Well I reckon Thursday might be a good weather day to take the bike in to Suspension Smith but before I do, a small rant if I may:
Two years ago when I first bought the 14 I just blindly adjusted the settings per Kev's settings on the MCN blurb, Kev's were very similar the Keith's so toss of the ol coin there.
Two years later it's just driving me mad, the bumps and what have you have just got the better of me. So before taking it in I decided to return all the settings to stock, thereby softening things up quite a bit, and what a difference.
After a 10k test ride the bike felt way better, after owning the bike for two years and realizing how much I really do like it, I have come to understand that ultimately I want the bike to float over bumps like a Cadillac, any big arse yank tank will do, I'm not fussy, smooth sailing is the main objective, I don't fang around like the bad ol days, I don't want to lose my license and right now with stock settings the bike handles OK, quite a bit better that the bouncing castle it has been.
I've also been contemplating buying the Nitron shocks, the cheaper version, not the $2500 ones but the $1400 ones and with the blue springs, I like the blue springs, there is one knob to adjust damping and compression both together, you can also adjust the length of the shock, something I'd be keen on to lift the rear a bit to aid turn in. See them here https://nitronaustralia.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=151_283&product_id=855 (https://nitronaustralia.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=151_283&product_id=855)
I reckon that'd do me but then the stock shocks might be worth keeping, I spose I can always get the Nitrons later on.
Before anyone mentions Hagons, I won't ever be going there again, that's another story. Nor Ikons either, they're ok but nothing special IMO, had them on two bikes. I reckon if you're gonna go for better than stock then you need to pay the bucks and get something that is actually better than the stockers.
So I think Laurie the suspension guy likes to go with Race tech springs and valves for the front, if after he checks the rears they are good I'll stick with them for the time being, if he says they need a rebuild I'll go the Nitrons. The prelaod adjusters both work ok on the stockers.
The ride with the MCN setting was just way hard for my cruising riding style out here in the nothing, city riding isn't a consideration, even so, I can't see how I'd ride any different in the city except for wearing everything out quicker.
So this is just a preamble before I take the bike in and have the front done for sure and not so sure what to the rear but if anyone has adjusted their bike to the MCN settings, don't think for a minute that that is the answer for laid back street riding, ha, for any riding for that matter, the bike would hit a small bump in a corner and just hope sideways, how the fuck has it taken me all this time :frustrated:
Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the progress to come, Cheers.
I tried those mcn settings when i first got bike. Agree totally with your comments, far far too rigid. Were supposed to be ducks nuts back then, dont always believe what you read. Im used to mine now, but can remember first trip after susp mods, totally couldnt believe the difference. Had sim on a Ducati, spent big bucks on Marzocchi rears, too harsh, no travel.Every week rooting around checking air pressure. Fitted cheap Girling, full travel and damping, set n forget. What a difference. Look fwd to your first comments. 👍
I prefer MCN settings to stock, but with less preload than MCN recommended. Nice firm shocks controlling softer springing gives a nice ride & decent control - it also happens to be how Lotus setup their cars to be quick on rough Norfolk roads.
@Nic what suspension specialist are you going to?
To me, suspension setup is a dark art and I've seriously been considering getting a professional to help me with set up to my needs as well.
Vlad, my guy's in Canberra, his business in called Suspension Smith.
http://suspensionsmith.com/ (http://suspensionsmith.com/)
Cool - thought it would be god for people to know. Let us know how it works out and we can make a list here as to good places to go.
Vlad, my bloke was perfect for me but have also heard many bad reports. Wont list him.
Realistically if you maintain both ends that goes a long way to a comfy ride.
Pretty much every rider out there has a different setup & thinks it suits them :whatever:
Unless the GSX is tying itself in knots trying to turn you should be good.
In 21 years of ownership I've had a go at most riding styles. IMHO GSX is the greatest all rounder of the modern generations 🥇❤️
Agree Chris, what else covers all its abilities. Nothing ive found.Can be changed easily to what you want, cheap/easy maintenance Looks good, can sound good, others tour better, lots are faster, as an all rounder, hard to match.
I went on a 50K ride today on one of the lesser roads out here with the stock settings and well, of course the bumps are always gonna be there but now the jarring is gone, it's no magic carpet ride but I could live with it how it is now quite easily, even the seat feels more comfortable or at least less punishing, still, I'm going to go ahead and see how much better it can be, just wish I didn't have to leave the bike for a week or more, I bet the weather will be real good while he has the bike and then the shit weather will return the second I pick it up, just sayin.
Oh and Grog, lots are faster, I'm in no need of more power :onya:
Low end Torque is much more fun that top end horsepower.
Quote from: VladTepes on Friday, 28 January 2022, 08:18 AM
Low end Torque is much more fun that top end horsepower.
Preaching the the choir Vlad :smile2:
Took the bike in yesterday, now the wait, strange opening the shed and no bike in there.
The 70K ride on the ha, for lack of a better term, hiway, also showed me that with the stock settings the front just felt a bit light, not as sure footed/planted as with the heavier settings.
I read some posts here the other days where some were saying springs won't make any difference, I beg to differ strongly. Of course other factors come into it as well, Race tech says to use the stock 5W oil but the air gap is 130mil, from memory the gap with the stock springs is somewhere around 160? So that has to make a difference. Laurie said that the stock springs being soft will mean if you have to emergency stop you're more likely to lock up the front, can't comment on that but that's what he said.
After it's all been done, him setting up the bike for you must make a good improvement as well, I myself have not much idea about comp and rebound, I understand static sag which is set via preload but the other two? little to no idea, well of course I understand what they do but what the perfect settings are, no idea and I don't want to just piss in the wind, and in doing so, do you ever get it right?
It's gonna be a long week.
How many movies have you watched Nic? Done a few crosswords, studied the horses, watched tennis? Push bike ride, weeded the garden? Arent i a prick. 😂😂 Not long now Mate.
None of the above mate, much to my surprise the weather is pox as it has been all summer here, it is forecast to continue to be pox for the whole of next week so a good time to have the bike away.
I've been busy in my home recording studio making more music.
I picked up the bike today, rode it home on the joke hiway 75Ks.
Where to start, first thing I notice is plenty of vibrations in my hands that were not there before, already we're off to a shit start.
The front is noticeably stiffer, you can easily feel that.
On the way home I was knee deep in endless processions due to road works, this made it hard for me to be in a relaxed state and just ride and feel the new front. I even pulled over once and let them all go but you know what happens, in no time you've caught them up again, at one point I just got the shits and rounded up a whole lot of cages with no regard for the speed I was doing, it was at this point I could feel how well the bike was handling in and out of traffic at speed, well that's great but that's not what I wanted, my Cadillac suspension is not stiff and hard, great on good roads or race tracks, neither of which are in my life.
Getting any info out of Laurie is like pulling teeth IMO, he's a man of few words.
The setting up of the bike for the individual rider consisted of me sitting on the bike, he put a mark on one of the fork tubes and told me to put the bike on the centre stand, he looked at the gap between the top of the fork lower and the mark and said perfect, on your way, enjoy.
So we have 30 mil of static sag and that's all she wrote. There's your way important bike setup right there.
I asked about comp and rebound, he just said he set them to "his" settings whatever they are.
I asked about the oil gap, Race tech says 130mil but Laurie added another 10 mil to "help the springs"
When I got home I checked "his" settings for comp and rebound, he had the comp at 5 clicks out and the rebound at 4 clicks out, I backed them off to 8 and 7 as per the stock settings and by holding the front brake and pushing down on the bars things were a little softer.
I haven't ridden the bike since, I don't know if the vibrations will be better or gone, I can pull 10 mil of oil out of the forks to lighten things up a bit more.
It cost me $500, I'm not worried about that, if I can get rid of the vibrations I'll be happy, if not then the bike is fucked as far as I'm concerned. I probably should have waited a bit before posting my first thoughts but why wait and have them dull, this is how I feel about the bike now. I'll need to take it out again and see how it goes, then I can still remove the extra 10 mil of oil.
I told him I wanted a nice soft ride but that doesn't seem to go well with suspension dudes now does it, I reckon they all must think we ride on the track?
So far, disappointed is the word for today, even though, I can feel that the bike is way surer leaned over that's not what I asked for. I ride on the worst roads known to man and I need the bike set up accordingly.
Stay tuned.
Thanks for the update Nic, even though the changes were 'sub-optimal' at best.
Quote from: Nic on Thursday, 03 February 2022, 03:02 PM
I told him I wanted a nice soft ride but that doesn't seem to go well with suspension dudes now does it, I reckon they all must think we ride on the track?
So far, disappointed is the word for today, even though, I can feel that the bike is way surer leaned over that's not what I asked for. I ride on the worst roads known to man and I need the bike set up accordingly.
Stay tuned.
I think you nailed that.
I'm going to loosen all the pinch bolts and push down on the bars a few times, you never know, might help with the vibration?
You dont think it's your wheel bearings? Tyre pressures on head stem bearings?
I would have checked all those things first before changing the settings you've paid for, but each to their own.
Wasn't vibrating before, I've been all over that stuff when I first got the bike.
I just had a close look at the preload adjusting hex heads, ( aluminium ) they were all damaged, looked like he used either an open ended spanner or a shifter, I know they were good because I adjusted them before I took the bike in with a ring spanner, all 6 sides were damaged on both heads, I managed to tidy them up with a small file, this really is unacceptable hackerage and it shits me to tears that he has done that.
Anyway, I've loosened off everything and given the bars a good workout, the forks feel a lot softer now, we'll see how the next ride goes.
Each to their own :whatever: FFS I can easily put the settings back.
Check from the rotation arrow that the wheel has been installed correctly.
That's no good that the adjusters are damaged....
Quote from: Tim1954 on Thursday, 03 February 2022, 05:26 PM
Check from the rotation arrow that the wheel has been installed correctly.
It's on the right way. I think if I can get rid of the vibes I can get a setting that should be an improvement from the stock springs, I'm cautiously optimistic.
Nic, so disappointed for results. That bloke just needs bagging, far diff to one that did mine. Checked my settings, both at 7. Works well. Vibration, id jack up front. Undo every bolt, then re torque, axle, calipers included. Start at top, nip up axle, then do the rest. There is a process, think i got it right. Someone will tell if im correct. Youll be right Mate, just hope this helps.
Quote from: grog on Thursday, 03 February 2022, 06:07 PM
Nic, so disappointed for results. That bloke just needs bagging, far diff to one that did mine. Checked my settings, both at 7. Works well. Vibration, id jack up front. Undo every bolt, then re torque, axle, calipers included. Start at top, nip up axle, then do the rest. There is a process, think i got it right. Someone will tell if im correct. You'll be right Mate, just hope this helps.
Thanks Grog, I've done something like you suggest, need to ride it tomorrow to see how it is. 7 on yours, well I've set mine pretty close to that. I've got new brake pads to put in front and rear so that'll be a good clean for the calipers but I'll save that job for after I get this right.
Oh well, I was happy it was only $500. In the end it should be ok. Famous last words.
Youll be right, it will be better. Id suck out oil to get gap correct, they work it out at their factory, he should stay with their advice. Im always amazed at lack of vibration on mine, bars, pegs etc. Previous advice will fix that.
I agree mate, as someone once said to me, smarter people than you have worked it out :)
I'd bet checking your pre-load too, he'll have changed that to get the static sag. But that makes a big difference to ride quality. My personal preference is a softer springing (ie less preload) and then control it with stiffer damping. It 'll move around more under braking etc but will give a smoother ride.
I agree about taking the extra oil out too. That gap is there to give room for it all to compress, I'd trust the designers over a bloke that can't even turn a preload without damaging it.
@Nic I feel your pain and frustration, when you put your trust and money in the hands of 'experts' and end up with sub standard results that's gutting!
Experiment with adjusting the settings yourself to achieve the ride you want, it wont cost you anything but time, and you can always return to stock settings at worst.
Wish you the best.
Quote from: Milts on Friday, 04 February 2022, 07:27 AM
@Nic
I feel your pain and frustration, when you put your trust and money in the hands of 'experts' and end up with sub standard results that's gutting!
Experiment with adjusting the settings yourself to achieve the ride you want, it wont cost you anything but time, and you can always return to stock settings at worst.
Wish you the best.
Thanks Milts, I usually run for the hills when I hear the word experts.
For me, this is a familiar tale, for some reason the Gods of fair play have it in for me. I've always said if you want something done right you do it yourself. In this instance I was just lazy and once again I must pay the price.
It's raining today so I won't be going out to see if I've fixed the vibrations, I'm thinking the vibrations were simply a result of how hard the setup was. I want to ride the bike like it is now before I fuck around with air gaps, I don't think I can trust what the air gap is so I'll need to pull it all down so I can get the forks in the vice.
Oh the joy, probably do the new brake pads at the same time. Should be good in the end.
Thanks for everyone's comments so far. Stay tuned.
Well it stopped raining for about 10 minutes so I took the bike out, started raining again when I was about 5 Ks from home, anyway the good news is the vibrations are gone, don't know for sure what it was, redoing all the pinch bolts and or backing off the comp and rebound?
Apart from redoing the oil air gap there's nothing more to do. The bumps are still the bumps and always will be.
I need to ride the bike more to get acquainted with the new springs and fine tune the comp and rebound but I reckon taking out the extra oil will be a good thing and that will require removing the forks to make sure how much is in there :rolleyes:
This is why I paid someone else to do it :furious:
That's why I try to do everything myself too, I always end up redoing it afterwards so it's right if I pay anyone.
Ipay for tyre fitting only. Yes i did get forks/shockies done. Rest is just me. Forks were worth money, so sad not for you Nic. I fix cars all day , everyday,s ometimes hard to get motivated to fix my stuff, not a hobby, just a chore. I get it it done, eventually.
Quote from: grog on Friday, 04 February 2022, 07:35 PM
Ipay for tyre fitting only. Yes i did get forks/shockies done. Rest is just me. Forks were worth money, so sad not for you Nic. I fix cars all day , everyday,s ometimes hard to get motivated to fix my stuff, not a hobby, just a chore. I get it it done, eventually.
Everyone has their story mate. I could have spent my life as a bike mechanic, I did music instead and never had a pot to piss in the whole journey. Made a bit o dough for EMI :cry2:
Doesn't bother me now though, livin the dream in cootdom :)
Alrighty then, I have just finished the forks, first thing I notice is the oil, while not black, it's the next best thing, he's probably/ more than likely used my old oil, brilliant, two year old oil, two years ago I had the forks completely apart and cleaned when I did the seals so they ain't full of crud. Oil doesn't go that colour in 2 freakin days.
Next the gap was 115mil, so that's 15mil more oil than the recommended 130 mil gap from Race Tech.
So as per usual, a good thing I had a look myself, FFS, if I had known all this drama was going to take place I could have bought the springs and new oil and it would have cost me half and only needing doing once.
On a positive note, the first time I did the fork seals I had a hell of a time screwing in the axle, the folks here said to have all the pinch bolts and guard bolts and caliper bolts loose, and today with that great advice the axle went in like a breeze.
Oh well, another day of rain in this summer of rain so no test ride today. Bring on the footy and MotoGp. We actually had the heater on last night.
I was going to put new brake pads in but when I compared the new ones with the old there isn't a lot of difference so I didn't change them, still need to check the rear though.
So I spose this is the end of this lesson well learned, another case of " if you want it don't right"
Just one more thing, I asked him what oil he put in and he hesitated for a second and then mumbled Motul, pretty sure that's what he said, looked a bit sheepish as well.
So he's just dropped himself right in it there.
Suspension Smith, forget about it.
Mate, did he actually do anything? Valves n springs installed? Id be getting someone to do a review, facebook type. Needs shutting down. What a disgraceful frogwit. I hate that sort of shit with passion. 😡😡
As far as the valves go, he said he shimmed the stock ones, it went over my head but you gotta wonder again don't you.
My mate with the Triumph rocket was very happy with his work, throwing hands in air, shaking head, I'm at a loss.
Glad it's over. I'll need to change the oil in the next 12 months.
I just write it off as, he saw me coming :whatever:
I did get new springs though, they are quite hefty. He forgot also to give me the old ones back.
Glad you have checked and sorting out the issues. Sorry to hear about the cruddy workmanship, I'd be naming and shaming high and low, leaving a detailed and frank review. Can you try to get your money back?
Thanks for the sympathy, getting the money back? Not bloody likely me thinks, he did supply and fit the springs, the fact that he put the old oil back in and damaged the adjusters, can you get a refund for that?
I must say, the main reason I had someone else do it was so they could set the bike up for me, that turned out to be a joke.
The "setup" I was left with was in totally the wrong direction, I have to wonder about that.
Of course, on his site he offers a $50 setup, I have to wonder what you get for that and how many have fallen prey to it. Obviously from my experience, you'd pay 50 bucks to set the static sag in the front only. Bargain really :facepalm: Of course, his time must be extremely valuable :worshippy:
Life goes on, I got the heavier springs, I'm fully aware of the state of things up front and I got kicked up the arse one more time, can't complain :happy1:
I now know that setting up your suspension is a matter for each of us to figure out what's best and not throw money away, when you think about it, who's the best person to know how to set up your bike, it's just a matter of thinking about it, after my experience I now realize that there ain't a lot to it and there'll always be compromise. Plus, I had more practice removing the forks and putting them back so next time I redo the oil it won't be such a drudgery.
Well I think that's enough of me trying to convince myself that the lesson was well worth it, time for a Bourbon n Coke.
Life's a funny thing isn't it :cheers:
This from his site.
Suspension Smith offers great value in it's $50 set up For your money, you get: Time spent with Laurie to discuss your particular riding style and the kinds of riding you do. He weighs and measures you and then measures up your bike Laurie then adjusts your standard suspension (within the limits of what's available)
take it as a lesson learnt bud. (get those springs back from him as well,who knows youmay need them?)
I was keen to hear and see a result but wasn't hopeful for you. (I don;t care who they are no one gets to touch or alter my susp.)
Good luck, remember record everything and only click or adjust one thing at a time.You'll be fine.
Reusing the oil is not on. The old springs are probably in his collection now. :jack:
I will be going back to get the old springs, any excuse for a ride. I just don't like the idea of him asking me how the bike is, I don't want to upset myself mainly n so I'll just say it's great n get on the bike asap.
I'll ring him Monday to make sure he keeps them for me.
Unless he finds his way to this thread he won't know I know he duded me with the oil. You're right though Chris, using the old oil is pretty lame.
I prefer to put it all behind me but I do want the old springs.
Funny how my mate with the Rocket 3 is so bloody happy with his work though.
Of course, I wonder if he got new oil, he won't know and neither will most of his other victims.
I'd still try, teach him a lesson to stop ripping people off.
We recently had a new set of tyres fitted to our Jeep GC at a national, reputable tyre franchise, they price matched a competitor, and we went to them as they have looked after our daughter's cars as well. They managed to lift the car on the wrong points on the chassis (they used the sub frame mounting plates instead of the designated jacking points) they now have to pay to have both sub frame plates replaced. Not a huge sum of money, but the point is they damaged our property. They originally didn't want to acknowledge their fault, but when I made them check their trolley jack heads against the marks on the subframe, there was little doubt.
Haha, maybe 20 years ago I might have gone off, one good thing about getting old"er" (I'll be 68 on the 15th of this month ) is that I can finally let things go rather than chewing on them, I like it.
I just rang Laurie, I'll be "riding" into Canberra on Wed, the only non rain day this week, to pick up the old springs.
Looking forward to the ride, see how she goes with the less oil.
I have about 600ml of 5W Castrol fork oil left over from the last change so I just bought another ltr off the bay. I managed to find some for $15.96 with free postage.
Dirt cheap auto, what a joke, they want $32 for the same product. Might have been cheap when they first started out, not any more.
Anyway, I've decided I'm gonna change the oil very soon.
Strike while the spanners are hot.
As you've had the forks in and out a lot lately it might be worth changing the pinch bolts. When fully tightened they tend to bend near the head and I've had one snap in the past. So now I change them when they've been used 3-4 times and can normally see a bend in some I take out
Quote from: Hooli on Monday, 07 February 2022, 06:55 PM
As you've had the forks in and out a lot lately it might be worth changing the pinch bolts. When fully tightened they tend to bend near the head and I've had one snap in the past. So now I change them when they've been used 3-4 times and can normally see a bend in some I take out
Thanks, I'll keep an eye out.
Quote from: Hooli on Monday, 07 February 2022, 06:55 PM
As you've had the forks in and out a lot lately it might be worth changing the pinch bolts. When fully tightened they tend to bend near the head and I've had one snap in the past. So now I change them when they've been used 3-4 times and can normally see a bend in some I take out
I've never had that problem.. Are you using a torque wrench?
Quote from: BlueDragon on Tuesday, 08 February 2022, 10:25 AM
Quote from: Hooli on Monday, 07 February 2022, 06:55 PM
As you've had the forks in and out a lot lately it might be worth changing the pinch bolts. When fully tightened they tend to bend near the head and I've had one snap in the past. So now I change them when they've been used 3-4 times and can normally see a bend in some I take out
I've never had that problem.. Are you using a torque wrench?
Me either but why not, I do mine up by hand, very rarely do I use a torque wrench on anything.
I just got back from Canberra on the bike, turned out the sun is shining today. Picked up the stock springs, Laurie asked me how the bike is going, I told him it depended on the quality of road. We talked a bit, he was cool, somehow I reckon I might have painted too black a picture of the poor dude, anyway, live n let live.
Which brings me to my final conclusion, there is still a bit of a buzz in the bars but the more I ride it the less it annoys me. When the bike is leaned over you can really appreciate the heavier springs, it's so much more planted/sure footed, like a new/different bike.
The down side of course are the incessant bumps, however at this point I'm inclined to leave the race techs in there. I did the cable tie fork travel test, the whole way there and back without doing any serious braking I had about 25mm before bottom out. Just before I got to my driveway I did too emergency stops and the gap remained the same. That would suggest I could back off a little pre load but I'm on 5 lines now so I'll leave it as is for now. Compression and rebound are both at 7 clicks out.
One very curious thing, after I sucked out the extra oil the other day there was a real loud squeaking grinding? sound in the forks both in going down and coming up. It was worrying me and I didn't want to ride 170Ks with that going on so:
Before I set off this morning I put back into the forks a small amount of oil, I just guessed how much to put in, with the extra oil the squeaking was now gone, what the hell is that all about.
So looks like I'll be doing a 115mm air gap with these springs.
While I was in Canberra I went to 5 places looking for a liter of Castrol 5W fork oil, narda, none to be had, I decided I can't wait for the liter I bought on line to get here so I bought 2 liters of Motul, $65 if you don't mind. The Castrol can be used next time and then back to 1 liter of Motul.
Then I went to the bolt shop and bought 20 8x35mm Allan head bolts for the pinchies, $11.
The ride home was real good and I think I'm getting more used to the heavier front, I absolutely love it when it's leaned over, you hit a bump and the bike is dead true, awesome, oh but all those bumps :cry2:
While I was at one of the bike shops they told me my Brando jacket was no good, obviously trying to sell me a new one, they loved my 70s leather gauntlets though and said they have lots of guys asking if they sell them. I got mine from England, I told em I was stuck in the 70s.
Right, that's it, end of saga.
Thanks for all the comments, interest and suggestions. Is there anything to be learned here, I'd say yes, put the springs in yourself, it's pretty easy and definitely a real good thing if your roads are decent.
Of course now there's the rear but for now that'll have to wait, I do want a pair of the blue springed Nitrons back there one day,
Quote from: BlueDragon on Tuesday, 08 February 2022, 10:25 AM
Quote from: Hooli on Monday, 07 February 2022, 06:55 PM
As you've had the forks in and out a lot lately it might be worth changing the pinch bolts. When fully tightened they tend to bend near the head and I've had one snap in the past. So now I change them when they've been used 3-4 times and can normally see a bend in some I take out
I've never had that problem.. Are you using a torque wrench?
No, I never do. But on some bikes once the forks are clamped in you can see the recess for the bolt head is slightly inclined compared to the threaded hole for it. I ended up replacing my bottom yoke after two snapped, I've not seen it since. So it could be down to manufacturers tolerances.
There are some ham fisted dudes out there as well, when I worked on Honda fours you'd be heli coiling till the sun went down, esp under the cam cover where there are umteen 6mm alloy threads.
Never used a torque wrench back then either, all by feel.
I've had to helicoil five of the cam cover bolts on my 14. They are M7 and I stripped everyone just doing the bolts up with my fingers, before attaching the rachet. Bits of these bikes appear to be made of cheap cheese.
Quote from: Hooli on Tuesday, 08 February 2022, 03:11 PM
I've had to helicoil five of the cam cover bolts on my 14. They are M7 and I stripped everyone just doing the bolts up with my fingers, before attaching the rachet. Bits of these bikes appear to be made of cheap cheese.
Or someone has helped it along before you?
I'm just changing the oil in the forks, waiting for the bubbles to stop, the oil I sucked out before with the clear tube, I said it wasn't black but not far off, well with a big bucket of the old stuff looking back at you it's as black as coal. 7,000Ks and two years, doesn't take much to blacken up the oil. The Motul is clear.
Also it appears the race tech spring is shorter and with it must come an aluminium spacer and extra washer, those two things and another washer with a flange on it all fall out into the oil. I had to completely dismantle one of the forks so I could figure out how the three things went in. So I've made some notes in my manual.
Quote from: Nic on Tuesday, 08 February 2022, 03:36 PM
Quote from: Hooli on Tuesday, 08 February 2022, 03:11 PM
I've had to helicoil five of the cam cover bolts on my 14. They are M7 and I stripped everyone just doing the bolts up with my fingers, before attaching the rachet. Bits of these bikes appear to be made of cheap cheese.
Or someone has helped it along before you?
Unlikely as the bike had under 7,500miles when I got it and has never been in a garage for anything except tyres & MOTs.
I do my fork oil every year or two as well. As you say it blackens quickly & you can feel the difference. The first time the fork legs were full of sludge, which I washed out with petrol before reassembly.
Its a pity they dont have fork drain plugs as in old days.
Some newer bikes still do, I saw those on a early 2000s BMW the other month and mentioned it's a good idea.
Dont think too difficult to do, i just dont want to be first.Were just 6 or 8mm holes with bolts with O rings. Same thoughts about grease nipples in steering head.
Don't the compression adjusters on the bottom of later forks unscrew? would taking them out work?
I've got the early forks with seized compression adjusters so not sure.
old habits die hard for me I guess. Back in the 80's my brother owned a motorcycle shop. Had the big 4 Japanese manufacturers as well as Ducati, Husqvarna.
I worked there after school each day and on weekends. Building the bikes out of the crates that they came in from Japan, as well as assisting the head mechanic. He would always tell me to use the torque wrench with re-tightening bolts. Always had the workshop manual out and worked off it all the time. Especially with the race and stunt bikes we worked on. So I've always had several torque wrenches in my tool kit and use them all the time.. old habits , but passed on by a very fastidious mechanic who taught me.
Good work ethic Bluey. I have 4 torque wrenches, 1/4,3/8, 1/2 inch. My right arm the other. I use all of them. I actually have 5, 65 ft lbs torque rod for rattle gun. Use that for for wheel nuts.
Quote from: grog on Wednesday, 09 February 2022, 06:28 PM
Good work ethic Bluey. I have 4 torque wrenches, 1/4,3/8, 1/2 inch. My right arm the other. I use all of them. I actually have 5, 65 ft lbs torque rod for rattle gun. Use that for for wheel nuts.
Just bought a new Teng tools 70-350Nm spring tension jobby, would love a deflecting beam one but out of budget.
I also have the teng tools 5 to 25Nm. Now need one for the gap between 25 and 75Nm...