Fork Rebuilding PDF

11129 G Avenue Hesperia, CA 92345
(760) 948-4012 Fax (760) 948-4307
Street Fork Spring

Installation Instructions
Removing and replacing fork springs should be performed by a quali- Adjusters (FOL-1 or FOL-2).
fied mechanic or according to steps outlined in a professional
3. Install your new fork springs into the forks. Mechanically, it
workshop manual that relates to your particular make, model and
makes no difference which way the springs are installed. Some
year motorcycle.
manuals will state; install the spring with the close wound end to-
Warning: Never attempt to remove the fork cap nut without first plac- wards the bottom. This is done because sometimes there will be
ing a quality jack or sufficient blocks under the motorcycle to securely less spring noise. The springs will perform exactly the same re-
lift the front wheel off the ground. Failure to do so could result in serious gardless of which direction they are placed. Check the spacer
injury! length requirement for your motorcycle in the enclosed supple-
1. Remove fork springs according to instructions contained in your ment. If not listed, you must calculate the pre-load. What is
shop manual. For maximum performance we highly recommend pre-load? Pre-load is the distance the spring compresses when
that the forks be thoroughly cleaned, inspected and new fork oil the fork cap is installed. You may or may not utilize a spacer to
installed. achieve proper pre-load. The spacer in itself is not "pre-load". It
just helps to achieve it. Why is pre-load important? It determines
Note: If your motorcycle comes equipped with two fork springs in the proper ride height which in turn affects how the bike
each leg (long & short), remove and discard both springs and the flat handles.
washer between the springs. If a stock spacer exits, remove it. If there
is a short spring on the damper rod, do not remove it! Calculating pre-load
Figure 2
2. Use the recommended fork oil viscosity as noted in your owners If your motorcycle is not listed on
manual with the following exceptions: GL1100 20 weight, the enclosed chart, you will need
GL1200/1500 15 weight required. See fine tuning for more in- to calculate pre-load to determine
formation. if you need a spacer and the
Fork oil level/volume should be checked according to the steps out- length it must be. Most motor-
lined in your authorized shop manual. Measurement of your fork oil cycles need between 3/4" and 1"
by level is the preferred method. However, some manuals only specify of pre-load. As a rough rule of
a volume measurement. Due to the design of a progressive wound thumb, the fork spring (figure 2)
fork spring it will displace more oil thus requiring a maximum oil or fork spring and spacer combi-
level of 5.5" (140mm). Caution: This is not a recommendation, nation (figure 3) should be at
least flush (or above) the top of
it is only a precautionary statement. If your manual specifies an oil the fork tube with the forks fully
level higher than 5.5" extended. This is true for most mo-
(140mm) set the oil level torcycles because their fork caps
at 5.5" (140mm). (Oil Figure 1 are between 3/4" to 1" long meaning that they will screw into the fork
level is the distance tube the same distance.
from the top of the
fork tube to the top of For fork caps longer than 1", you Figure 3
the oil with the fork must calculate the pre-load length
completely collapsed so the fork spring or fork spring/
and the fork spring re- spacer combination will be below
moved see figure 1.) the edge of the fork tube. If your
This measurement can fork caps have adjustable pre-load
be made by using ei- settings or are recessed below the
ther one of the edge of the fork tube (circlip
Progressive Suspen- type), then they are usually much
sion Fork Oil Level longer than the 3/4" to 1" caps
and must be measured accord-
ingly.
Check the fork notes on the ap-
plication chart, the stock spacer in
some cases can be modified to fit. If making a spacer, we recommend
PVC pipe that is the approximate diameter of the fork springs but will
still fit inside the fork tubes. Warning: if installing a spacer, a flat washer
Inst # 3055 6/99

www.progressivesuspension.com
Copyright 1999 by Progressive Suspension, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
must be installed between the spacer and the spring! new 420 Series single shock to balance the suspension on your
motorcycle.
4. After installing the fork cap, we recommend no air pressure for a
starting point. See fine tuning for more information.
Fine Tuning
5. Fork Braces: We have found numerous cases of binding forks
due to improperly mounted fork braces. Our experience has led Pre-load: Spacer length can be decreased to lower the ride height and
us to conclude that even the slightest misalignment while install- soften the ride or increased to raise the ride height and stiffen the
ing the fork brace will cause the forks to bind. If, after installing ride. Adjust in 1/4" increments.
the springs, a harshness exists (especially on small bumps and Fork Oil: Unless otherwise noted we recommend the stock oil viscos-
freeway expansion joints), remove the fork brace and ride the ity and level. Oil viscosity can be changed to alter damping. Heavier
bike again over the same route. If harshness has disappeared, re- oil to increase damping. Lighter oil to decrease damping. Increase in
fer to the fork brace installation instructions for proper and 5 weight increments (i.e. from 10 weight to 15 weight.) Oil viscosity
concise installation to eliminate the misalignment. If harshness will have more effect on rebound damping than compression damp-
still exists, your front end (wheel/forks) may be misaligned. ing, too high a viscosity can create harshness on sharp edge bumps.
Consult your shop manual for proper wheel and fork alignment The oil level also affects the ride, too high an oil level and the forks
instructions. will feel too stiff, too low an oil height and the bike will bottom and
6. Fork damper adjustments: Our testing has shown that bikes feel soft or dive.
equipped with fork damping adjusters should be set at the mini- Air pressure: Progressive fork springs are desgned to be used with no
mum setting for freeway and surface street riding for maximum air pressure under normal conditions. A few pounds of air can make a
comfort. On motorcycles equipped with anti-dive or adjustable difference, so add air in small increments.
pre-load, we recommend starting at the minimum settings for
each.
7. Technical info: Our technical staff will assist you if you have any
problems or questions. Call (760) 948-4012 from 8 am to 4 PM
Pacific time.
8. We highly recommend either a pair of our dual shocks or our
Fork Spring Notes

1. Stock spacer may be shortened to fit. 17. If a bike is not listed, refer to off road fork springs listed below.
2. Chain drive 920 and European model do not require spacer. Generally our fork springs will fit the forks with the same milli-
meter but there are exceptions. The inner diameter of the forks
3. Spacers are not included. They may easily be fabricated from must be at least .5 mm larger than the diameter of the fork
aluminum or PVC pipe. springs. Off road spring specifications as follows:
4. Triumph damper rod kit available, Order #5050. Fork Diameter Fork Spring Rate Spring Dia.
5. Spacer required is furnished with springs. 35mm 11-1135 18-28 27mm
36mm 11-1136 18-28 29mm
6. Left hand fork: Remove and discard stock spacer and use 3.5" 38mm 11-1138 18-28 31mm
spacer supplied. Right hand fork: Shorten stock spacer to 4.2". 40mm (Conventional forks) 11-1140 20-30 33mm
7. Install new spacer (1.75" PVC) below stock metal spacer to allow 40mm (White Power Upside Down)11-1140UD 18-28 33mm
adjustable cap to function. 41/42mm 11-1141 18-28 35mm
43mm 11-1143LT 18-26 36mm
8. Reuse stock spacer.
43mm 11-1143MX 19-23 37mm
9. Remove stock spacer. 43mm 11-1143 20-30 36mm
10. No spacer required. 18. Cut the included spacer to length indicated.
11. Some leading axles require spacer, see note 3. 19. You must add a spacer (length indicated) to spacer furnished
12. Obsolete with springs or make a spacer that is the same length as the two
combined.
13. Spacer length must be calculated according to instructions in-
cluded with fork springs. 20. This particular bike has two different fork legs. The left fork leg
requires the stock fork spacer to be shortened to 3.25". The
14. Improved damper rod kit available, order #5052. right fork leg requires the stock spacer to be removed and dis-
15. Improved damper rod kit available, order #5051. carded. No spacer is needed in the right fork leg.
16. Optional 43mm springs available depending on rider weight,
riding style, etc.:
11-1143MX (Light) 19-23 lb progressive rate
11-1143LT (Med) 18-26 lb progressive rate
11-1143 (H/D) 20-30 lb progressive rate
Inst # 3055 6/99

www.progressivesuspension.com
Copyright 1999 by Progressive Suspension, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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11129 G Avenue Hesperia, CA 92345

(760) 948-4012 Fax (760) 948-4307

Street Fork Spring

Inst # 3055 6/99

Fork Spring Notes

Inst # 3055 6/99

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