Replaced my fork springs, here's some pics

I got around to replacing the fork springs as I talked about in this thread: "Advice/tips for replacing fork springs in 4th gen"

It wasn't too bad except for stripping one of the bottom bolts out of a fork, which was a nightmare. Absolutely have to put the fork tube in a vise by the caliper ears, and use a tight hex wrench. Ended up welding a metal rod to the bolt to get it out without drilling it.

Anyway, some pictures...

Fork bottom bolts. The one on the left is the stripped head, and is not recessed as far for some reason. It went back together that way too. In retrospect, I wonder if there is something wrong with the way the oil lock piece seats down into the slider:



Fork bottom bolt removed after welding it to a rod:



Reduced preload before unscrewing the fork cap (to reduce the spring force on the cap). I could have unscrewed it one more mark:



Fork cap unscrewed:



Loosening the lock nut that holds the fork cap to the fork internals. By turning the preload adjuster in, I can get a wider surface for the top wrench if needed:



From left to right: fork cylinder assembly, fork spring, washer, spacer, washer, retainer washer, lock nut, and fork cap:



From left to right: fork spring, washer, spacer, washer, retainer washer, lock nut, and fork cap. Note that the flat end of the lock nut faces the fork cap, and the slightly beveled end faces the retainer washer.



Close-up of where the fork spring seats. Notice that the more tightly coiled end of the spring is on this side (the Race Tech springs did not have this asymmetry):



From left to fork cylinder assembly, fork spring, washer, spacer, washer, retainer washer, lock nut, and fork cap:



Oil lock piece on the end of the fork cylinder assembly. On one fork, this came out with the cylinder assembly, but on the other it remained in the bottom fork slider:



From top left to bottom right: fork tube bushing, fork slider bushing, washer, oil seal, retaining clip, and dust cover:



Simple fork bushing driver. I used the old bushing to help get down into the recessed part. The PVC pipe is cut into two halves that are zip tied together, and the pipe wrench is used to impact the driver:



Fork slider bushing seated. Notice that the bushing does not stick out above the recessed area around the fork tube.



When measuring whether I wanted to cut a new spacer to adjust the preload, I noticed that due to the way the retainer washer is shaped, the bottom of the lock nut is pretty close to even with where the spring seats against the washer:



I ended up reusing the same spacer since it gave me a little over an inch of preload, which is about average. The new spring was only slightly longer than the old one.

As for the ride... huge difference! Before, it would dive easily under front braking. Now the front feels solid and dips very little. It feels like I could stand the bike on its nose if I wanted (today is the first ride after changing the springs, so I haven't tried this... yet).

I spent about $100 on Race Tech springs, $50 on Race Tech bushings (although, my old ones actually looked to be in very good shape, so I probably could've skipped this), $30 on All Balls oil/dust seal kit, and $15 on a couple pints of Honda SS-8 fork oil. For about $200, my front end feels much better. Well worth it!

 

Nice job!
I'm planning to do mine. Are RaceTechs the spring of choice? I found "progressive" ones on Fleabay. What about oil choice? And how far from top did you fill forks? Did you base all on your weight and riding style?
Thanks
Mark

 

I searched around and the impression I got was that straight-rate springs were better than progressive rate springs for a sporty ride. Now there are progressive springs (type), and Progressive springs (brand). I figured Progressive sold progressive springs, but maybe they sell straight rate springs as well. I think Race Tech offers both types, but I went with the regular straight rate springs.

The manual says Honda SS-7 (5 weight), but from searching the board there are a lot of people suggesting that a heavier oil helps stiffen the ride. So I went with SS-8, which is a 10 weight oil. As for oil level, I went with what the manual said, which was 6.97 inches below the top of the fork tube. The Race Tech literature noted that technically I shouldn't need as much oil because the heavier spring is larger and will displace more oil than the original springs (fork oil level is measured with springs out), but I don't think it's a significant amount.

As for the choice of springs, I used Race Tech's calculator (which appears to be down at the moment, "Microsoft JET Database Engine error '80040e14'"), using my weight plus a passenger, which came out to a little over 1.0 kg/mm. By myself, the spring is a little stiffer than what the calculator said, but it feels pretty good to me.

 

Great info. Thanks!

 

Nice pictures and good info!

 

Well I've been riding it for several days now and I've noticed the front has softened up. I searched around for clues as to why, and it seems that springs "break in" and get softer initially. While it's still much better than it was, I'm a little disappointed as I liked how stiff the forks were initially.

What is the effect of the gold valve kit, or "reshimming" the valves I've seen mentioned here?