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PVC spacer for front fork preload question...

Gregory

Gregory

Forum Mentor
Past Site Supporter
78gs1000e

I am tired of dealing with air issues in the front fork (rebuilt them a year ago) so now want to insert enough 3/4" pvc to make the forks close to accurate.

Do I remove the 3" metal spacer thing that is already in there and make a pvc pipe a couple inches longer than that?

OR ..... do I leave that metal spacer sleeve in and just make a spacer to go on top?

It looks to me like the metal spacer sleeve is so thin it could cut in to the pvc.

In regards to the length I need, I am about 230 lbs.
 
Gregory said:
78gs1000e

I am tired of dealing with air issues in the front fork (rebuilt them a year ago) so now want to insert enough 3/4" pvc to make the forks close to accurate.

Do I remove the 3" metal spacer thing that is already in there and make a pvc pipe a couple inches longer than that?

OR ..... do I leave that metal spacer sleeve in and just make a spacer to go on top?

It looks to me like the metal spacer sleeve is so thin it could cut in to the pvc.

In regards to the length I need, I am about 230 lbs.
Click to expand...

If those are the stock fork springs, you might want to look into upgrading your fork springs with Sonic's straight rate springs. Eliminate the air system for good and go with a 15-20 wt fork oil to get the ride you want.
 
mrbill5491 said:
If those are the stock fork springs, you might want to look into upgrading your fork springs with Sonic's straight rate springs. Eliminate the air system for good and go with a 15-20 wt fork oil to get the ride you want.
Click to expand...

Yes I probably will, but for right now with cash being tight I would like to try to make these stock springs work. Any advise?
 
Replace the metal sleeve with a piece just long enough to stick out above the top of the fork tube about a half an inch and see if you like the improvement. Of course, it will be more difficult to get the cap back on with the added pressure.
 
tkent02 said:
Take the steel ones out and put in longer PVC ones.
Click to expand...

This but you also might want to consider taking some of the coils off of your spring (cut it & flatten the end back out best you can on a sander) which will increase the spring rate.....

Cut at least 2" to feel a difference but don't go too short otherwise you could go coil bound.

Make sure there is a metal washer between the cut end & the PVC. Increase the length of the PVC by how much you cut off.

Adding more spacer (preload) only affects the "start point" not the overall spring rate.

I would cut off all the close wound springs plus an inch or two of the other ones if it was me.

Add up all the gaps between the coils & make sure you have more than 5" of "gaps" in total left.

:)
 
Why not do some measuring and get it pretty darn close, the first time you try it? :-k

Measure your "sag" to see how much you need to add. To do this, locate a helper, then ...

- Start with the bike on the centerstand, measure from the top of a fork tube to the bottom of the triple clamp above it. Record that measurement.
- Take the bike off the stand, sit on the bike. Put as much weight as possible on the bike in a normal riding position.
- Have your helper measure the distance from the top of the fork tube to the bottom of the triple clamp. Record it.

Your forks should sag no more than 20-25% of total travel. In your case, you are looking for 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Compare that with what you just measured.

Let's say you dropped 2 inches. You need to add about 3/4 inch to bring it up.

Now, take the stock metal spacer out, measure it, add 3/4", cut your PVC to that length.
icon_thumbsup.gif


That will work until you get your new springs, then you get to do it all over again. :D

.
 
I appreciate everyone's help. I got impatient waiting on an answer and was working on it when Chuck C called me.

I was trying a washer atop the stock sleeve and a 2"PVC and it wasn't going on. Chuck told me that he had taken apart some forks and found 3/4" to 1" spacers in them.... SO, I have tried that. 1 washer and a bit over 3/4" PVC. It was a booger to get on but I got it done.

Haven't taken it for a spin yet, but the new fender was still scraping the pipes so I simply cut the damaged part of the fender off for now till I get this figured out.

I suspect these V&H pipes are not correct for this bike.

picture.php
 
like somebody else said...
you have to cut the soft end off the spring and replace the missing spring piece with the same length of pvc spacer, plus more spacer for preloading to set sag.
 
To push down on the top cap, use a 1/2 inch drive socket, push down with a long extension with both hands. Even better if you have an old school speed wrench, hold it down with one hand, push down with your chest, and turn it with the other hand. Be careful not to cross thread it.
 
You can also measure sag ( travel if you will ) with a zip tie fitted just tight enough to slide right above the top of the wiper ( dust boot as some call it ) and do the compression. The tie will stay at its highest point of travel when the forks are extended again.

And I have even found chunks of solid round stock steel spacers in fork before. Have seen spacers from 3/4 inch and as long as 2 inches. I told Greg to start with 1 inch and see how it feels. PVC is cheap and many lengths can be cut to customize the feel to ones individual likings.

And yes i did mention a washer above the metal sleeve so it doesnt cut into the PVC.
 
Last edited:
tkent02 said:
To push down on the top cap, use a 1/2 inch drive socket, push down with a long extension with both hands. Even better if you have an old school speed wrench, hold it down with one hand, push down with your chest, and turn it with the other hand. Be careful not to cross thread it.
Click to expand...

YUP. That's exactly how I eventually did it, and was crossing my fingers that I didn't cross thread since it goes on a bit off centered.

I would suspect that Suzuki had a special tool for this back in the day.
 
Gregory said:
I appreciate everyone's help. I got impatient waiting on an answer and was working on it when Chuck C called me.

I was trying a washer atop the stock sleeve and a 2"PVC and it wasn't going on. Chuck told me that he had taken apart some forks and found 3/4" to 1" spacers in them.... SO, I have tried that. 1 washer and a bit over 3/4" PVC. It was a booger to get on but I got it done.

Haven't taken it for a spin yet, but the new fender was still scraping the pipes so I simply cut the damaged part of the fender off for now till I get this figured out.

I suspect these V&H pipes are not correct for this bike.

picture.php
Click to expand...

Those look like drag pipes right? They have a different bend to them then the street megaphones.
 
Gregory said:
YUP. That's exactly how I eventually did it, and was crossing my fingers that I didn't cross thread since it goes on a bit off centered.

I would suspect that Suzuki had a special tool for this back in the day.
Click to expand...

I bet the special tool was a big guy with a speed wrench.
 
Gregory said:
YUP. That's exactly how I eventually did it, and was crossing my fingers that I didn't cross thread since it goes on a bit off centered.

I would suspect that Suzuki had a special tool for this back in the day.
Click to expand...
too late to comment, but turning a bolt Backwards a bit will often find the "start" of a thread. If you are pushing down as tKENT said, you will often feel it kind of "snick" as the start of top and bottom threads pass by each other
 
I just saw another thread about adding sonic springs but didn't want to hijack it. Even though I am back on the road now with the spacers, they feel a little odd.

For planning purposes -- what size / model number of Sonic Springs will I want to order for my 1978 gs1000e?

And where is cheapest place to buy them?

I weigh about 230+ and ASSUME I probably want them on the stiffer side.
 
Gregory said:
I just saw another thread about adding sonic springs but didn't want to hijack it. Even though I am back on the road now with the spacers, they feel a little odd.

For planning purposes -- what size / model number of Sonic Springs will I want to order for my 1978 gs1000e?

And where is cheapest place to buy them?

I weigh about 230+ and ASSUME I probably want them on the stiffer side.
Click to expand...

Go with the 1.0s. Only place to get them is direct from us.

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=31_193&osCsid=4cffa2c01ea5f923399698a6cbd64df4

Let me know if you have any other questions.
 
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