Front forks air or no air what do I do

bhurt · Apr 30, 2019

Ok so this is a new to me 1982 Goldwing interstate. The rear air shocks have been swapped to coil overs but I have no idea about the front forks. On the highway I felt some wobble in the front end with just me on the bike and then today with my daughter on the back in the city I got some front end wobble. I pulled the bike into the shop and pulled this cap off and there was a little psst but not much of anything coming out. I should also note I get s front end clunk on bumps and thought it was a loose fairing or something but I can’t find anything loose so could it be the fork that is clunking because of no air pressure? Here’s a picture of the cap and what it looked like removed. There is still the air hose connecting the 2 forks.

bhurt · Apr 30, 2019

Sorry the last picture appears to be upside down.

joedrum · May 1, 2019

Check the triple tree nut and make sure there play there ....being a dresser with air forks is a weak point ...on these bikes forks and bike are old ...fork redo I need to do also

mcgovern61 · May 1, 2019

The front forks with original springs need 7-12 pounds or air pressure. Also, you might need to check if there is any fork oil in the forks. I am sure it is way over due to be changed. The fork oil is ATF (automatic transmission fluid).

When these bikes wobble on the front end, it is often because the steering head bearings are loose or worn out OR you have too much weight at the back of the bike.

Whole thread on wobble:

viewtopic.php?p=92241#p92241

bhurt · May 1, 2019

ok so I pulled the spring out of the front fork on the one side... I believe its a progressive spring so the air isn't required. That being said the oil in there was definitely not atf.... it smelled like cow manure and was grey/green looking. I will be doing a fork oil drain and flush for sure. As for wobble, I turned up the rear progressives one notch (they were set full soft) and it seems to have made a difference in the wobble feeling. I think I am gonna go up one more click as I like a stiffer ride with all that weight anyway.

bhurt · May 1, 2019

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=209548#p209548:3vmr5y2w said:
mcgovern61 » Today- 19:54[/url]":3vmr5y2w]
The front forks with original springs need 7-12 pounds or air pressure. Also, you might need to check if there is any fork oil in the forks. I am sure it is way over due to be changed. The fork oil is ATF (automatic transmission fluid).

When these bikes wobble on the front end, it is often because the steering head bearings are loose or worn out OR you have too much weight at the back of the bike.

Whole thread on wobble:

viewtopic.php?p=92241#p92241

Thant was a good read. And after watching the video it seems more like weave than wobble to me... I am gonna check the head bearings?? next just to make sure its all good and tight. I also added more air pressure to the rear tire and will tighten up the rear suspension some...

mcgovern61 · May 2, 2019

[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=209554#p209554:zglwnnfj said:
bhurt » Wed May 01, 2019 10:42 pm[/url]":zglwnnfj]

That does not look like a progressive front fork spring. Progressive springs are wound tight on one end.

grand rouge · May 10, 2019

Greetings from a fellow Canadian happily living in sunny Sacramento CA.

Back in the day, I bought a 1980 Interstate...hmm 39 years ago this month. First modification was to toss the weak factory springs and replace em with a straight rate fork spring matched to bike (with rider) weight. Straight rate springs were not common but a friend at Dendoff Springs in Vancouver located or wound a set.... Present day: For fork springs.... Check out https://www.sonicsprings.com. In my experience, straight rate fork springs are the way to go. No air assist required. I have em in my 85 LTD because they worked so well in my 80 Interstate years ago. Also in my 83 Suzuki GS 1100E. Couple of centimeters of preload and yer good to go. 10 wt. fork oil or ATF as others have said works good. Also....seems some 1100s are 'sensitive' to rear tire tread pattern...especially if the rear sits a bit low. I say this because my neighbor experienced a weave on his 1100 and I experienced the same with my 1200 when a Shinko 777 HD on the rear of each a year ago. With air assisted rear shocks on both, a pressure increase to about 40 lbs (275 kilopascals) unloaded, took care of any 'instability' issues even at indicated speeds over 100 mph (160Kph). Was thinking bhurt, could the rear shocks be shorter than the originals?

Front forks air or no air what do I do

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