Well I had a bit of trouble this year with my normal front fork maintenance. I installed a set of the Race Tech Gold Valves at the same time. On the first try I left out one of the backing washers that go between the bushing and oil seal. I discovered this after having the bike all back together. I thought about just running without it but decided I'd think about it too much so better off just pulling the fork and putting it back where it belongs.
My second attempt was to pull the suspected fork and disassemble it only to learn it had a backing washer, oops wrong fork.
So I pull the other fork and put the backup washer where it belongs. After riding for a day or two I notice a seal leak on the fork that didn't need to come apart in the first place.
So I finally decide to put a new seal in this last weekend, third time working on the folks this year. I pulled the fork apart and inspected the seal but everything looked good. The coating on the fork sliders was starting to look a little thin so I decided to replace them (inner and outer) for the heck of it. There were some very minor vertical scratches in one area of the tube so I polished them with 1000 grit wet and dry going horizontal/around the tube. I installed a new oil seal and dust seal.
Something else that had been bugging me was the fluid level. I initially set the fluid level to 130 mm as instructed in the Race Tech instructions. However, I remembered that when I installed the Hyperpro springs they recommended a 160 mm fluid level and 7 wt fork oil. I thought that maybe my combination of parts and lighter Race Tech US-1 (3wt-5wt) oil and higher level may have contributed to the leaky seal so I set the level back to 160 mm. This meant pulling the other folk off the bike and re-adjusting the level in it.
Well much to my satisfaction it looks like the third time was the charm, no more leaky seal.
I also want to say again how much better the front end feels with the Race Tech Gold Valves installed. I thought I was good with just the Hyperpro progressive springs which did softened up the feel considerably. With the Gold Valves installed it's just amazing. Where rocks or uneven pavement used to upset the front end it now just glides over the irregularities. The squirm caused by sawn pavement lines is gone The new valving seems to allow the forks to compress, letting the springs do their job, yet control the motion of the forks so the tire always stays in contact with the ground perfectly. This is especially noticeable in turns as the front wheels stays planted to the ground instead of being bounced off when going over even small debris.
I know that suspension parts can be expensive but only you can determine if the improved handling is worth it for you, it was for me.
My second attempt was to pull the suspected fork and disassemble it only to learn it had a backing washer, oops wrong fork.
So I pull the other fork and put the backup washer where it belongs. After riding for a day or two I notice a seal leak on the fork that didn't need to come apart in the first place.So I finally decide to put a new seal in this last weekend, third time working on the folks this year. I pulled the fork apart and inspected the seal but everything looked good. The coating on the fork sliders was starting to look a little thin so I decided to replace them (inner and outer) for the heck of it. There were some very minor vertical scratches in one area of the tube so I polished them with 1000 grit wet and dry going horizontal/around the tube. I installed a new oil seal and dust seal.
Something else that had been bugging me was the fluid level. I initially set the fluid level to 130 mm as instructed in the Race Tech instructions. However, I remembered that when I installed the Hyperpro springs they recommended a 160 mm fluid level and 7 wt fork oil. I thought that maybe my combination of parts and lighter Race Tech US-1 (3wt-5wt) oil and higher level may have contributed to the leaky seal so I set the level back to 160 mm. This meant pulling the other folk off the bike and re-adjusting the level in it.
Well much to my satisfaction it looks like the third time was the charm, no more leaky seal.
I also want to say again how much better the front end feels with the Race Tech Gold Valves installed. I thought I was good with just the Hyperpro progressive springs which did softened up the feel considerably. With the Gold Valves installed it's just amazing. Where rocks or uneven pavement used to upset the front end it now just glides over the irregularities. The squirm caused by sawn pavement lines is gone The new valving seems to allow the forks to compress, letting the springs do their job, yet control the motion of the forks so the tire always stays in contact with the ground perfectly. This is especially noticeable in turns as the front wheels stays planted to the ground instead of being bounced off when going over even small debris.
I know that suspension parts can be expensive but only you can determine if the improved handling is worth it for you, it was for me.