Hey folks.
Calling all those who have installed Progressive's Monotube Fork kit on 2 gen KLR!
Hoping to depart for 9 days on BDR on the 16th, and I've run into a problem that could really get in the way.
Last Saturday (holiday weekend), while happily installing my new front suspension, the shop music suddenly turned dark.:85a:
Assembling per instructions, I slid the new assemblies in the fork tubes, rotating them to "seat" them at the bottom (sort of expecting to feel a detent or something, but not getting any such satisfaction - even though the instructions don't mention it), applied RED Locktite to the bottom slider bolts (with associated sealing washers) and attempted to tighten them to the specified 29 ft. lbs.
I was lucky if I was getting 5 ft. lbs before the damper rod started to turn withing the cartridge.
Holding the housing static did nothing to stop the damper rod from turning. Compressing the internals (to the extent one guy can while operating a ratchet), also failed. Attempts to remove the bolt were equally fruitless.:surprise:
This is a critical problem, compounded by the use of RED Loctite.
Crap. I called Progressive, but being a holiday weekend, they were out riding. God bless 'em.
I had to get it home, so I reassembled it all knowing fully that I will be doing a much more complicated version of this job again very soon. I kept an eye out for seepage at the bottoms of the fork sliders. They were dry when I got home, but sure enough, today, they both have a film, and one is starting to drip.
I'm hoping Progressive will offer a definitive solution to achieving specified torque, but I really, really, really hope they have a definitive answer as to how I'm going to disassemble this mess...
Has anyone run into this problem?
Any ideas how to get this apart?
Am I in as big a predicament as I think?
I appreciate any ideas or experiences.
Instruction details for any interested:
After removal of the stock springs, spacers etc., Progressive mentions what it calls "Bottoming cups", and I think this is what Clymer refers to as an "oil lock piece" - these did not come out, nor did the springs that Progressive mentions might, but that should simply be put back if they do.
Progressive then instructs that the Monotube assembly be slid into the fork tube "until the monotube is seated at the bottom of it, then put a drop of red thread locking agent onto the bolt that came out of the bottom of the fork and reinstall it (along with the sealing washer)..." then it says to tighten it up to 29 ft. lbs.
Calling all those who have installed Progressive's Monotube Fork kit on 2 gen KLR!
Hoping to depart for 9 days on BDR on the 16th, and I've run into a problem that could really get in the way.
Last Saturday (holiday weekend), while happily installing my new front suspension, the shop music suddenly turned dark.:85a:
Assembling per instructions, I slid the new assemblies in the fork tubes, rotating them to "seat" them at the bottom (sort of expecting to feel a detent or something, but not getting any such satisfaction - even though the instructions don't mention it), applied RED Locktite to the bottom slider bolts (with associated sealing washers) and attempted to tighten them to the specified 29 ft. lbs.
I was lucky if I was getting 5 ft. lbs before the damper rod started to turn withing the cartridge.
Holding the housing static did nothing to stop the damper rod from turning. Compressing the internals (to the extent one guy can while operating a ratchet), also failed. Attempts to remove the bolt were equally fruitless.:surprise:
This is a critical problem, compounded by the use of RED Loctite.
Crap. I called Progressive, but being a holiday weekend, they were out riding. God bless 'em.
I had to get it home, so I reassembled it all knowing fully that I will be doing a much more complicated version of this job again very soon. I kept an eye out for seepage at the bottoms of the fork sliders. They were dry when I got home, but sure enough, today, they both have a film, and one is starting to drip.
I'm hoping Progressive will offer a definitive solution to achieving specified torque, but I really, really, really hope they have a definitive answer as to how I'm going to disassemble this mess...
Has anyone run into this problem?
Any ideas how to get this apart?
Am I in as big a predicament as I think?
I appreciate any ideas or experiences.
Instruction details for any interested:
After removal of the stock springs, spacers etc., Progressive mentions what it calls "Bottoming cups", and I think this is what Clymer refers to as an "oil lock piece" - these did not come out, nor did the springs that Progressive mentions might, but that should simply be put back if they do.
Progressive then instructs that the Monotube assembly be slid into the fork tube "until the monotube is seated at the bottom of it, then put a drop of red thread locking agent onto the bolt that came out of the bottom of the fork and reinstall it (along with the sealing washer)..." then it says to tighten it up to 29 ft. lbs.