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forks stuck down

  • Thread starter Thread starter jprice90
  • Start date Start date
J

jprice90

Guest
Just bought the bike, and realized when i strapped like the bike up in the truck, the front went down wayy too easy and when i took the straps off when i got to the house, the shocks didnt Pop back up, bike Sat for a decade i was told, what could be the problem?
 
My guess would be mis-aligned fork tubes. :-k

Be very careful, as the collaped forks will not allow you to use the side stand, and if they suddenly got free, they might pop up unexpectedly. If there is any fluid left in the forks, it might be a gradual extension, but if the forks are basically dry, it might be a bit more ... surprising.

.
 
Nothing too major to fix. You'll be pulling the front end apart to get at the forks, disassemble them, make sure everything inside is ok and put in fresh fork oil and fork seals and make sure they are align properly when you put it all back together. Simple job really with help from the site or the tutorials on Cliffs site.
 
Damn, i might take it to the shop for that. i mesn they aren't really stuck, i can bring them up but its as if theres no pressure in there to push then back up, then sink back down
 
Take them to the shop? Check out Basscliff's site for the tutorials. When I rebuilt mine, I have a woodworking vise with wood jaws so that none of the metal gets damaged. It makes it very easy to work on this way. And while you are at it you might want to look into installing progressive springs as well.
 
Phred said:
Take them to the shop? Check out Basscliff's site for the tutorials. When I rebuilt mine, I have a woodworking vise with wood jaws so that none of the metal gets damaged. It makes it very easy to work on this way. And while you are at it you might want to look into installing progressive springs as well.
Click to expand...

Sorry guys, I'm all in favor of DYI but some things are better left to people with proper knowledge and tools. Take them to a reputable shop and let them handle it
 
Old bikes require a LOT of maintenance. If you are the sort of guy that doesn't know how to do the work, and you don't want to learn, it's going to cost a lot of money taking the bike to the shop all the time. Or do as many do, and don't do the maintenance at all, and wait for the bike to break down.

Check the newbie mistakes thread linked in my signature if you want to get an idea as to what you are up against. If doing things like a brake system tear down, valve adjustment, full carb tear down, rewiring your charging system etc. is too much for you, you might want to consider a newer bike.
 
what ^he said. What's the point in owning an old classic if you are not willing to learn how to maintain it.
 
You may find the shop's reputation is based on plugging in diagnostic tools. Shops who know these machines are scarce. Shops who don't but are prepared to take your money are plentiful. If you must get help you would be better off trying to contact local clubs.
 
jprice90 said:
Damn, i might take it to the shop for that. i mesn they aren't really stuck, i can bring them up but its as if theres no pressure in there to push then back up, then sink back down
Click to expand...

It almost sounds like there's no springs in there. Anyways, doing the front end work is not rocket science, it's really rather easy, just pulling nuts and bolts and measuring fork fluid. There's step by step pictured tutorials on Cliffs site that a small child could work with. There are VERY few trust worthy shops out there that know how to work on these bikes, be careful.
 
jprice90 said:
Damn, i might take it to the shop for that. i mesn they aren't really stuck, i can bring them up but its as if theres no pressure in there to push then back up, then sink back down
Click to expand...

I would pop the drain screws then take the top caps off, then turn them upside down and see would crawls out. Sounds like the springs aren't there or they have totally collapsed(?) Any case, whatever you find, a good upgrade on fork springs would be a set of straight rate from Sonic springs. Progressive springs are okay only if you are doing some umm high spirited riding on a track. sonicsprings.com
 
Im familiar with working on bikes, some stuff anyway. Just never anything like the forks, wasnt sure if they were under load, like a car. I'll check it out, thanks guys
 
There is a very minor "load" when you remove the top cap, maybe about 1/2". And, there is not a LOT of pressure in that 1/2", so just press down a bit while you unscrew the cap, you will be fine.

By the way, there are a LOT of threads on the cap, so you will be unscrewing for a while. Probably at least 3/4" of threads.

.
 
jprice90 said:
Im familiar with working on bikes, some stuff anyway. Just never anything like the forks, wasnt sure if they were under load, like a car. I'll check it out, thanks guys
Click to expand...

C'mon man, read the manuals, study the diagrams - it's simple stuff, you can take care of it.
 
But if the springs are in there, and that is the big if, there should be a considerable amount of force on the top cap from the compressed spring. All hypothetical, but just make sure you know where that cap is pointed when you unthread it. Better yet have another set of hands holding it down while you unscrew it. Someone also mentioned checking for bind. Have you done that? If not, try supporting bike with center stand or jack and loosening axle and triple clamp bolts and see if the forks extend or if you can manually extend and compress them.
 
Last edited:
Brendan W said:
Are there any springs in there ?
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking too.

The forks must be MASSIVELY seized for them to hold the springs down like described if they are actually still in there.

So yes - be EXTREMELY careful undoing the fork caps because they will come out like bullets if they are under the tension of compressed fork springs.
 
jprice90 said:
Damn, i might take it to the shop for that. i mesn they aren't really stuck, i can bring them up but its as if theres no pressure in there to push then back up, then sink back down
Click to expand...

Based on what you wrote here, it really sounds as if there are no springs in there,and the shocks are not seized, as you do have up and down movement. pull the front wheel off, pull off the forks, and then take apart the forks as per manual, see what is what. Even if there is no fluid inside the fork, the springs if any in there should push the forks back up and keep them in an extended state....

Check with the guy you purchased the bike from if he has the springs kicking around somewhere.....sounds like someone forgot to put them back in......

Just one more thing, are you sure it's just the tubes going up and down in the forks, or is the entire thing loose enough that the tubes are sliding up and down in the triple trees ?

.
 
My first thought was a missing spring, but although I've never heard of it, I suppose it's possible that if the bike was stored with the forks tied down (compressed), the air inside could have leaked out of the forks over time and there may be a vacuum inside. If there are drain screws for the forks, I would try remove one (with a container below) and see what happens. If there's no vacuum inside, oil will dribble out. If there is you'll know it quickly as air will suck in and the front should rise some. Just a wild a.. guess...
 
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