Progressive Springs and oil have arrived!

[cowpuc]

14 hours ago, Pasta Burner said:

So after fixing the unexpected fuel leak today I finally got to try out the new springs!  They are a little stiffer than I expected, no air 10wt progressive oil.  I measured 5.5” from the top of the tube when compressed after pumping a dozen times.  Will letting a little oil out soften them up?  Gonna give it more time before I do that, just asking.  
The two things that stand out most as I went for a much deserved beer run are first it’s really nice not bouncing while changing gears and second it instilled a bit of confidence I was subconsciously lacking.  Every crack in the road before had me worried I was going to wash out because I never knew when the forks would bottom out.  
 

Was the 5.5 inches from the top on oil fill taken with the springs in or with the springs out?  The springs need to be inside the tubes when filling. Personally I set mine to 4" from the top on a refill with the springs in and the tubes collapsed and that always works best in my case. Actually it is the oil weight that controls the dampening. If your dampening is slow and sluggish then try a lighter weight oil.  Make sure you have your springs in with the progressive windings at the bottom of the spring when you put the spring into the tube. If the static drop (you should see about 1 1/2 inches of drop on your forks into the lower tubes when you put the weight of the bike back onto the springs when lowering off center stand and that is where it should stay until you sit on the bike) is to high than you need to lessen your preload.. If its to low so your fork tubes are setting lower than 1 1/2 inches while the weight of the bike is sitting on the fork springs you should increase your preload until you reach 1 1/2 inches.  All this can be tweeked to your type of riding and what you want from your bike, it is basic suspention set up info..

[saddlebum]

Agreed do not cut back on the oil. As a matter of fact cut back far enough you will hamper the dampening effect and you will end up with a bouncy front end. You can always shorten the spacer tube if it rides too hard.

[Pasta Burner]

I measured 5.5 without the springs.  I will not be letting any oil out, thanks for that.  Gotta get more than 12 miles on it before I do any changes.  I was just so used to the floppy springs it’s a world of a difference.

[Marcarl]

10 minutes ago, Pasta Burner said:

I measured 5.5 without the springs.  I will not be letting any oil out, thanks for that.  Gotta get more than 12 miles on it before I do any changes.  I was just so used to the floppy springs it’s a world of a difference.

Maybe, just to be sure,,,,,, according to @cowpuc you need to have the springs in the tubes. If you measured the oil without the springs in the tubes then when you put the springs in the oil would be much too high and you might even have a solid fork, and if you manage to compress it you could blow the seals.

[cowpuc]

3 hours ago, Pasta Burner said:

I measured 5.5 without the springs.  I will not be letting any oil out, thanks for that.  Gotta get more than 12 miles on it before I do any changes.  I was just so used to the floppy springs it’s a world of a difference.

I have used a syringe with a hose hooked to it for years to get my fork oil levels spot on and equal, its very cheap, fast and accurate. There are aftermarket kits for doing this (like this = https://www.ebay.com/itm/312766707799?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item48d2593857:g:ToMAAOSwTM5YtdOJ&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkRjLZq23gAR%2BKma9gM2Z1hnZQNG9tB59xPZEgypsUjDpiQxB608GjlIHtXYEzVnjo12%2B8ThH7voaCauMVScaAaGRLGoaJ9QN70RU8MryJSQZNspNzIpyQd18DE2ToHYUPv4SqA%2FehzUEZOeVu0vH8Uxe4wFVmKiCrt%2F4wfdCtRa2dkE6Q3lWyxAm%2FCcOEpu0ww03lZCO9dF6JYW1g50k%2Fhe7lWY247ahHKgrZtd9zAZDo%2BXLTJLUTNHMdwkQZgITOOBq2NdGoZ%2BkxzT755i5PuEBfNp%2BhrbWnrbhc5Q%2FS4E%2FI%2BQRakPl3XUM5Ofa4eLZuiRpIlSLd69qyVjYW81kyqXdCQcaqEYWq8SsSxf4RJxIDUGFRaqZ6BTcwLGKDE41QWJ6%2BBTAboIX00znlpoaacsaKTn3nYJzC3jL9UvxvGxnWNN74uz7i86LiBtMwpKNPJZuOPwdA%2FQ8XNQxZQ%2Fwu7y3FLCBDo0EaU5B1iUIMOM7NczpmfsoVxPtB0jbKnVI%2Bf4ay9Ioy8E0IogrKGjN9PEHbQsZ90G8gKkFE9ABP8SeobQcQZ4MMZB4sTS9Qnpdv9yklI1IofcYKIKl6EPshZiZ13wEsZOYAiN25oialgT2UoevsUimpqOvkB3b2%2BZN25obOpKGwh7Pva3ma8P04A77WvK3pcsQ%2Bft21fiFD%2BbV%2BEaxMCxGP92p8r49PUnC1n1reyisZ5%2BkmGwuHEVoqm%2Fsfhd8yGfix7RvWLDPaC0ywNhCdSuz7WWsxEzZFxPCliUehIzx%2F%2Fz4klg2jQklj9xPLbOAP5kT0glAuSkJsbAA%3D|cksum%3A312766707799fede4d4f987546b698e11a95a842e23c|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524  but I have found a cheap ag syringe with a hose with a mark on it at the height you are looking for works just as well. All you do is add oil, stick the hose in to the mark and suck out the overfill.. Easy peasy..

[Pasta Burner]

43 minutes ago, cowpuc said:

I have used a syringe with a hose hooked to it for years to get my fork oil levels spot on and equal, its very cheap, fast and accurate. There are aftermarket kits for doing this (like this = https://www.ebay.com/itm/312766707799?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item48d2593857:g:ToMAAOSwTM5YtdOJ&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkRjLZq23gAR%2BKma9gM2Z1hnZQNG9tB59xPZEgypsUjDpiQxB608GjlIHtXYEzVnjo12%2B8ThH7voaCauMVScaAaGRLGoaJ9QN70RU8MryJSQZNspNzIpyQd18DE2ToHYUPv4SqA%2FehzUEZOeVu0vH8Uxe4wFVmKiCrt%2F4wfdCtRa2dkE6Q3lWyxAm%2FCcOEpu0ww03lZCO9dF6JYW1g50k%2Fhe7lWY247ahHKgrZtd9zAZDo%2BXLTJLUTNHMdwkQZgITOOBq2NdGoZ%2BkxzT755i5PuEBfNp%2BhrbWnrbhc5Q%2FS4E%2FI%2BQRakPl3XUM5Ofa4eLZuiRpIlSLd69qyVjYW81kyqXdCQcaqEYWq8SsSxf4RJxIDUGFRaqZ6BTcwLGKDE41QWJ6%2BBTAboIX00znlpoaacsaKTn3nYJzC3jL9UvxvGxnWNN74uz7i86LiBtMwpKNPJZuOPwdA%2FQ8XNQxZQ%2Fwu7y3FLCBDo0EaU5B1iUIMOM7NczpmfsoVxPtB0jbKnVI%2Bf4ay9Ioy8E0IogrKGjN9PEHbQsZ90G8gKkFE9ABP8SeobQcQZ4MMZB4sTS9Qnpdv9yklI1IofcYKIKl6EPshZiZ13wEsZOYAiN25oialgT2UoevsUimpqOvkB3b2%2BZN25obOpKGwh7Pva3ma8P04A77WvK3pcsQ%2Bft21fiFD%2BbV%2BEaxMCxGP92p8r49PUnC1n1reyisZ5%2BkmGwuHEVoqm%2Fsfhd8yGfix7RvWLDPaC0ywNhCdSuz7WWsxEzZFxPCliUehIzx%2F%2Fz4klg2jQklj9xPLbOAP5kT0glAuSkJsbAA%3D|cksum%3A312766707799fede4d4f987546b698e11a95a842e23c|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524  but I have found a cheap ag syringe with a hose with a mark on it at the height you are looking for works just as well. All you do is add oil, stick the hose in to the mark and suck out the overfill.. Easy peasy..

I did use your syringe method, but not with a hose measurement.  I will do that next.  I used a combination of tips and directions including those from Progressive and these https://venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=001013&id=140

I’m curious to see how far off 4” with springs in is from 5.5 without.

[cowpuc]

21 hours ago, Marcarl said:

Maybe, just to be sure,,,,,, according to @cowpuc you need to have the springs in the tubes. If you measured the oil without the springs in the tubes then when you put the springs in the oil would be much too high and you might even have a solid fork, and if you manage to compress it you could blow the seals.

 

17 hours ago, Pasta Burner said:

I did use your syringe method, but not with a hose measurement.  I will do that next.  I used a combination of tips and directions including those from Progressive and these https://venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=001013&id=140

I’m curious to see how far off 4” with springs in is from 5.5 without.

Having read thru that link from the Venturers site, as long as you are not experiencing hydro lock in your forks as mentioned by Marcarl (meaning your forks will not compress at all) I would not pull it back apart just to compare fluid levels. I would spend my time out enjoying the ride

[Pasta Burner]

There is compression, forks are moving and dampening out the road, I just expected them to be softer than they are.  Ride home yesterday in freezing rain and 30mph wind, I was just concentrating on my frozen face and eyeballs.

[Marcarl]

You will always find a difference, maybe only because you are being more sensitive to all the happenings. Now on the amount of oil, the more oil the less air in the forks, the less air the sooner it compresses to a higher pressure and the more sensitive the feel will be. Now will 1" of oil make enough of a difference that yu can feel it,,, don't know,,, just theory.

[Bob K.]

On 4/21/2021 at 10:43 AM, cowpuc said:

Was the 5.5 inches from the top on oil fill taken with the springs in or with the springs out?  The springs need to be inside the tubes when filling.

In the instructions that came with my springs back in about 2004, Progressive says oil level should be measured with the springs out.  Have the instructions changed since then?  Oddly, I don't see instructions for the Venture in Progressive's current tech section:  https://www.progressivesuspension.com/install-sheets/metric.

@Pasta Burner:  When I installed the springs back in 2004, I didn't think about exercising the forks to make sure oil filled all the nooks and crannies before I checked oil level.  When I rebuilt the entire front end a few years ago, I put oil in and exercised the forks several times to distribute oil.  I was surprised by how far the oil level fell from the initial fill.  Something to consider if you go back in.

Progressive Spring Instructions.pdf

Edited April 23, 2021 by Bob K.

[cowpuc]

7 hours ago, Bob K. said:

In the instructions that came with my springs back in about 2004, Progressive says oil level should be measured with the springs out.  Have the instructions changed since then?  Oddly, I don't see instructions for the Venture in Progressive's current tech section:  https://www.progressivesuspension.com/install-sheets/metric.

@Pasta Burner:  When I installed the springs back in 2004, I didn't think about exercising the forks to make sure oil filled all the nooks and crannies before I checked oil level.  When I rebuilt the entire front end a few years ago, I put oil in and exercised the forks several times to distribute oil.  I was surprised by how far the oil level fell from the initial fill.  Something to consider if you go back in.

Progressive Spring Instructions.pdf 230.3 kB · 1 download

I am 100% sure nothing has changed in the recommended Progressive manufactures process @Bob K.,, as always I just use what works for me which is seldom the same as manufactures recommend LOL.. 

[saddlebum]

On 4/23/2021 at 4:09 AM, Bob K. said:

In the instructions that came with my springs back in about 2004, Progressive says oil level should be measured with the springs out.  Have the instructions changed since then?  Oddly, I don't see instructions for the Venture in Progressive's current tech section:  https://www.progressivesuspension.com/install-sheets/metric.

 

I emailed progressive requesting instructions for the 1st gen fork spring install and here is the latest version which they sent me two days ago. I only glanced over it but it does not seem to vary much from the the version Bob K. posted

Instruction Sheet Part #3055 Rev. G.pdf