oil . When i pulled back up from my test ride , my buddy asked how it was ... i likened it to having a midget riding in front of me kicking me in the 'nads everytime i hit a bump 
I found a post when we did mine (which i can't find now ... sorry , i looked for ya  ) that gave an approximate  measurement from the top threads down to the oil using a homemade dipstick

Quote from: gstwizzle on July 10, 2007, 05:56:36 PM
any race tech users out there have any input??

Why? Scratch answered your question, entirely.

If  you take the stock springs and spacers out,nothing else can fall out.The valve is bolted in from the bottom.Just turn them up side down and empty them.Then pump the fork tube to push most of the oil out of the bottom.Turn the fork over and push the fork leg into the slider,make sure the fork is setting up completely streight.Add oil until it is 4.5 inches from the top of the tube.Factory is 4.7,but the race tech springs are a little thicker.Leave the spring and spacers out.Let the fork set about 20 minutes and recheck the oil level.I used a steel ruler to measure with,and a large eye droper to fill it the rest of the way up,when it got close to full.Remember to pull your fork leg up before you install the spring and spacer.be carefull with the caps,they strip easily.

BTW,I rebuild forks and do spring swaps.If you think this is a better option,pm me.
Ben

cool thanks all....I have to get some fork oil so Ill let you all know how I make out tomorrow

I took my tubes out when I did it (RaceTech, if it matters), but I also read here that someone changed their oil by removing the bolts that hold the valve mechanisms in. You have to take the front axle out, the front wheel off, and the bolt is upside down (head pointing toward the axle) in a recess at the bottom of each tube. I considered that, but apparently they are rough to get out (hand impact driver) and I wasn't sure if there was a chance it wouldn't thread all the way back into the mechanism by itself after the oil was drained out.

I have Racetech .85s, drained the tubes very thoroughly and added 380 mil of 15w oil to each, and have no problems at all with it being too stiff, but I weigh about 225, and I had the equipment to accurately measure the oil.