RobbieAG
Robert
It?s time for my ST1300?s annual winter maintenance. This year it includes new tires (Bridgestone T30 GTs ordered). While I have the front wheel off, I want to give the forks some attention. I checked the sag and it was well above the recommended 35 ? 40 mm. It?s about 51 mm. I weigh 180. The rear was okay. I was thinking of getting new springs, but after doing some reading on here, I?ve decided to go with new spacers to increase the preload.
Is there a way to calculate how much to increase the spacer length for my scenario? I?m hoping I can get this right the first time without too much trial and error. Is 1.5 inch PVC what I need for replacement spacers? Also, I gathered from my reading, that some change the fork oil level from factory spec. Are you raising it or lowering it? I?ve never had an issue with the forks bottoming out. I understand that since the air has a progressive effect, the less air there is, the more progressive (harder) it is as it compresses (especially past midpoint). Am I correct to say that raising the level in effect increases the spring rate? According to the RaceTech site, the stock spring rate is .86 and my recommended rate is .90, so a bit of an increase might be a good thing. So far, I?m planning to use 10 weight fork oil (since I have a bottle sitting on my shelf). Any reason to use something else?
I?ll inspect the seals and bushings to ensure they look good. The bike has 65k miles. Thanks in advance.
Is there a way to calculate how much to increase the spacer length for my scenario? I?m hoping I can get this right the first time without too much trial and error. Is 1.5 inch PVC what I need for replacement spacers? Also, I gathered from my reading, that some change the fork oil level from factory spec. Are you raising it or lowering it? I?ve never had an issue with the forks bottoming out. I understand that since the air has a progressive effect, the less air there is, the more progressive (harder) it is as it compresses (especially past midpoint). Am I correct to say that raising the level in effect increases the spring rate? According to the RaceTech site, the stock spring rate is .86 and my recommended rate is .90, so a bit of an increase might be a good thing. So far, I?m planning to use 10 weight fork oil (since I have a bottle sitting on my shelf). Any reason to use something else?
I?ll inspect the seals and bushings to ensure they look good. The bike has 65k miles. Thanks in advance.