Hi All,
I have searched for Info on how to install progressive forks.
after reading that lot I have a few small queries.
1) 15 weight oil is recommended, is this just 15W40 oil or is there a special type of oil to be used in the forks?
2) When swapping out the old oil with the new, if I don't want to take the whole front end to pieces. Is it ok to suck out all the oil I can and then add
the new 15w oil? Or will the remains of the old oil and the new oil not play well together?
3) Anyone got any tips on how to cut the stock spacer down and get the ends nice and level?
4) I got Hagon progressive springs with no instruction sheet, is the oil level of 5.5 inches from top of leg at full compression still ok?
Thanks for any help you can give.
Hey Phil. Did this job myself earlier this year. First question: do you have a Haynes or Chilton repair manual? If not, get one. Very useful.
That out of the way, I recommend just going ahead and taking the forks off the bike. It isn't really much more work and it'll allow you to do it "the right way".
There is a specific stuff called "fork oil" at the bike shop. It's straight weight, so get the 10 or 15, whichever you prefer. 10 is stock, many people like going to 15 with the new springs. I stuck with 10 and everything seems fine.
My bike is a '96, this spring was probably the first time the fork oil had been replaced. It was pretty nasty looking compared to the new stuff! Definitely worth taking the forks off and getting all of the old crap out.
For the spacers, if your springs are the same as the Progressive Suspension ones, you can just buy a PVC pipe end cap at the hardware store that'll be the perfect diameter and length. No cutting required. I think I picked up a couple at Home Depot for <$1. I think it's 1"x3/4". Hopefully someone can verify.
jeff
yeah. It's probably worth the hassle taking the forks off the bike. It's pretty quick. Make sure you loosen the fork caps before you take it off the bike, unless you have an impact wrench. I can't remember the diameter of the PVC, just measure the diameter of the new springs and you'll get it.
By the way, I put Progressive progressive spings in mine and after some tinkering, settled on 10w fork oil 4.5" from the top of the fork, fully compressed, with an inch long PVC spacer. 5.5" was too loose for my taste. I used a turkey baster shoved through a slice of potato to suck the oil to precicely the right height on each fork. I was proud of that.
Right, I'll go with taking the forks out of the yolk then.
I think I'll try 15w oil as I am a heavy barsteward (237 lbs).
Pretension wise I think I'll go with the 3/4 " spacer as I have
a UK model bike with the pre tension adjusting caps on the top of each fork. These should allow me to tailor the pretension as I like.
Thanks for the help.