A quick one- curvy fork travel...

How much is there supposed to be?


According to this guy; http://www.strappe.com/suspension.html#level there should be 127mm, but mine only seems to have 110mm.

Background info;

I'm currently sorting out the forks on my 1999 SV650S. I have cut the springs down to give me a spring rate of 0.89kg/mm-ish and i have 15wt oil. I have spacers to compensate for the shortened springs and i have a few washers so i can play with the preload.

My first attempt at the preload was too much, so i am just taking some washers out now and i am going to sort my air gap too. Having previously attched a tie-wrap to the stanchion to monitor fork travel, I though it would be a good time to measure the full fork travel (caps off springs out) but i can only get 110mm of travel?

Should the dust seals go all the way up to the bottom yolk?

Mine are a few mm short

[yorkie_chris]

Are you sure you've measured from full extension?

Either way, they're not going to move more than they will with the caps off, so consider your measurement before all others. Oh yeah, there's a few mm of movement in the lock-piece between the start of it and fully hydraulic locked. I don't think it's 17mm though.

I'm not too sure what that guy is trying to accomplish there TBH

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Are you sure you've measured from full extension?

Either way, they're not going to move more than they will with the caps off, so consider your measurement before all others. Oh yeah, there's a few mm of movement in the lock-piece between the start of it and fully hydraulic locked. I don't think it's 17mm though.

I'm not too sure what that guy is trying to accomplish there TBH

The front wheel is off the ground, so the forks are fully extended.


Obviously to fully compress, i need to lift the wheel up are far as it will go. The difference between the two positions is 112mm, although there is a slight spongyness as i get the wheel to the fully 'up' position.

How much force to you need to full compress the forks i.e. is it hard to compress them the last few mm due to, say, oil getting trapped or something?


What lock-piece are you talking about?


Cheers

[yorkie_chris]

In the bottom of the forks there's a hydraulic lock piece. Traps a small amount of oil at full bump to avoid metal-on-metal impact.

I doubt full bump with be much past where you have measured anyway and would preload my forks to use 100mm of travel under full braking on a smooth road.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

In the bottom of the forks there's a hydraulic lock piece. Traps a small amount of oil at full bump to avoid metal-on-metal impact.

I doubt full bump with be much past where you have measured anyway and would preload my forks to use 100mm of travel under full braking on a smooth road.

Okay cheers.


I am going to leave the tie-wrap on the fork leg to show 'full' travel, and reassemble everything with a little less preload.

I will then put a tie-wrap on the other leg and ride the bike around a bit, so i can compare the travel used, with the max value.

Then i'll take it from there

[yorkie_chris]

Measure gap between dust seal and yoke at your "full" travel and at uncompressed. Write these down.