Forks help please

B

Brains

Member

Mar 28, 2002

87

0

• May 26, 2002

• #1

My new project bike - KDX 200 1998.

The forks feel like I used a solid bar instead of a spring, realy hard!
I'm using 630 cc of 5w oill and std. springs.

They don't feel to bad untill I fill in the oill and then aaaaHH, where did the suspension go?

I keep on thinking it is something simple.

Any help appreciated.

Regards
Mark

 

kciH

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jan 28, 2002

225

0

• May 26, 2002

• #2

Did you check your manual on the oil amount? If there is too much oil it can have the affect you mentioned.

 

K

kdxjr

Member

Jan 2, 2002

165

0

• May 26, 2002

• #3

I don't know a lot about forks, but you did bleed all the air out of
the top of the forks..

 

Canadian Dave

Super Power AssClown

Apr 28, 1999

1,202

0

• May 26, 2002

• #4

Measure the oil level with an oil level gauge with the springs removed and the forks completely compressing as per the manual. If you don't have a gauge try a turkey baster or if worse comes to worse a measuring tape. Insure you've bled all the air from the cartridge first. You can find instructions to build a gauge on the JustKDX web page.

Where they this stiff before servicing them? Do you know what rate fork springs you've got.

David

 

B

Brains

Member

Mar 28, 2002

87

0

• May 27, 2002

• Thread starter
• #5

Thanks David
The amount of oill is per manual.
I'm not sure what springs are in there, is there a way of telling?
The air was bled from the top bleed screw after pumping them a couple of times.
I worked on the amount of oill and not the height of the oil. I will try doing it wirth the height method.
What should the height be?, I would guess at approx. 150mm - about 5.9"
I'm not sure of what the forks felt like before as I bought the bike as scrap and this is the first time I have sat on it.

A three month rebuild - I've said this before, but..........never again.

Thank you
Mark.

 

M

Mikeb

~SPONSOR~

Jun 8, 1999

627

0

• May 28, 2002

• #6

If the forks are on the bike ... Try loosening the front axle ... It may be twisted a bit and be in a bind.. If forks are off the bike .. Nevermind.

 

C

canyncarvr

~SPONSOR~

Oct 14, 1999

4,005

0

• May 29, 2002

• #7

A common oil height is 100mm (4").

Only way to tell what spring is in there is to measure them. Involves either the correct tool, or compressing the spring against a scale while measuring the spring movement.

You might luck out and have the rate scribed on one end of the spring..or may even be written with a permanent marker or paint.

They'd have to be pretty darn stiff to feel like a solid bar.

Hey..here's something simple. What are the clickers set to? Maybe all the way in? Maybe some L-A-R-G-E type was trying to fudge a too weak spring by jacking up the compression damping??

Yep! I've decided!! That's it!! ;)