fork question

[mikeyboy1]

 not happy w/the way the forks  feel.too bumpy.has anyone here tried to add air assist ? my 82 nitehawk has that & I'm wondering why it wouldnt work on my 78 K.seems you only have to swap out the top plugs/nuts w/the ones set up for air assist.any thoughts on this?

[TOOLS1]

Most people go the other way, and remove the air assist from the DOHC bikes. Have you tried changing the fork oil with a different weight, or adding some to the amount?
TOOLS

[LukeM]

If memory serves, the preferred fork oil back in the day was ATF.  Typically the older Dexron formula.  When I re-did the forks on my '84 Shadow, I went with Dexron.  Your auto parts store (in the States, at least) has a couple different formulations.  There's one for older GM transmisisons, and that's what I used.  Most people say the viscosity is about 4-8 weight.  My forks had old sludgy stuff in them (serves me right, as I hadn't changed it in 3 years). The ATF does make for more fork action/movement, so let's call it a smoother ride.

I plan on keeping this in here until next spring, when I'll change it out with some fork oil that's just a bit heavier (maybe 10 weight or so).  Easy enough to change.

Luke M

[Truck]

My 900 had air suspension, sucked. Replaced the rear with progressive springs and it made a world of difference. When I get all the parts to rebuild the front end I plan on doing the same with the fork springs.

[rich]

Yeah, try an oil change first. Also make sure the action of the forks is smooth. Sometimes things can bind up if the forks were removed from the triple trees or if the wheel wasn't installed correctly.  

[Re-run]

You can get atf or fork oil. Back when I first did my forks, I got fork oil. It wasn't a whole lot more than atf really, but I feel that it is more precise. AS in it will be the weight it says on the bottle. I put in 7.5 weight and it worked well.

[mikeyboy1]

I have ATF in it now & added an extra 2 oz. per fork.no change

[TOOLS1]

Try putting a few oz of SeaFoam into each leg, and ride it around for a few miles, then change it. The SeaFoam will break up any deposits, and clean the dampers out.
TOOLS

[Re-run]

Seafoam is like some magic do all. I love that stuff.

[LukeM]

Too bumpy may mean something is binding.  I can't think fork seals would slow down fork action. It may be something deeper like the slider bearings.  Is anything bent?  Did the bike go down at an earlier time, and something got dinged?

I know you just put new fluid in there, but without any oil or ATF, it should slide nice and easy.  The oil is there to slow the action down and dampen down the reaction to bumps.

Sorry if this isn't making a lot of sense: maintenance window work makes for fuzzy comments. ;-)
Luke M

[mikeyboy1]

dont know if she ever went down.I replaced the fork seals.all seemed well,maybe I missed something