[Uncle Dick]

Hi guys, I’ve looked and read quite a few posts but can’t find what I’m looking for. Recently I removed a set of junk fork preload caps. I removed them with the wheels of the ground after some chain maintenance.

After I replaced the stock caps and went for a ride it seems as though the front end is noticeably stiffer when going over bumps. My question is this. Did I inadvertently add more air space to the forks because they were extended?

Dick

 

[DPelletier]

No. What is likely happening is that the preload adjusters and the factory caps are different heights so you'd need to adjust the fork spacers to suit. Check out the height difference between the two. Normally, I'd expect the adjustable caps to be longer than the factory caps which should mean that you reduced preload but since you say it got stiffer, the opposite must be true.

Dave

 

[pdwestman]

A normal human usually can't even re-install any fork cap with the weight of the bike pushing the spacer and spring up OUT of the uncapped fork leg. (Its a wonder you didn't shoot your eye out, as the cap stripped the last 1/8 of thread off!)

But if one could, the partially collapsed fork leg would have captured less atmosphere causing a softer spring action, as long as the cap lengths were the same, imo.

Is your bike a Gen 1 or a Gen 2?

 

[Uncle Dick]

It’s a generation 2 and I’ve done it 3 times on the sidestand, there was no flipping spring and spacer sticking out? There wasn’t an elephant sitting on the seat! It just takes a human of average strength to do it....in fact my girlfriend said she’d do it next time.

 

[Klrian]

It’s a generation 2 and I’ve done it 3 times on the sidestand, there was no flipping spring and spacer sticking out? There wasn’t an elephant sitting on the seat! It just takes a human of average strength to do it....in fact my girlfriend said she’d do it next time.

I imagine the secret is to do one fork at a time.

 

[Uncle Dick]

Exactly,

 

[DPelletier]

Gen1 vs. Gen2; springs and spacers are vastly different. That said, I've done it on my Gen1.


Dave