What the fork!

kaybusa

kaybusa

Registered
My front forks seem to be bottomed out all the time. It feels like my front tire is made of stone. Its been this way forever im not sure why i never thought to ask here for help. The forks arent leaking and are full. I pulled them apart and changed the oil to make sure but i dont know how to keep them from being compressed without a rider even being on it. Its lowered but i want to raise it some to keep it from hittin the fender when i finally get some travel out of it. HELP!!:please:
 
A few pics

IMAG0138.jpg


IMAG0134.jpg


IMAG0131.jpg
 
Did it have the mods done when ya got it? Thinkin maybe the internals of the forks aren't stock? That,would make a stiffer ride for sure.

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Well i changed everything on the bike except the paint and forks so its possible but the guy i got it from a fellow org member says they are stock and with no issues :rofl: but i remember even on my test ride the front felt hard but i was so happy to get such a great bike it didnt bother me
 
Is there a way to tell if maby the springs have been shortened, or should i just look for a new set of forks?
 
Hard to say but if your fender is not touching anything when you are onboard it has to be an internal problem.

Try straddling the bike and push down on the bars to see hope much travel you have. Put a zip tie around a fork leg so you can tell exactly what it's doing.

Maybe someone over filled the forks and there is no room for travel internally?

Trial and error through process of elimination!
 
No downwards travel at all, but there is travel. I i place a jack under the bike the forks will travel up and if i remove the jack the bike will slowly fall but that is where it stays at the bottom and it will never hit the fender. I put fluid ammount in to factory spec which is exzactly what came out of it.
 
OK i did the ziptie thing and it appears i have 3/4 of an inch of travel left. No where near enough to soften the blow from a stone in the road. So now that we know this where do i go from here? with only 3 1/2 inches of tube showing without a rider on it, isnt that bottomed out? yes there is a spring in it. ARRRRRR I'm lost
 
I'd say open em up and see what there is too see.3/4 of an inch isnt right, lowering it won't effect the travel, just when it hits the nose. I'm no expert, but somethin in there seems wrong to me.
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Well i opened them up and changed the oil. I really dont know what im looking at but i had a buddy help me and he at least knew how to change seals and everything looked ok.
 
OMG! That bike is way too pretty to be dangling in the air like that!! I want to ship my stands down to you! (Seriously I can't but man do I wanna):whistle:
Good luck with your findings! :beerchug:
 
Your preload looks like it is backed almost all the way out. This will allow the springs to be "softer" and your static and ride say will be way too high. If you aren't familiar with suspension setup, it may be worth it to pay a shop the $40-50 for a basic setup or see if someone local can give you a hand. Went to a suspension clinic last Sunday and leaned enough to maybe do my own adjustments, but they also did setups for $40 and it helped the front end a lot. Erik
 
I have a front stand but its useless without the front forks on, nothing to attach it to. OK well i guess my next question is is there anyone near DC willing to take a look? Shops are like $85 an hr. and they cant seem to fix anything in a hr!
 
I KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS!!!


too much bling!:rofl:

seriously tho-
sounds like you may have collapsed a spring, or they have been cut (cheap way of lowering the front)
 
LOL thank you beast. Does anyone know what a stock spring hight should be? Ill open them back up and measure them. Can u buy springs alone?
 
I'm interested in EXACTLY what you did with the fork service. If you want to give me a jingle we'll see if we can figure out your problem. Do you know how much oil you put back in?

You have a PM.
 
You can replace just the springs and have the option of going with a straight rate spring or a progressive spring. How much oil you put in can affect it as the amount of air in the top of the fork can affect the compression rates. With my preload adjusters all the way in and then back one turn, my stock fork springs are still way too soft and don't let me adjust the preload to the right level - they are still too soft. From what I have heard/read that is a common problem with the busa. Hope you get it all squared away. Erik
 
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