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Front Air Suspension Question GS1100G

londonboards

londonboards

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
I seem to have a fairly unusual air balancing system on my GS1100 and it poses the problem of how to get the fork tubes out of the T.

See: My GS1100G Blog - Front Air Suspension

This is the system:

P1050988.jpg


P1050992.jpg


P1050993.jpg


How do I get these off:

P1060003.jpg


P1060004.jpg


Greetings
 
The 83 750's have the same thing.Put some penetrating oil on the top and bottom of the fittings and knock the rust down on the upper stanchions.Once you have some lubrication on the 2 o rings they move easier.
 
SVSooke thanks for that.

Can I assume that they detatch fully by sliding up? I am guessing there is a hole in the stanchion somewhere that allows the air to pass?

Greetings
 
Yes just o-rings underneath with a hole in the tube. A little lube and some twisting should get them. I myself would spray the fork tube with a light weight oil and hit the tubes with some 2000 grit sand paper and clean the rust up before removing them , it will make it easier to get them off.The 2000 grit paper works real well with like wd40 as a rust remover on fork tubes , it will remove the little pitting that is so common on fork tubes, it also will not mark up the chrome surface.
 
As hjfisk says. They are a tight fit (they obviously need to be to keep the air in). You will need new O rings when you put things back together.
 
Looks like those tubes are toast anyway, but certainly remove the bumps of rust before trying to get those banjos off. There is a hard chromer that I saw at Stafford advertises in the classic motorcycle mag will do the pair for ?125 which is not too bad., failing that if you're not in a rush give me a call when I get back,. Check to see if they're straight, if not don't despair. I know a clever man.
 
Does this "air suspension" actually work?

Does this "air suspension" actually work?

OK I see now. I have got the collars off and there is the little air hole in the fork stanchion:

P1060008.jpg


P1060010.jpg


The thing is I am thinking of getting this air hole filled and doing away with the air suspension system all together. Or does it really work? I seem to remember that it never really held it's air and was difficult to pump up as it doesn't really take much volume of air and it's difficult to get the right pressure to display on the gauge. And I found the darn thing the other day:

P1060019.jpg


Greetings
 
tatu I have seen the hard re-chroming advertised but not as cheap as that. I seem to remember about ?225 / ?250 which included reconditioning the bottoms.

As a result I bought myself another set for about ?50 which don't have anything like the same amount of pitting but they turned out to be 40.80 mm stanchions and mine are 36.70. They look like being from a 16 valve GS1100 not the 8 valve that I have. I might get a T from one of those if it would fit mine. That's a possible alternative solution.

Greetings
 
londonboards said:
So the air suspension bit is not worth having? No road holding advantage?

Greetings
Click to expand...

It was a good idea at the time I suppose and does work. The Achilles heel was always leaks and finnicky set up.

Whacking some of those other springs in there will do the job just as well, if not better.
 
you got pm, check to see if the same tube length/diameter is used on any other gs and give that fella a ring, he might have what you need without holes and good chrome
 
Cheers tatu I will call him. Sounds like a good guy to know.

Where can I get lengths and diameters from? I will sell this other pair I have as well but it's better to know which bike they will fit.

Greetings
 
londonboards said:
Cheers tatu I will call him. Sounds like a good guy to know.

Where can I get lengths and diameters from? I will sell this other pair I have as well but it's better to know which bike they will fit.

Greetings
Click to expand...

Someone posted up a chart on here a few weeks back that gave the details, failing that measure them and ask here, lots of knowledgable folk here.
 
There you go, already some help,
To be fair looking at your picture they don't looka a lot different from standard gs1000/850, if thats the case I know someone who has a set of refurbed 850 tubes ready to go.
 
hampshirehog said:
What length and diameter have you got and what did you buy?
Click to expand...

I bought a GS1100 set of forks which are 40.70 mm (probably 41s but worn?) on the stanchion and 84 cm high uncompressed (I have not dissembled). I am now guessing they are from a 16 valve.

I have stanchions that are 37.00 mm and 84 cm high uncompressed.

On the scandalon chart it shows 41s for a GS1100 GKS/GK2/GKD/GKE ('82-84) and for the 37s it shows GS1100 GZ/GLZ (83).

The plate on my bike says manufactured in December 1982 but it has the 1983 model black engine, solid rear air shocks and slightly different aluminum footpegs. Perhaps they were using up old parts.

Either way I have a set of reasonable 41s that I can't use unless I change the T (if that is possible).

Greetings
 
It is amazing.

But hey aren't you supposed to be relaxing in EA? Spending all your time on the Forum here is not going to impress. Go look after the lady.

Greetings
 
The 41mm forks won't be off the GSX1100s - they're all 37mm. My bet would be they are of a later 8 valve shafty.

December '82 is a 1983 bike - Suzuki's 'year' started in October (just to confuse things). So she should have the 41mm forks - but as we know Suzuki were (and still are) the 'parts bin boys' so probably threw an old pair on your bike.

I would be confident that the 41mm yokes would fit straight on (but you might struggle to find them over here).

How long are the 37mm forks that you had fitted? I bet a set from a GS1000 or 850 would be the same length or very close. Much easier to find plus no air holes.
 
They are 84 cm uncompressed. But I will probably end up just getting mine hard chromed and plugging the air hole and putting air valves on both tops to pump them up.

Greetings
 
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