Hi Dwalby, It was impossible for me to press the spring down in the right fork far enough to slip the collar in. Without the spacer, easy. With the 3-inch spacer, way very much no. Had another local STer over (Dave) and even together we couldn't get it. Yes, I upgraded to progressive springs (and found out the originals are already wound tighter at one end, so I expect little difference in the ride), but side by side their compression takes about the same amount of force by hand. Dave and I took the fork apart, had the Clymer's in front of us, and everything's in installed correct. Sunday I bolted the fork upright to my workbench, mounted a steel L-bracket on a 2x4, and used a hydraulic jack pushing against an overhead beam to force the spring down enough for the washers, spacer, and collar in. Now the spring is compressed so tight that I can't even get a needle-nose plier in at the top to keep the rod from turning. The spring is so cranked down and snaking around inside I can feel it scraping against the tube as I slide it up; does not sound right
. Fully assembled, I can barely compress the fork a half inch with all my weight. IS IT NORMAL for the right side to be SO MUCH stiffer than the left? The left side I assembled 1-2-3, no big deal. This right side...I'd throw it through the window, but it'd probably crack open on the driveway and shoot back in and kill me
. Haven't ridden since JUNE due to an alternator fiasco and now this. Someone tell me these radically different compression rates between springs is normal and I'll install them; right now my fork faith has vanished.
Can't insert images for some reason (too novice?), so:
Here's before compressing:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8YQCNJCQZ7qczNIa1g2V0U2OUk
Here's after:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8YQCNJCQZ7qOE9QbEFVbnhYUkE
"Tool" used above:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8YQCNJCQZ7qOUZGVS14UXFDaWs