I installed progressive springs on the GS. WOW!

[Foximus]

Just opened up my shocks tonight to check oil level and found I already had progressive springs installed.   Nice little surprise eh?    Turned out the PO, didnt cut and reinstall the 1" spacer, so I went and made some that are 1.25", just a bit oversized to get some more preload.    Much stiffer now, the bike can actually wheelie just because I installed the spacer, the suspension would unload to much before.     Now I can put off buying straight rate springs, but in the long run I still plan to get them.

[JerGStwinguy]

Just to get this clear in my mind, if I replace the springs the "Lazy" way, what is the measurement of the oil level from the top uncompressed with the spring and spacer in place?

I'm not sure that anyone has ever bothered to take (or at least report) this measurement.  IIRC, the oil level measurement for the stock springs is 99mm from the top of the tube ... but that's taken with the tube vertical and compressed, and BEFORE the spring is inserted.

But I still think you can use this information to your advantage.  Check the info pamphlet that comes in the box with your Progressive springs, but I believe the same measurement for the Progressives is something like 124mm, for a difference of 25mm.

Assuming that you're planning to work on one fork at a time, I suggest that you:

• Remove the stock spring VERY slowly, letting as much oil as possible run off the spring as it comes out.
• Measure the oil level in the fork with the spring removed.  The easiest way I can think of would be to slide a metal rule into the fork, with the upper edge of the rule held against the front of the fork wall.  When you think you've gone far enough, note  the marking at the lip of the fork.  Pull the ruler out, read the oil level on one edge of the ruler and write it down.
• Use your method of choice to remove ~25mm (1 inch) of oil.  Check the level by using the SAME ruler method as before. (Whether you previously read the oil level from the lower edge of the ruler or the upper edge, do the same thing again.)

Also does it matter how the spring goes in and does the washer go on top of the spring and the spacer goes on top of the washer?

It doesn't really matter whether the "heavy" part of the spring goes in first or not.

You got the sequence right: spring, then washer, then spacer, then cap. 

Well I ended up doing it the right way and actually compressed the forks,  I did them at the same time.  The whole process was really easy, it was recommended by progressive from the literature that I got that the level was 5.5 inches from the top compressed.  There was maybe a 1/2 in too much oil in each leg.  Fork oil looked fresh too.  Man what a difference!  I weigh 265 and didnt bottom out at all.  Now all I have to do for Momma's bike is change out the petcock.  It suffers from running in the prime mode syndrome.  Me thinks that the problem lies in the diaphragm but you cant just buy that piece.  So I bought a new one, just haven't wanted to strip the body work off to replace it yet.


Thanks

Jer

[Kerry]

Well I ended up doing it the right way [...] The whole process was really easy [...] Man what a difference!

Congrats ... good job!