Fork stiction

[alehman]

Hi everyone,

I just replaced my front fork springs with progressive springs, replaced the seals, and added 5.2 oz of fresh Dexron III ATF into each fork. However, when I compress the front suspension, it doesn't seem to want to return allll the way to the top until I put it over on its kickstand (essentially removing the bike's own weight from the forks). At first I thought that I had attached the fender in a way that was causing my fork legs to bind against the tubes, but this all still happened even with the fender loosened. What could be causing this? I was pretty meticulous when measuring out the ATF, but could it be possible that I don't have enough in there?

[TOOLS1]

That is just the weight of the bike being absorbed by the spring. I'll bet the fork will go down even more if you sit on the bike. If it goes down too far, and bottoms out, you might want to give Jenny Craig a call, other then that don't worry about it. It's normal.
TOOLS

[alehman]

Thanks TOOLS!

[robs750]

The springs are what extends the forks.
The replacements could be shorter or softer than the stock.Check as Tools said.
Be sure to see how the front end responds to hard braking.

[sgtslag]

It's been years since I did that to my now-sold bike, but the Progressive Springs displace a different amount of fluid -- check their site for how much fluid to add for your bike's forks, as it is different than what the FSM specifies.  Secondly, be sure to loosen the triple tree, to ensure that the tubes are not twisted, or binding.  If you get them twisted, even slightly, then tighten the bolts on the triple tree, they will maintain that twist, causing binding/stiction.  Check it to be sure:  loosen the nuts on the triple tree; make sure to measure the heights on the tops of the tubes, to ensure they are at the same height; make sure they are straight, and not twisted/binding, within the tree, then tighten them down to the correct torque.

I agree with what the others have said, but it is actually quite easy to twist the tubes slightly, if you are not careful.  The steering is, of course, critical, so the small investment in time, checking things carefully, pays off with very big dividends in riding safety, and comfort.  Cheers!

[shinyribs]

Just a thought,but most progressive style springs come with spacers for the springs. If you made sure to put those in then I'd say you're fine. If not,that may be the issue.


Like Sarge said,sometimes they use lees fluid,too. It's because the tighter wound portion of the spring displaces area where the oil would normally reside. But at 5.2 oz you should be fine. Stock is 7 oz,right?