progressive springs

[crag antler]

Wasnt it Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse that everyone has been complaining about their order never coming, getting charged and unable to settle claims, get their money returned or the order sent?

Earl

If it was, it wasn't the day I got my springs from them. :? :? :?

[ron bayless]

Really, really, really great information guys.So, 15 weight oil no air,adjust spacer length, and new front springs it is.The rear ones are pricey but will do them too eventually. Thanks guys, i appreciate the information very much.

[AOD]

Brian, thanks for all the comments on here, good stuff. The 1100 I'm going to buy needs some suspension help badly, as it's all original and pretty mushy, especially up front. Having the 550's suspension dialed in makes me really want the 1100 to feel the same.

Were you able to do all of your work with the forks in the bike? I know you can't really change the fork seals that way, but if they're good, do you have to pull the forks?

~Adam

[bwringer]

You can replace the fork springs with the forks mounted on the bike.

On most models, you have to remove the handlebars to access the caps at the tops of the forks. Just put a towel on the tank, remove the handlebars, and lay the handlebars on top of the tank -- leave all the brake lines, wiring, cables, etc. attached. DO NOT move the brake lever while they're upside down.

Put a couple of padded jack stands or what have you under the frame so that the bike is balanced on the center stand and the back wheel, with the front wheel off the ground. Make sure it's stable.

Hold the front wheel between your knees and loosen the fork caps -- the large hex caps at the top of the forks. Don't remove them yet.

Find a comfortable position where you can apply heavy downward pressure while loosening the fork cap. You may need to switch to a breaker bar or a different type of ratchet. I usually fold up an old towel for padding between my chest and the ratchet. With a long enough extension, I then have both arms free to keep everything stable while loosening the caps.

Putting the caps back is a royal PITA when you're using new springs with a lot of preload. Make absolutely sure your setup is stable -- another person would be an excellent idea. They can help stabilize the bike or just stand ready to call 911. It's also best to do this after a holiday season spent "bulking up"... :roll: :roll:

I would also add that once the handlebars are back on, make very sure that your brake, clutch, etc. all work perfectly. You may need to bleed your front brake if air got into the master cylinder while it was upside-down.

[AOD]

Putting the caps back is a royal PITA when you're using new springs with a lot of preload. Make absolutely sure your setup is stable -- another person would be an excellent idea. They can help stabilize the bike or just stand ready to call 911. It's also best to do this after a holiday season spent "bulking up"...

lol.

I have rebuilt the forks on my first GS (sitting in my barn now...) and I remember trying to get the stock springs back into it, quite a pain. When I put new tires on the bike late this summer, I used your 'jack up the front' method to get the front wheel off. It worked well, in fact, I even had the rear wheel off too.

Thanks for the tips, I'm sure others will find it useful too.

So now the question is, where's a good place to get some Progressive springs? Do they offer different spring rates? What are you using? (We each have the same build..)

~Adam

[hp1000s]

I think Cycle Re-Cycle has the front springs for about $64.00 + ship.
Hugh

[AOD]

I looked at bike bandit yesterday, $58 I believe, no selection of spring rates though.

I was referred to a local guy who does bike suspension work. I may chat with him a bit, but I probably wont have money for a custom tune, so to speak.

~Adam

[bwringer]

I couldn't find fork springs on CRC2's web site, but I'm sure they can hook you up cheap if you call.

I got my Progressive forks springs at Dennis Kirk a few years ago when I was young and foolish and didn't know any better. I'm sure I paid too much, but I don't remember how much. It was well worth every penny anyway.

As far as I know, different spring rates aren't available from Progressive. The only adjustment is monkeying with preload by experimenting with the length of the preload spacer.

I know there are a few different brands of fork springs out there -- Works Performance and Hagon list springs for many GS models, and they may have different spring rates available.

[NickNoo]

Have just fitted a set of Hagon progressive fork springs and 20wt oil (UK price ?62 or $107).
The handling is a zillion times better than those nasty stock springs.
No more panic attacks on tight corners and poor road surfaces, no more sloppy braking and sliding on road markings.
I agree with the previous comments - Progressive springs are ESSENTIAL !!!

I just wish I had replaced those stock springs as soon as I got the bike .

[kz10cubed]

progressive springs

Jeff over at www.Z1enterprises.com has fork springs for certain GS models. I believe they are around $63. Good man to deal with.

[crag antler]

Re: progressive springs

Jeff over at www.Z1enterprises.com has fork springs for certain GS models. I believe they are around $63. Good man to deal with.

Pretty nice web site.
Have to save that to my favorites.
Thanks

[AOD]

Brian, how did you go about fine-tuning the pre-load spacer length?

Also regarding CRC2, you're right, they only advertise stuff they have in inventory on their website. Special springs and such they can order, you just have to call em.

~Adam

[Billy Ricks]

To set your preload up right you have to take two measurements, the length of the fork with the wheel off the ground and fully extended, and the length with the bike on the ground and your weight in the seat. THe difference is called sag. Use the appropriate length spacer to end up with 1 to 1 1/2 inches of sag depending on how firm you can tolerate the ride on the street. Progressive usually recommends a length for each model that will get you in the ballpark. Make sure you use a fender washer between the spring and the PVC tubing.

[bwringer]

What Billy said regarding preload... you want loaded sag to be roughly 1/4 of total travel. IIRC, total fork travel on my GS was a little over 4.5 inches.

The easiest way to measure sag is simply to place a zip tie on one fork leg and measure its distance from the lower triple clamp with the front end elevated -- you need to know where zero is with no weight on the fork.

Then gently sit on the bike (no bouncing) and see where the zip tie ends up.

The instructions with my fork springs gave a certain length for the preload spacer. To start with, I added something like 1/2 inch because I am just a wee bit heavier than the "average" 150 pound pencilneck humanoid.

This gave me close to two inches of sag, so I took the caps off, made longer spacers, and tried again. It was starting to get really tough to get those suckers back on.

I ended up with about 1.5 inches of sag, so I left it there for a while. A couple of years later, I made an even longer set of spacers and dropped them in during a fork oil change. After an epic battle to reinstall the fork caps without cross-threading them, I have just a tiny bit over 1 inch of sag, and I'm pretty happy with it. The fork will seem very stiff to some people, but it fits my, er, mass and aggressive riding style perfectly.

When the bike is just held upright, without me on it, front sag is zero. I do not use added air pressure in the forks, although I suppose I could if I did a lot of 2-up riding. I much prefer not needing to rely on the fickle nature of air and fork seals.

[AOD]

I much prefer not needing to rely on the fickle nature of air and fork seals.

I would like to get away from it too, as my 550 doesn't have that, or need it really. Just beefier springs with some preload spacers.

So what was the magic number for spacer length?

~Adam