which fork tube is which

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niland
Well i screwed myself up, i have 2 sets of forks torn apart on my bench and i forgot what leg goes where, i know one side is longer but which side is it?
 
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It does matter. The two forks go on different sides of the two models. Your right fork is the one with the damping rod, with the nut on top.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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[-]Longer? They should be the same length. A service manual should clear up any questions.[/-] See Doug's post (#10).

Where is “niland� In the USA?

John
 
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Almost to the arizona border east. But yeah the chrome tubes are different lengths from side to side, my workbench is kinda small so i had to pile everything out of the way and now i forget what one went in what tube. I looked in the manual it doesn't say, they probably figured you weren't stupid enough to mix the 2 forks up.
 
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A web search says the left tube for non-ABS (the one without the damping rod) is 614mm long and the right tube is 633mm long.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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A web search says the left tube for non-ABS (the one without the damping rod) is 614mm long and the right tube is 633mm long.
Well IBD! Learned something new, thanks. Glad I did mine one fork at a time. My Service Manual is now annotated; it, and the online fiches don’t indicate differences in length but do have different part numbers.

John
 
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Ok thanks alot! I'm doing my forks up with dual damping rods so the short or longer tube might not even matter but better safe than sorry.
 
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what does doing my forks up with dual damping rods mean???
Seems to me that means he is only using the damping rod side for both forks, which will leave him without the anti dive, but I question what kind of poor performance suspension he is creating??
 
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Hey it's a shot in the dark, if it doesn't work i can always change it back to stock. And besides the forks i'm building have progressive springs and a gold valve kit in both forks so it should be a very good ride. My old cb1000 had damping rods in both forks and it rode awesome even with stock springs and 60k on it. Another thing to consider is the fact that when you put the gold valve kits in the anti-dive is disabled anyways.
 
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In the stock forks, the top-out mechanism is different from one side to the other. The left side has the damper rod and anti-dive, and the top-out is controlled by a spring on the rod, which engages with the end of the fork tube. Actually most other cartridge forks that I have opened use the same arrangement. In the right side, the top-out is controlled by a spring inside the damper cartridge. This is the reason that you can inadvertently over-extend the right fork before the cartridge rod is connected to the fork cap, to the point that oil bleed hole in the tube is exposed and oil will come out into the dust-seal area and make a mess.

I'm running two right-leg cartridges in my 1990 ST1100, which has allowed me to fully re-valve both legs with Gold Valve equivalents and stiffer springs to produce a more contemporary suspension arrangement. Works very well, might not be a full-on touring riders taste but it's great for twisty roads and (in conjunction with PS 465 shock) helps the ground clearance no end.
 
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That's the exact thing i'm trying for, i think i will run the longer uppers on both of my forks though so it will keep the fork farther in the tube and hopefully reduce the amount of rocking they can do. Honda was smart in designing their bikes and the actual damping of the forks IS even from side to side despite the fact that one is a damper rod and the other not. So i figure that if i run the cartridges on both it will give me the firmer suspension i want without compromising handling. Realistically the anti dive never really works except on bikes that have it done electronically so i'm not worried either way
 
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John OoSTerhuis

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The ST1100 standard and ABS models’ fork components’ noun-nomenclature used by forum members has always exasperated me. For clarity I always use the terms that Honda uses in their fiches and manuals, including the Common Service Manual. To avoid any confusion (pumpkin/final drive, spyder/driven flange, drive gear/alternator shaft assembly, alternator/stator, garnish, pocket fairing, etc etc).

For my 1991 standard (non-ABS), in the left fork, the one with the anti-dive on the fork slider, Honda calls the part a fork “piston.”

In the right fork, the one with the rod that screws into the bottom of the fork cap, Honda calls it a fork “damper.”

Just to be clear then/now, the “cartridge” term bantered about so often is actually which one of the Honda parts, a fork “damper” or is it a “piston?” TIA [I can’t be the only one wondering]

And yes, I can quite easily tell the difference between a working and non-working anti-dive.

John
 
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John OoSTerhuis

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.... In the right side, the top-out is controlled by a spring inside the damper cartridge....
There is a spring inside the right non-ABS ST1100 fork damper (aka. “cartridge”?)? I’d be interested in seeing the guts of one...

John
 
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Just to be clear then/now, the “cartridge” term bantered about so often is actually which one of the Honda parts, a fork “damper” or is it a “piston?” TIA [I can’t be the only one wondering]
Mu understanding is the right side (non ABS) is the damper side and the left is the cartridge side.
 
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