Fork spring advice

[skull-candy18]

As per my other thread I want to reduce the dive and firm the front up.

I've seen hagon so far and they are pretty cheap and readily available. Any other brands ?

Also oil, have people tried a thicker viscosity ?

I'm about 80kg kitted out.

[Snod Blatter]

A quick google suggests people are happy with them, has anyone tried them compared to emulators?

I've not seen anyone try thicker oil though, I'd imagine it'd just make the high speed shuddering/harshness even worse? Interesting though, progressive springs and thicker oil seem to have gone out of fashion in recent years - given the cheapness and ease of installation I wonder why that is?

[cobbadiggabuddyblooo]

Come the 90's and into this century most bikes( apart from the TRX) came out with a cartridge style fork not like the damper rod in the old school TRX. That's why the emulators are an cheap/easy fit mod with a linear spring to give you a similar compression damping effect as the cartridge with the rebound damping adjusted by the viscosity of the oil.

[rogerc41]

When i did my restoration during last winter I went for a set of Wilbers linear springs (i think i went for 8.0N) from this firm;

http://www.revsracing.co.uk/aboutus.php

I put in the recommened oil quatity/airgap and went for a 15W oil instead of 10W.

The result has been very good. Now i'm a big lad and most bikes dive alot on the brakes when i'm on them (the K-tech springs in my CBR are ALot stiffer than standard!!) but i'm really happy with the performance of such a budget fork after such a simple mod. I have an R6 shock on the back that has loads of adjustment and was worried this would show up the forks, but they hold up pretty well.

If your replacing spring because you want less dive I never see the reason for considering progressive springs, which are soft at the top of there travel to start with.

Hope this helps

[Skybone]

As per my reply to your other thread, I would first start with changing the fork oil with the "standard" grade first before looking at upping the grade and/or changing the springs.

Like I said, the chances are that, if your bikes front end feels harsh or too soft, the fork oil hasn't been changed in a looooooooong time, and will have degraded. A previous owner(s) will have wound preload & rebound up so tight just to get it to work "properly", when all that they actually needed to do was change the fork oil and put the settings back to standard.

When I got my TRX, the front was soft, so one of the first jobs I did was changing the fork oil and put the settings back as per those recommended by the Haynes manual. From there, I have tweaked a few settings (a bit more preload), but IMO, doing this one simple job has transformed the handling of the bike. It cost me £20 (ish) for the fork oil (standard 10w), and some garage time. And I'm a "bit" bigger than you with my riding gear on.

If, after changing the oil and playing with the settings, you're still not happy with the front end, then start looking at upping the oil grade (15w instead of 10w), and/or changing the springs.

New springs aren't cheap, neither is a new front end, where changing the oil is a DIY job that won't cost a fortune and will transform the way the bike handles, if you're prepared to put in a wee bit of time and effort into getting to know your bike. I know in these "economically challenged" times we live in, I certainly can't afford to drop my bike off at a garage every time something's "not right", and finding the time to sort them out myself is severely limited, however, the sense of acheivement when you get something sorted out yourself can't be beaten (plus the fact that, when you're working on your bike, all the other crap that's in your head takes a back seat, because you know that you have to get the job done right, cos it's your arse that's on the line if you don't!)

Therefore, working on your own bike is not only a great way to "get to know" your bike, but it's also therapeautic and cost effective.

[skull-candy18]

Hi Rog, how much did they cost ?

I've emailed them asking for some info, I think I would prefer linear but I'm finding Ohlins have a long time as they have to be ordered in and they cost a lot more.

[rogerc41]

Skull-candy, according to my records the new springs come in at £97.50 including P&P. If you factor in the oil also your looking at £110 for the job.

Not bad for the end result.