US Dollars
Brake & Suspension
Brake Fluid, Fork Oil & Suspension Fluids
Brake fluid and suspension oils are the hydraulic fluids that make two of the most critical systems on your motorcycle work with the precision and consistency that performance riding demands. Brake fluid transmits the force from your lever or pedal through the hydraulic circuit to the caliper pistons that clamp the rotor and stop the machine. Fork oil controls the damping behavior of your front suspension through every compression and rebound event across every mile you ride. Shock fluid does the same for the rear. These are not commodities that can be substituted with whatever is available. They are precision fluids with specific properties that must be maintained within specification to ensure the systems they serve perform correctly and safely under all operating conditions.
Brake fluid degrades in ways that most riders do not account for in their maintenance schedules. The primary failure mode is moisture absorption. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water vapor from the atmosphere over time through the reservoir cap, the hose connections, and even through the walls of rubber brake lines. As moisture content increases, the boiling point of the fluid drops. Under hard braking where brake system temperatures are highest, fluid that has absorbed significant moisture can boil inside the caliper, converting from liquid to gas and producing a compressible bubble in the hydraulic circuit that causes the brake lever to go soft or go to the bar. This is brake fade from fluid degradation, and it is preventable with regular fluid changes. Fork oil degradation is less dramatic but equally important for suspension performance. Old fork oil loses its viscosity consistency, develops contaminants from seal and bushing wear, and no longer provides the damping behavior it did when fresh. Mad Lads Moto stocks brake fluids, fork oils, shock fluids, and suspension system chemicals for dirt bikes, motocross machines, enduro bikes, street motorcycles, adventure tourers, ATVs, and UTVs. Here is what we carry:
- DOT 4 Brake Fluid - DOT 4 brake fluid for motorcycles and powersports machines that specify DOT 4 fluid, providing a higher dry and wet boiling point than DOT 3 for better resistance to heat-induced fade in performance braking applications.
- DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid - DOT 5.1 brake fluid for high-performance applications requiring the highest boiling point available in a glycol-based fluid, compatible with DOT 3 and DOT 4 systems and providing maximum fade resistance for track use and aggressive riding.
- DOT 5 Brake Fluid - Silicone-based DOT 5 brake fluid for specific applications where a non-hygroscopic fluid is specified, noting that DOT 5 is not compatible with DOT 3, 4, or 5.1 fluids and requires complete system flushing before conversion.
- Fork Oils - Motorcycle fork oils in viscosity grades from 2.5 weight through 20 weight for front fork service, suspension tuning, and complete fork oil changes on conventional and cartridge fork systems across all major dirt bike, street, and ADV platforms.
- Shock Fluids - Rear shock and damper fluids for shock rebuilds and shock service on machines where the rear shock uses a separate fluid reservoir that requires specific shock fluid rather than standard fork oil.
- Suspension Fluid Additives - Suspension fluid additives and friction reducers for fork and shock fluids that reduce stiction and improve small-bump sensitivity in suspension systems where the stock fluid alone does not provide the desired compliance.
Fork oil viscosity is one of the most accessible and most effective suspension tuning adjustments available to any rider, and understanding how viscosity affects fork action removes the mystery from a tuning change that costs nothing beyond the price of new oil. Thinner fork oil in the 2.5 to 5 weight range flows more easily through the damping circuits inside the fork, producing softer, more compliant damping that works well for lighter riders, smoother terrain, and setups where the fork feels harsh over small bumps. Thicker oil in the 10 to 20 weight range flows more slowly through the same circuits, producing firmer, more controlled damping that suits heavier riders, rougher terrain, and setups where the fork feels too soft or bottoms easily under hard braking or large impacts. Most manufacturers specify a baseline fork oil weight and oil level for their bikes, and experimenting with viscosity within a few grades of that baseline is a low-cost, reversible tuning experiment that can meaningfully improve fork feel without any other changes. We stock brake fluids and suspension oils from Maxima, Motul, Bel-Ray, Motorex, and more.