Fork Oil and Springs (No Rebuild) Lead to Amazing Transformation for Peanuts

[adder70]

Well, with everyone talking about the night and day difference of Race-Tech cartridge emulators, I wasn't too sure when Dean at Atlas Cycles in Marietta, GA (shameless plug, but he's awesome, at least based on one visit) talked about just putting in new springs and fork oil as opposed to rebuilding the fork with emulators. (This was dependent on fork seals being fine, which they were.)

:shock: WOW! :hotpepper what a difference! It's like the suspension was removed upon acceleration and deceleration because the fork doesn't move 2 inches due to momentum change, but bumps are still nicely absorbed, actually absorbed better because it never bottomed out.

I could go on and on about the difference in handling :BDH:, but others have covered the advantages. I'll just say that they're not exaggerating! I was amazed that <$200 including labor could make such a huge difference!

 

[Gizmo]

I've got a '07 1300 and in May had new heavier duty Race Tech springs installed and I echo your comments. What an amazing difference!

On my first test ride after the install I thought there was a problem with my brakes (which were bled at the same time) because when I hammered the brakes my front end didn't dive like normal. Took me a couple of times to realize the better springs were the cause. Even has my bike leaned over more on the kickstand because the spring doesn't sag as much as the OEM one...

 

[Mark]

Congrats on finding out the not well kept secret!

I did the same with a set of HyprePro front springs and heavier wt fork oil and did the rear shock and spring at the same time...
Happiness is still the rule 75,000 miles later !!!

 

[STurgisSTeele]

That's great info. I will check into this too.

 

[fjserpa]

That's great info.

 

[adder70]

Congrats on finding out the not well kept secret!

I was thinking fork rebuild inlcuding seals, etc. kind of went along with that change. Didn't realize you could just change oil and springs and do it so inexpensively. :

 

[broc11]

I need to do the same job myself shortly. wondering what weight fork oil to use,I am 240lbs roughly

 

[Mark]

15wt to start and if you don't like you can go to 10wt...

 

[broc11]

Thanks Mark, I am only going to do it once hopefully so I think I'll go with motul fork-oil expert 10 w.

 

[Mark]

Good plan!

The stock wt has been figured out to be about 7.5wt; so, your 10wt will be just a bit stiffer.

Enjoy!
Mark

 

[broc11]

Mark, Do you remember if you used a spacer with the hyperpro springs? thanks

 

[Mark]

IIRC I laid them out on the floor next to each other and found that to make the new set as long as the old set I used the existing spacer.

Remember: this is only If I Remember Correctly!
:

 

[dwalby]

Thanks Mark, I am only going to do it once hopefully so I think I'll go with motul fork-oil expert 10 w.

FWIW, I'm 180 lbs and have 15wt in mine, but it is a bit stiff. I'm an ex-sportbike guy, so I prefer a little stiff over a little soft. A bigger guy like you could probably mix a bottle of 10 with a bottle of 15 for a 12.5 weight and be happy with it. If you like plush then go with the 10wt, if you want a bit sporty go at least 12.5.

 

[Mark]

FWIW, I'm 180 lbs and have 15wt in mine, but it is a bit stiff. I'm an ex-sportbike guy, so I prefer a little stiff over a little soft.

Thanks for pointing this out.

I weigh about the same as you and I did the 15/10 50/50 mix. I like it.
After bottoming the front end every time I rode the original setup I thought I'd gone to heaven with the hyperpro springs and 12.5 mix.
I think the next time I'll go with straight 15wt and see if I like it more than the mix.

P.S.
I did a hyperpro rear shock/spring at the same time; so, I'll never know how changing just the front springs would improve the handling.

 

[dwalby]

I weigh about the same as you and I did the 15/10 50/50 mix. I like it.
After bottoming the front end every time I rode the original setup I thought I'd gone to heaven with the hyperpro springs and 12.5 mix.
I think the next time I'll go with straight 15wt and see if I like it more than the mix.

In my case the 15wt seemed to change the handling for the better in that it now flicks into corners faster. Its a bit stiff in a straight line, and probably especially so if you run 40-42 psi in your front tire (I run 36-38 in the front, 42 rear). If I let the pressure get down to 34 then the stiffness seems to go away because the tire is absorbing more, and that also works as my TPMS system in the front.

 

[Mark]

Thanks for the additional thoughts.
I do indeed run higher psi, guess I'll stick what what I already know feels good.