Rebuilding Front Forks

[Jake]

Hi there,

 

Wondering if somebody can recommend a shop to gut and rebuild the front fork's on my 99 RSV. I'm not worried if I have to ship them somewhere, I just want a reputable shop that can do the work, thank's.

 

Jake

 

Ride Hard/Ride Often/Ride Safe:cool10:

[dingy]

Hi there,

 

Wondering if somebody can recommend a shop to gut and rebuild the front fork's on my 99 RSV. I'm not worried if I have to ship them somewhere, I just want a reputable shop that can do the work, thank's.

 

Jake

 

Ride Hard/Ride Often/Ride Safe:cool10:

 

MiCarl is in Plymouth, Michigan.

 

PM him.

 

He has done more than a few.

 

Gary

[etcswjoe]

Have you thought about doing it yourself? I am getting ready to tackle it on one of my bikes.

[steamer]

Removing the fairing is the hard part. If you are removing the forks yourself you might as well rebuild the forks. Its not that hard to do. I just did mine. I installed progressive springs while I was at it. Make sure you have an inpact wrench to remove the bolts in the bottom of the forks. Can't remember what they are call, some people call them the drain bolt. all the oil will drain out when you pull them. There is some write ups on the 1st gen that will help. Not much about the 2nd gen, but the basics are the same. Also found some info on youtube. pm me if you have any questions. I will tell you all the things I had to do twice... or even three times But hey,now I'm an expert.

[Squidley]

MiCarl is in Plymouth, Michigan.

 

PM him.

 

He has done more than a few.

 

Gary

 

 

I'll second that, Carl is good people and when it comes to Ventures....he knows his stuff

[allwx]

Hi there,

 

Wondering if somebody can recommend a shop to gut and rebuild the front fork's on my 99 RSV. I'm not worried if I have to ship them somewhere, I just want a reputable shop that can do the work, thank's.

 

Jake

 

Howdy, Jake. What are your forks doing that make you want to rebuild them?

 

Reason I ask is, I've been getting some noise from somewhere in my front end, and lately have turned my attention to the forks as a possible location.

 

Thanks

 

Patrick

[FuzzyRSTD]

MiCarl is in Plymouth, Michigan.

 

PM him.

 

He has done more than a few.

 

Gary

 

I will third that notion.

 

That is what I would do if I where to get anyone to do it for me. He is the best and you will not get robbed.

 

Fuzzy

[Nodaker]

I'm about to rebuild front forks on my '04 Venture (blew a seal-oil everywhere-road trip soon:confused07:).

Is there a listing somewhere of what parts to replace/not replace, stock and/or aftermarket.

The schematic shows all the parts and I'm guessing you only need to replace a handful per side.

 

I've read about some of the members changing from stock to aftermarket springs. What is this suppose to do for the handling? I haven't had any issues with the way the bike rides. I deffinately don't want a harsh/stiff ride for the long hauls.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[steamer]

I'm about to rebuild front forks on my '04 Venture (blew a seal-oil everywhere-road trip soon:confused07:).

Is there a listing somewhere of what parts to replace/not replace, stock and/or aftermarket.

The schematic shows all the parts and I'm guessing you only need to replace a handful per side.

 

I've read about some of the members changing from stock to aftermarket springs. What is this suppose to do for the handling? I haven't had any issues with the way the bike rides. I deffinately don't want a harsh/stiff ride for the long hauls.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

I replaced all the wear parts. 1 ring at the bottom, 1 ring at the top. the seals. the dust rings. I seem to remember a nylon ring also. I also replaced the "o" rings on the top cap. If you like the handling of your bike,then I wouldn't replace the springs. If you want a stiffer ride then go ahead and replace the springs.

[allwx]

I doubt anybody ever does this, but it is something to consider, and the measurement is pretty easy once you get the springs out of the forks.

 

The book sez the spring free length limit is 573mm. If it is "over" the limit (book's words) then replace the springs. I gather what this means is that over time the spring will get shorter. It probably starts out well above 573mm, and then shortens over time and miles. Shorter than 573 and it is toast.

 

At least that's how I read it. Stock springs are probably best for this bike. I've used stiffer springs in other bikes, including in my Roadstar, which has a near identical front end. I ended up putting the stock springs back in. To each his own.

[Nodaker]

Thanks for the tips. I've got a list of parts to order and once the job is complete I'll try to post the parts list for others to use.

[Rick Butler]

Joel,

 

The springs really don't have that much to do with the ride. It's the dampening rod with the compression and rebound holes that control the ride. If you don't have proper dampening then it's like taking a shock off of a wheel on your truck.......it's going to bounce, and keep bouncing. The reason you need to replace springs is because over time the springs loose their sag allowing the bike to drop lower with the weight of the bike and driver. In other words, they compress to the point to where there is not enough coils to keep the bike at the proper ride height.

 

Most forks have a total travel of 4 - 5 inches. If you use up 2 - 3 inches with the weight of the bike and driver then there is not much travel left to deal with bumps, etc which may allow the forks to bottom out on a harsh bump. I know for a fact that the RSV springs have a spring rate of .90kg/mm. And if you run this bikes weight through a spring rate calulator, it will come back with a spring rate of 1.2kg/mm. The suspension professionals say that you should only have 30-35mm of sag for a street bike.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Rick

 

Oh, you will need to buy or build a seal driver to replace your fork seals.

 

 

I'm about to rebuild front forks on my '04 Venture (blew a seal-oil everywhere-road trip soon:confused07:).

Is there a listing somewhere of what parts to replace/not replace, stock and/or aftermarket.

The schematic shows all the parts and I'm guessing you only need to replace a handful per side.

 

I've read about some of the members changing from stock to aftermarket springs. What is this suppose to do for the handling? I haven't had any issues with the way the bike rides. I deffinately don't want a harsh/stiff ride for the long hauls.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[Nodaker]

Thanks for the explenation Rick, it all makes sense.

I see no need to go to stiffer springs unless you are be setting up for a heavier payload than what the bike is rated for. Stock springs should be fine unless they are worn out, then replace with the same.

 

Parts should be arriving any day now and then the fun starts. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

Thanks