85R forks springy...

[Preddy05]

When i got my R awhile ago the forks were really springy or bouncy... bad enough where if i hit a big enough bump the front tire would come up and hit the pipe. Never really messed with them so what do you guys recommend me doing to fix that problem?

[edog]

I use the progressive springs with NASA preload adjusters.If you want you could add a spacer in between the fork cap and progressive springs.That should do the trick.

[Dammit!]

First of all, even when you bottom the front end out completely the wheel should never hit the pipe. Something is goofy there. I bottom the crap out of mine on a regular basis and have never noticed the pipe getting hit.

Second, if you compress the forks and they spring back with no dampening, have you checked to see if there's even any oil in them? It's a common tactic by sellers to drain leaky forks so buyers don't notice the blown seals. No oil would give you a springy or bouncy feeling front end because it's all spring just like a blown rear shock.

Make sure there is 0 psi of air in the forks. Air pressure is a quick way to stiffen the front end up but the forks will feel like crap and the seals will blow easier. I only use the air valve to bleed air out.

Progressive springs and preload adjustments will do nothing for the problem you're describing unless you've worded your post poorly. If you just want to keep them from bottoming out easily, that's when preload adjustments and new springs can come into play. Placing a PVC spacer in the forks will put more tension on the spring, making it stiffer. Just like tightening down the preload adjuster on the rear shock.

[Preddy05]

First of all, even when you bottom the front end out completely the wheel should never hit the pipe. Something is goofy there. I bottom the crap out of mine on a regular basis and have never noticed the pipe getting hit.

Second, if you compress the forks and they spring back with no dampening, have you checked to see if there's even any oil in them? It's a common tactic by sellers to drain leaky forks so buyers don't notice the blown seals. No oil would give you a springy or bouncy feeling front end because it's all spring just like a blown rear shock.

Make sure there is 0 psi of air in the forks. Air pressure is a quick way to stiffen the front end up but the forks will feel like crap and the seals will blow easier. I only use the air valve to bleed air out.

Progressive springs and preload adjustments will do nothing for the problem you're describing unless you've worded your post poorly. If you just want to keep them from bottoming out easily, that's when preload adjustments and new springs can come into play. Placing a PVC spacer in the forks will put more tension on the spring, making it stiffer. Just like tightening down the preload adjuster on the rear shock.

I never really jumped it so i wasn't really to concerned about it... i would just get on it and go. I feel kinda dumb for not checking to see if there is any oil in them.. haha! but no lie the tire would come up if i would jump it and just barley rub the pipe...enough to where the paint is missing on that part of the pipe. Thanks for the info on the pvc as well good info.

[Billy Golightly]

Front tire is probably over inflated making the tire rub problem would be my guess.

[Dirtcrasher]

Sounds like the oil leaked out the seal and there bouncy as hell without an oil to dampen them.......

[DeePa]

tear em apart and rebuild them

service manual helps

You need to order 2 oem seal kits. You can try aftermarkets but i just go oem for stuff like that.

Once you get the forks apart, take the sliders(chrome things) and roll them on a piece of glass. If you see that they are bent, you can either run them as is, and make the bend in each go the same way, or try to straighten them.

Its hard to buy forks on the internet/ebay because its hard to see if they are bent when they arent on a trike.

if you jump a lot get a set of progressives...75ish + ship from dennis kirk

Good luck

[250rAL]

When I had a Front Max tire on, it would hit my FMF pipe. Aftermarket stuff changes things.