Front Suspension Issues

[blwnbwtie]

I have an 07 GS, bought it brand new.  About 700 miles after i got it in installed progressive springs with 15wt oil (5.5 in from the top), and 3/4" spacers.  Wasnt quite as stiff as i would have liked but it was an upgrade.  Now about 7000 miles later, it seems to have gotten worse.  It is diving a lot under braking, hard braking or soft braking it dives.  I was last weekend and the front end was going nuts over bumps going into turns, very nerve racking. 

Today i decided i was going to add a little bit of oil to see if that would help.  I sucked out the old oil and filled it back up to 5in from the top.  This didnt help any, one thing i noticed when i took off the second cap the front suspension didnt dive it just stayed there, and to get it back up to put the springs back in i had to lift the front of the bike and push down on the wheel and it froze at the top.  I though i remembered it moving really freely when i installed the springs the first time (i remember having to hold the front up while i put the first spring in to support it).

Is there any thing that could fail in these, it almost seems like it has lost all damping?

[mach1]

I added spacers to my stock front end and i get about and inch of travel then it get pretty stiff. BUT instead of using pvc or a solid piece of anything I used a 3 or 4 inch spring we use in our hydraulic pumps, luckily it was the same diam. as the stock gs so I have t he stock compressed and a really stiff and hell spacer that has room to compress.

[beRto]

I have an 07 GS, bought it brand new.  About 700 miles after i got it in installed progressive springs with 15wt oil (5.5 in from the top), and 3/4" spacers.  Wasnt quite as stiff as i would have liked but it was an upgrade.  Now about 7000 miles later, it seems to have gotten worse.  It is diving a lot under braking, hard braking or soft braking it dives.  I was last weekend and the front end was going nuts over bumps going into turns, very nerve racking. 

Today i decided i was going to add a little bit of oil to see if that would help.  I sucked out the old oil and filled it back up to 5in from the top. 

My first question would be how are you setting the oil level? It should be set with the fork fully compressed and the spring removed from the fork.

That being said, if the oil level were wrong, the performance should be bad from the start. Since the performance is slowly getting worse, it suggests you are leaking fork oil. Have you noticed any leaking oil? Is there a black ring on your fork tubes?

This didnt help any, one thing i noticed when i took off the second cap the front suspension didnt dive it just stayed there, and to get it back up to put the springs back in i had to lift the front of the bike and push down on the wheel and it froze at the top.  I though i remembered it moving really freely when i installed the springs the first time (i remember having to hold the front up while i put the first spring in to support it).

Is there any thing that could fail in these, it almost seems like it has lost all damping?

This part is concerning. With the spring removed, the fork should travel in and out smoothly. If the fork is binding, there is a problem. The fork tube could be bent or the fork seals might be out of place. You should dismantle the fork and inspect the internals. If you are not comfortable with this, take the fork to a mechanic.

[blwnbwtie]

The fork was fully compressed when i filled it up with out, and the spring was out.  I dont think my seals are leaking, i havent noticed any black rings on the tubes, all though i did notice some oil below the seal but i think that might be from working on it today, i cleaned it up and will check tomorrow when i get to work.

The forks themselves is what it bothering me, i am correct when i think that the front end should drop right after i loosen the last cap right?  Ive never dissasembled forks before but im pretty sure i could tackle it.

[The Buddha]

I guess you take out both springs, and pump it top to bottom. If they get stuck in 1 spot, some crap is bent. I had an eli that was bent. never bothered fixing it, I swapped it for vulcan. If its not been hit/crashed, it is a manufacturing defect. 07 may be worth a warranty shout. Now you dont have a crushed spring do you ... if you do, then its worth shouting at the progressive people.
If its anything other than the chrome tube that is bad, and its not warranteeable, I have a set of lowers, springs etc etc ... stock crap. Good shape. Its chrome is done ... rusty to the seal. I split it to conduct some gruesome experiment ... and have since given up.
Cool.
Buddha.

[beRto]

The fork was fully compressed when i filled it up with out, and the spring was out.  I dont think my seals are leaking, i havent noticed any black rings on the tubes, all though i did notice some oil below the seal but i think that might be from working on it today, i cleaned it up and will check tomorrow when i get to work.

Sounds good.

The forks themselves is what it bothering me, i am correct when i think that the front end should drop right after i loosen the last cap right?  Ive never dissasembled forks before but im pretty sure i could tackle it.

Correct. With the fork caps off, the front end needs to be supported or it will collapse. This is a good reason to work on one fork at a time, or to support the front end beforehand.

Fork disassembly is not difficult and there are several HOW TO threads on this forum. The hardest part is making the homemade tool to remove the damper rods (this consists mostly of a trip to Home Depot). Look through the threads provided below for more info.

If you take the forks apart, you should plan to install new fork oil seals; I don't think used seals will be happy with the disassembly and you will be annoyed if the seals start to leak and you need to re-do the process later.

Here are some useful threads:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=42669.msg479553#msg479553
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=42473.msg477478#msg477478
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41163.msg462949#msg462949

edit - new links:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=42727.msg480104#msg480104
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41764.msg469345#msg469345

[blwnbwtie]

looks like the seals are leaking, so it has to come apart.  Thanks for the links!

are all fork seals the same for all years?  I was looking on ebay and the auctions list 89-00.  Im pretty sure its the same just wanna make sure before i order the wrong part.

[The Buddha]

Well if it is sticking ... its prolly got some wheite bent ... so just seals may not do. Seals wont cause it to stick if they are bad.
Cool.
Buddha.