• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Fork oil mishap!!! Doh! (in best Homer Simpson Voice)

I just went through the same thing last summer with my 1100E. New Progressive shocks (heavy duty springs... I'm 250lbs) and new Prgressive fork springs. After a lot of thought and discussion here on the forum , I used plain old Kerosene from Ace Hardware to flush out the forks. A gallon costs about two bucks. I flushed mine out about three times and then used 15wt bel-ray fork oil... for a while. It was just too stiff. So I flushed them again and used 10wt. Ahhhh much better. And no spring preload or air pressure either. A motorcycle jack that I borrowed sure came in handy and now I own one. After 20 plus years my bike rides like a dream.
 
mark m said:
Interesting. The 15wt is listed as stock in my manual and I am amazed that the stock weight would be too much. But, if it feels bad, it feels bad. Keep us informed on how the 10wt works.
Click to expand...

Yes, that surprises me too. Maybe it's a combination of the stiffer springs and the 15wt fork oil. I'm going to try the 10wt and if it seems too thin I'll experiment with mixing 10wt and 15wt. I want to get to the point where I use the second or third damping setting so I have some adjustability in either direction.

Joe
 
Well...this was on my to do list and with everbody saying how well the bike rides with the new springs I sprung for a set myself.

I weigh a paltry 180 compared to you big boys, do you think I should definately go with the 10wt?
 
Jeff Tate said:
I just went through the same thing last summer with my 1100E. New Progressive shocks (heavy duty springs... I'm 250lbs) and new Prgressive fork springs. After a lot of thought and discussion here on the forum , I used plain old Kerosene from Ace Hardware to flush out the forks. A gallon costs about two bucks. I flushed mine out about three times and then used 15wt bel-ray fork oil... for a while. It was just too stiff. So I flushed them again and used 10wt. Ahhhh much better. And no spring preload or air pressure either. A motorcycle jack that I borrowed sure came in handy and now I own one. After 20 plus years my bike rides like a dream.
Click to expand...

Jeff,

Thanks for posting this. It's nice to know someone else had the same results. I feel a lot better about the 10wt fork oil now.

Joe
 
Jethro said:
You use no air in the forks of the E? Those springs must make a huge difference then because right now with my stock springs in the 83E and no air I can bottom the shocks with two fingers on the bars.
Click to expand...

That is correct. The springs make that much difference. I have not put air in my forks since I got the Progressive springs. Like I said in a previous post, lots of these bikes use up half or more of the available travel just supporting the bike and rider (especially us 'Festively Plump' dudes) and can bottom the forks under moderate braking. I can brake as hard as I want without bottoming the forks, and that is with the anti-dive disconnected. According to magazine articles of the day the forks on these bikes work so much better with the Progressive springs that the anti-dive is unnecessary and actually detrimental to fork performance.

Joe
 
drain the oil out the little drain screws on the bottom of the slider.
Click to expand...

Hey Mark, which one is the little drain hole screw? My manual doesn't explain this at all...
 
The 1100E must be much heavier than the 750E? As far as I know I have the stock springs and an air leak. So the forks don't have air. I HAVE the anti dive, and to me everything is great. I've got no handling problems at all? No bottoming out either. :? :?
 
Hey Mark, which one is the little drain hole screw? My manual doesn't explain this at all...
Click to expand...

It is a little Phillips head screw on the side of the slider, just in front of and above the rebound adjustment knob.

Also, any ideas how I should deal with the anti-dive unit?
Click to expand...

Take the banjo bolt out of the anti-dive unit and use it to connect just the brake line to your caliper. Toss the short line to the anti-dive unit and find a hex head or socket head bolt to plug off the top of the anti-dive unit. That isolates the anti-dive and keeps it in the open position no matter what you do with the brake lever.

Alternatively, you can install a set of Race Tech Cartridge Emulators and when you drill out the compression holes at the bottom of the damping rod, this also eliminates the anti-dive unit. A bonus is an amazing improvement in fork performance. :)

Mark
 
mark m said:
Alternatively, you can install a set of Race Tech Cartridge Emulators and when you drill out the compression holes at the bottom of the damping rod, this also eliminates the anti-dive unit. A bonus is an amazing improvement in fork performance. :)

Mark
Click to expand...

Mark,

So you have installed the Race Tech Cartridge Emulators? What did they cost and how difficult were they to install? They are on my wish list for this winter but I have to prioritize my wishes to maintain something resembling fiscal responsibility.

Thanks,
Joe
 
Take the banjo bolt out of the anti-dive unit and use it to connect just the brake line to your caliper. Toss the short line to the anti-dive unit and find a hex head or socket head bolt to plug off the top of the anti-dive unit. That isolates the anti-dive and keeps it in the open position no matter what you do with the brake lever.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I'm looking to keep the $50 in braided brake lines for the anti-dive. It's really important for me to have the stock look.

Any ideas where I can keep the lines to the anti-dive?

Do they make double banjo bolts with only one hole?
 
Thanks, but I'm looking to keep the $50 in braided brake lines for the anti-dive. It's really important for me to have the stock look.
Click to expand...

I guess you could gut the anti-dive unit and keep the shell there with the line attached. You would have to check and make sure that the brake fluid and fork oil could not mix, but that would be it.

If you want the stock look, then the best choice would be to install the cartridge emulators and disable the anti-dive with the interal mods done for the emulators. They do cost money, however...

Mark
 
Well this weekend I spent some time on this project.

Bought 2 1/2 gallons of kerosene, and 2 quarts of Bel-Ray 15 wt. fork oil. I learned that it is really easy to pull the fork legs out of the fork mounts, so thats what I did. I figured the flush was really important, and since I wasn't pulling the fork legs themselves apart, I really wanted to spend time with it. So off came the front fender, and out came the tubes. I used a 800ml plastic squeeze bottle used for watering plants to hold the kerosene- kind of like a giant mustard squeeze bottle. That worked really well. First I did a flush with the drain screw and anti-dive unit off. Black gunk poured out of my forks! A few more flushes and the kerosene was coming out clean. Then I put the anti-dive and drain screw back on and filled with kerosene and pumped the upper fork tube about 40 times. Turned it upside down and some more gunk came out. I repeated the process a few times, the I hung the forks upside down for about 4 hours. After that I flushed with the Bel-Ray twice each leg (uggg, that stuff is $8.95 a quart!), then filled with 246ml of the fork oil per leg and remounted on the bike. Now all I need are my Progressives and I'm done!

One question though, on my upper fork legs is the hole for the air. Does this hole need to be in line with the hole in the lower fork mount and air equalizing coller? I threaded that 12mm screw in while the fork tube was out and it looked like the screw bottoms out before it hits the tube itself. I just don't want to distort the fork tube or damage the screw.
 
One question though, on my upper fork legs is the hole for the air. Does this hole need to be in line with the hole in the lower fork mount and air equalizing coller? I threaded that 12mm screw in while the fork tube was out and it looked like the screw bottoms out before it hits the tube itself. I just don't want to distort the fork tube or damage the screw.
Click to expand...

Anyone? I really don't wanna mess up my fork legs or air screws.
 
Anyone? I really don't wanna mess up my fork legs or air screws.
Click to expand...

Hey Jethro,

In absence of any other replies, I would say yes, line it up. I don't have my manual here today (man, does work get in the way of all the important stuff... :) ), but I can check it for you tonight if you don't get a good answer before then.

Mark
 
Hey Jethro,

In absence of any other replies, I would say yes, line it up. I don't have my manual here today (man, does work get in the way of all the important stuff... ), but I can check it for you tonight if you don't get a good answer before then.
Click to expand...

I have both a factory and Haynes manual and niether say anything about toruqing down the air bleeder bolts or if the fork tubes need to be positioned in a certain way. Sure hope I don't mess up the fork legs or air bleeder screws.
 
Jethro,

I do not believe the holes need to be lined up. I think the air screws seal the fittings connected to the air lines, not the holes in the fork tube. The seal for the holes in the fork tube are provided by the o-rings in the assembly the fork tubes slide through. As long as the holes in the fork tube are unobstructed and the o-rings are good you will have a good seal and the forks will hold air. I think the method to add air to the forks is to loosen the screws to allow the air to equalize between the fork tubes, pump air into the valve, then close the screws. I could be wrong but this is my understanding. I do not remember the screws having anything to do with the holes in the fork tubes.

Joe
 
Cool. I was just worried because the manual says to slacken the bolts before removal, but that might be just to relieve the air pressure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top