Fitting new fork springs but lack the bottle...

Following on from my thread about Z6's and suspension tuners in Reading (thanks for your replies by the way), it looks like the better and cheaper option is to do it myself.

Without the tools though and to be on the safe side, does anyone fancy helping me out when I get the kit? I don't expect anyone to give up their time for free obviously so if you've got the tools and experience and fancy a bit of cash, send me a PM or something. I'd really appreciate the help!

Also, am thinking of 10wt or 15wt fork oil as I'm 14.5 stone in kit, and probably 0.85kg/mm or 0.80kg/mm springs (from www.racetec.com site) but not sure on size of spacers needed. Can anyone recommend anything?

Cheers, Steve.

[BillyC]

In terms of tools... you don't need anything special to do the fork springs beyond a good socket set, and a reliable and safe method for raising the front of the bike.

As for the oil, you would definitely need 15wt oil... 10wt is what is used as standard.

It's quite easy to do the forks, but is definitely a two-person job for a fresh attempt. A pivot stand is recommended, and you'll probably need a good bit of wood to keep the front of the bike propped up.

Where abouts are you? I'm sure someone here could help!

ops, I'm based in Reading but can meet someone at their place if it's not too far - say within 50 miles?

Thanks for the tips by the way.

Cheers...

If the oil is pretty good then all you need is a couple of sockets and a metal coat hanger, which can be bent into a hook. I managed to remove my old SK1 one's and replace with Ohlins one's and added new preload cap adjusters in 1/2 hour. Piece of Piz. By the way I'm on a course in Maidenhead/Wokingham all this week.
Also I am weighing in at 16 and 1/2 stone, and I have still got the same oil after 16,000 miles on my Sk1
sexysi

Do change the oil, it's worth it. Also, pay attention to the oil height/air gap - it's very important - so you will need to take the forks out to do it properly. If anything, underfill both legs by perhaps 20cc each and see how it goes on the road. Adding oil (thereby reducing the air gap, which acts as a spring) increases the stiffness of the suspension when hitting bumps - and it's much easier to add oil than to take it out again. The springs effectively just determine the ride height, which must be sorted out before any other fork tuning.

if anyone is keen to do this in the leeds area, I would be keen to do it, and i know the Cordelion is interested in doing this too, like me i think he would just like some help/advice to stay on the right track....

[northwind]

Likewise, I'm a bit far from Reading but if anyone up this neck of the woods fancies trying it, let me know.