loose front forks

Something I noticed on my ride back from Starved Rock yesterday was that when i hit bumps, I get a little different feel from the front end. Thinking it was my head bearings, I got home and put the bike on stands and wiggled the wheel and its not the head bearings...

I use a triple tree front lift so the front suspension is unsprung. When you lift the front tire and try to compress the forks, you get a little bit of play.

I push up and theres maaaaybe 1-2mm of easy travel to compress the forks, then I hit what maybe feels like the spring or something of the normal fork operation. but my concern is that 1-2mm of easy ability to compress the fork. not normal correct? Is this a dying spring or time to change fluid.

 

If you're using a triple tree lift it would be hard to rule out the steering head bearings as the issue since the weight of the bike is still on the steering head bearings, or did you use the centerstand and completely unload the front end? You don't list the mileage or if the bearings have already been changed to roller bearings. If it has around 35,000 miles, it's past due for steering head problems.

You shouldn't have any free play in the shock when you lift the wheel. Maybe your spring preload spacer has gotten beaten down, or it's too short. If you have some free play, something is wrong. I would certainly pull the caps and check out the spring preload.

 

bike is a 00 with 14,600 mi. and original bearings assumed on my end. I will test head bearings on center stand alone but i forgot about spring preload. ill read up on how to do the check and adjustment because i feel thats where the issue might be. perhaps there is free play in the head bearings and if so, I saw you wrote about converting to roller bearings so I guess I would do that too.

The more I think, I wonder if it is the headbearing because I started noticing the issue after a rather large unavoidable bump/ road crater.

 

Headset bearings probably need tightening/adjustment. FSM periodic maintenance guide suggests that steering bearings be re-lubed and adjusted at 15,000 mile intervals, i believe.

 

Well, When I get off work today i will read the manual and check. I actually thought that there was no adjusting and when they start getting loose its time to replace. Hmm. hey, that works either way.

 

If a loose steering stem is not addressed immediately then you'll have to replace them sooner rather than later. If you stay on top of the adjustments you should be able to make them last quite a while. Once they get loose the races deteriorate pretty quickly I think.

 

So you have some end-to-end freeplay when you compress the forks? That doesn't sound right. The spring is always compressed by the fork cap and spacer, unless the spacer has collapsed or the cup washer that the spacer engages with has broken, or the damper rod and cap have parted company. Never heard of it happening though.

If you unscrew the fork caps (while on the head stand) they should pop up a little (still attached to the damper rod) and if you then lift the wheel, the top of the damper rod, spring, spacer will be exposed so you could visually check the parts.