[valeriu2225]

Damn good job man, learned a lot

 

[Willieonethou]

Awesome post!? Sorry to resurrect but it's by far the best v I've found yet.
Had a buddy of mine change my seals for me, I trust his work otherwise he wouldn't have touched my bike. But now no matter how we adjust it one has more travel that the other. They both seem to have the same resistance and rebound rate but still no matter what I do one has more travel than the other. The one with the most travel feels like I would assume it should and the other with the short travel feels as if it's being blocked some how from full travel... I would prefer not to buy more fluid and seals to redo everything my self using your guid so I figured I would see if you had any suggestions. Also is the fluid level being EXACTLY the same extremely important to the level of perhaps weighing both on a scale or are a couple Cc's one way or another going to hurt n e thing

 

[Willieonethou]

The process with the meat injector confused me a bit? Is the amount of fluid the 1/8in Tibet holds when it's cut to 110mm the exact amount you should take out of the form when it's filled to the tip top?

 

[es954rr]

you want the fluid level 110mm down from the top of the fork tube.

 

[1hoffer]

Excellent Stuff

 

[seb421]

Hi thanks alot for this great write up

I have got some brand new springs cheap off a mate trouble is they are 929 springs which are slightly shorter than the 954's

Will they be okay to use if i get a washer from somewhere, they are Hagon Progressive Springs

how thick was the washers you used?

Thanks, seb.

 

[backdoc]

The aftermarket springs will be thicker and shorter than the stock springs. My racetech springs came with 2 & 3mm thick spacers. The number of spacers and thickness combination used depends on the amount of preload required. Racetech recommended 10mm of preload. Its a trial and error thing to figure out how many to use to get the required preload. Check out the link below. Measure the spring then install it in the fork. Now remove bottom damper bolt to remove the damper assembly to measure the installed spring length and subtract from free length to get preload.

Also check the required fork fluid level for your springs. It will be more than the stock measurement because the aftermarket spring is heavier and will displace more fluid than the stock spring. Leaving too small of an air gap may cause a very harsh ride. I used Motorex Racing 5W fluid last time. Not all fork fluid weights are the same and after researching them I found Motorex to rated very well.

Fork Spring Preload

 

[CerealKiller]

Mate, sorry for resurrecting such an old thread (especially with my first post to the boards) but it's the best resource out there, and I'd prefer to ask the master.

Your measurement quoted 110mm air gap, and I'm curious where this came from. I know backdoc says that with different springs you use a different air gap - is that the case?

My Honda Service manual tell me 90mm, and I split the difference and decided to put in 100mm - all with stock internals. Am I crazy? Is this going to cause ride problems? I'm really hoping to head back out to the track next week.

The bike is 12 years old but only has 10,000km on it. MY last track day resulted in very poor front end feel, and a loose rear. I decided that even though the fork oil hasn't been used much, it has been sitting in a garage for 10 years and I should replace it.

So whatd'ya think? Do I open them back up and go with Honda's recommended 90mm? Or do I head out to the track and see what I think?

Thanks fellas!

 

[backdoc]

Mate, sorry for resurrecting such an old thread (especially with my first post to the boards) but it's the best resource out there, and I'd prefer to ask the master.

Your measurement quoted 110mm air gap, and I'm curious where this came from. I know backdoc says that with different springs you use a different air gap - is that the case?

My Honda Service manual tell me 90mm, and I split the difference and decided to put in 100mm - all with stock internals. Am I crazy? Is this going to cause ride problems? I'm really hoping to head back out to the track next week.

The bike is 12 years old but only has 10,000km on it. MY last track day resulted in very poor front end feel, and a loose rear. I decided that even though the fork oil hasn't been used much, it has been sitting in a garage for 10 years and I should replace it.

So whatd'ya think? Do I open them back up and go with Honda's recommended 90mm? Or do I head out to the track and see what I think?

Thanks fellas!

The air gap is determined by the weight of the spring since the measurement is taken before the spring is installed in the fork. A heavier spring will displace more fluid than a lighter spring so it will require a larger measurement(less fluid). The stock springs are .710kg whereas the Racetech's I used are .95kg. Using a larger measurement of 100 with the stock springs will mostly likely soften the front forks even more.

If you are doing track days I would upgrade the springs to better suit your weight and also add gold valves. The valve upgrade made a huge difference in the handling of my bike.

 

[jondog9]

Backdoc, do you think that the gold valves advantage can only be seen on a track, or will an average rider on the street also feel the benefits? In other words, do you have to be a certain skill level, or will the gold valves automatically improve front end handling?

 

[backdoc]

Backdoc, do you think that the gold valves advantage can only be seen on a track, or will an average rider on the street also feel the benefits? In other words, do you have to be a certain skill level, or will the gold valves automatically improve front end handling?

A properly setup bike with gold valves and fork springs should handle much better than a stock setup. Any rider who is used to the stock setup on their bike should be able to feel the difference no matter if they are riding on the street or at the track.

 

[jondog9]

Thanks. On my list...

 

[JamesMio]

Bringing an old thread up from the death to say thanks for the write up - made my life much, much easier when removing my forks to get them sent away.

Great job, thank you!

 

[Camper]

I have read this at least 10-15 times in the past two weeks as I also bought Racetech springs (.90) and didn't want to pay a distant shop 350 to 375 to have it done. This was my bible. Thank you so much for the writeup. I am very happy with them after a quick ride around the block. Seems like the front sits a bit higher but it probably needs adjusted anyway... Feels solid though and a lot better than the old springs with one busted seal.. Again, thank you very much for this write-up as it saved me a lot of money and helped me gain some experience along the way which I can carry forward..
Best wishes,
Josh

 

[Bluevitz_RS]

Where did you source your parts for the rebuild? Is it just as cheap to just go to honda and get the parts? I got a used set and one fork is leaking and both have that dark discolouration on the lowers at the front. Probably signs of worn bushing?!?

Any insight is appreciated.

 

[backdoc]

Where did you source your parts for the rebuild? Is it just as cheap to just go to honda and get the parts? I got a used set and one fork is leaking and both have that dark discolouration on the lowers at the front. Probably signs of worn bushing?!?

Any insight is appreciated.

I used All Balls fork seals I purchased from Ebay and got the OEM bushings from Ron Ayers.

 

[Bluevitz_RS]

So if I have discolouration on my forks, is that a sign I should get the bushings as well?

 

[Bluevitz_RS]

Is this what I want?

http://bit.ly/Hshlgz. <--eBay link

 

[backdoc]

Is this what I want?

http://bit.ly/Hshlgz. <--eBay link

Yeah that's it. There is a great deal on ebay right now for an Ohlins rear shock and complete fork rebuild kit with springs and gold valves. You may want to check it out.

 

[Bluevitz_RS]

Well, I've got a 250RR and already have a Penske fully adjustable rear so the stock 954 fork springs and valving should be sufficient for a bike that weighs 100lbs less