fork binding

[levert]

Just replacing fork oil in a 99 220. After successfully doing the left leg I notice the right leg is binding about midway through the stroke.There is no bend in the leg , no scratches, never been in an accident and we bought the bike new. The fluid that came out was reatively clean, no crap. When I say bind its almost impossible to move up and down with your hands and the inner tube does not spin freely as it should???????? The binding occurs at only one point about 6 inches through the stroke.
Before I go out and buy a 14mm hex to take the cartridge out any ideas??? Oh yeah I also thought maybe there was crap in there causing a hydraulic lock so I thoughly flushed and pumped out the whole assembly( no crap came out) with kerosine?

 

[jmutiger]

Humm...

I can't say what it is for sure, but separate the legs, and just roll the chrome part and see if it's bent anywhere..

once you get it fixed, e-mail me.. We'll get out to the Ganny and go for a ride.

1994 KDX250

Jon!

 

[Sage]

do you have any hard rock hits on the outer tubes?

 

[slcyclerace]

I'd pull the fork apart. You might have lost some teflon from one of the guides (It comes off and can get stuck in the valves). If you have any kerosene, throw an old fork seal or a piece of rubber in it and come back in about an hour. It will look like one of Spongebobs relatives. Did you by any chance clean your forks with this offensive liquid when changing the fluid? Rubber blows up like a balloon and could be the reason for the binding. If not , start from scratch and go over the whole thing.

 

[levert]

after the kerosene I flushed with good old ATF. Scince I don't have an impacter to get the cartridge out the fork is going to a repair shop. My local mechanic thinks, although I cant see anything, that there is indeed a rock dent in the tube. He claims he can hone just that specific area which will produce adequate results. I will up date everyone soon.

I'm not sure if anyone remembers but this bike was having problems with a high speed wobble and diving, it seems I have found the cause. When I rode it, being much fatter and heavier than my wife I would guess the stiction was felt less by me. Now I have to deal with" I told you so" and " you never believe me" from my wife!!!!!

 

[slcyclerace]

You should be able to see a roost dent from the outside but your mechanic seems to be on the right track. As for the diving and head shake, look at your rear shock and be sure to set the sag correctly (95 to 100 mm). What you just described sounds like a bad angle of attack from a mal-adjusted rear shock. Less sag= a more stable front end.