Fork oil change and re-spring price

My front end seems a bit "sticky" and does not feel like my last bike (brand new 2k ZX-6R). I have the preload adjusted to 30mm rider sag. I'm sure it at least needs fork oil change. The local shop quoted $440 for re-spring and oil change with adjustment, but not a complete rebuild Is this reasonable?

I have little (no) confidence in my ability to do this solo. Is this a reasonable rate?

 

Fork preload clicks no longer "click" when i adjust, I just measured preload adjuster height.

 

At the bare minimum you will want to change your fork oil. See if a 10 weight works and if it still feels sticky you can go to a 5 weight.
What spring rate do you have in there now and what is your riding weight?

 

I am assuming the stock spring rate and oil weight. I am 193 plus another 10-12 pounds with gear and such, so call it 205-ish.

 

$440 seems kind of high to me as I got both a rebuilt shock and the fork internal components from JD for just slightly more than that. Depending on your mechanical skill level and/or having the proper tools, replacing the oil, seals and bushings is really no big deal. As long as you don't try and take apart the shim stacks (you shouldn't have to anyway), everything is pretty simple to deal with. I actually have done 3 pairs of forks and 2 were done solo but I do have a short, although it was a long time ago, experience working on motorcycles. If you don't already have one, see if you can download the Honda Service manual, either from here or the other VFR forum, as it shows you how to do it. Another really useful guide is the Racetech Suspension Bible, they have quite a few "how-tos" for rebuilding forks and shocks. I'll also throw this out there, if you're in So Cal my garage is always open if you need a place to work and/or the use of tools just PM me.

Cheers!

 

Seems way high to me. Consider shops get around $90-100 an/hour labour. So with this in mind, fork springs may cost $120 or so? and hour wise, I say; hour tops for someone that has all his ducks lined up. In the end, the service writer and mechanic make some money out of you, a good chunk actually. If you were anywhere near south FL, I would help you out with some beer/gin as barter... When you have the work done, make sure they use something heavier than 5 weight, I am biased towards Bel-Ray 7 weight...

 

Your preload adjuster is not going to click....it doesn't have detents. You go by how many lines are showing above the cap. It turns smooth with no sound.
And definitely like someone else said, use heavier oil....I've got 10W in mine. Makes a noticeable difference in the damping. And I don't do my own suspension work. I have a reputable guy do it, because I have had more forks screwed up in my life than I care to mention. Be careful who works on it....just because it's a dealer doesn't mean they know what they're doing and that price sounds totally too high. And the sad thing about a fork is that you can't see inside it to know they screwed it up. In fact, when my guy did my forks earlier this year, he discovered one was assembled incorrectly and had different color oil in it, meaning that a previous owner had someone work on them that apparently had no idea what they were doing.

 

you can do the work yourself. If all yer gonna do is replace the springs, fluid, seals. Then that is not a complicated job. And you get to learn a lil sumpin about your bike in the process. Id say for your fitst time, it is about 4 -5 hours. The most time consuming part is taking the forks out an putting them back in.

Springs can be had from several vendors for $120ish, oil is about $17, oem seals are like $22ish <-- I could be off, Tool to drive the seal can be had for $40-70 and you can make a low rent driver. I also recommend a motion pro oil level tool $12-$19. I use CRC electonic contact cleaner (not kerosene) to clean the gunk out of the fork lowers. It dries residue free so nothng left over to enter the new fluid.

Its a fun, interestng and rewarding job.
if you buy your springs from a decent company, they will help you pick the right spring rate for you and your bike at no charge.

If you dont have the time, tools, or inclination to do the work yourself, use the prices on parts and then use $100 /hr as a guestimate for labor. Rates vary widely on where you live.
Some people pay $65/hr while my local rare is $119/hr