I hope i did not destory my forks.... i think im out of oil.

[TheGoodGuy]

Damn sacramento wet weather and the ducow cover created enough rust on my forks to make them leak..

Anyway I only noticed it when i took it out for a ride.. but i didnt think it was serious.. there was still a lot of suspension .. it wasnt squeezing in.

However i think when i trailered it back home, i might have "over" torqued the rachet, cause the forks were quite a bit compressed.. After i got it home, the first time i rode it, the bike felt soft.. then i took it to glendale (a 25 mile ride) and realise that it wasnt tracking right on the freeway. I think one fork has slightly more oil than the other.. but its not enough to seep out of the forks.. cause i dont see any oil / feel any oil when i compress the spring.

It might have oil, or what but it definatley feels funny. On the street its fine, on teh freeway as long as you dont hit a bump its fine. I think right now any suspension is from my progressives that are in the forks.

Question is, i hope i didnt damage anything. I need to clear up the burrs (rust) and redo the forks. What is the best way to take out the fork rust. I noticed the action of the forks moving and the fork oil took out all the rust burrs that were in its path.. im wondering if WD40 and a brillo pad will do the same.

I got to get that fixed.. i havent been able to ride. My summer school at the local community college starts monday.. .. Plus i want to hit the local canyons.. I have missed them a bit TOO LONG.

[The Buddha]

WD 40 and aluminum foil... yes the cooking kind. Its pretty gentle cos its Aluminum, and will take off the rust quite well... BTW you want to grip it and rotate more than up and down.
Cool.
Srinath.

[jake42]

do you notice any shimmy or headshake at all?  I've got this wicked hedshake that occurs between 40-50mph. I"m wondering if my oil levels are off in the fork tubes.

jake

[The Buddha]

Neck bearings??? Shadow hawk's were so loose, it was clunking if you pushed it with your hands... easy fix, loosed the top chrome bolt, on top of the triple clamp, and use a spanner or in our case a flat headed punch to tighten the collar... and No dont crank it till its got no more to go... its spring loaded and will turn till the bearing is crushed into the neck... its got to sit in the race and is spring loaded... and small, 1/4 turn increments will be best to tighten it, and wiggle the bars between and see where it gets too tight and back off 1/4.
Cool.
Srinath.

[jake42]

good idea.  It's just weird that it only shows between 40-50mph.  I've tried other speeds and rpm's just to see and it's only in that 10mph spot.

Jake

[JLKasper]

You should take a magnifying glass and examine the surface of the fork tubes for pits.  What can happen when a fork tube rusts, is that the steel under the chrome plated surface corrodes and expands, and the chrome erupts above it.  Ths sharp surface can ruin a fork seal in days.  Using a small file (like an ignition file), CAREFULLY file down these sharp surfaces.  Don't remove any more chrome than absolutely necessary.  This will lengthen the life of both the fork tubes and seals.  Your fork seals might weep a minute bit more, but this serves to keep further rust from perpetrating.