Progressive Fork Springs

[mcgovern61]

Ever since we got the bike on the road, I have been wanting to replace the fork springs with Progressive springs since I heard so much about how they improve the ride, blah, blah, blah........

Well, I finally saved the money to get them and they came up on sale two weeks ago for $81 with free shipping. :Egyptian:

So, I took a nice ride around and came home with new fork oil (ATF). Pull the windshield and a few things in the way and pop the fork cap off. Pull the left side spring out and............seems a bit long................really long.................

DARN IT!!!!!! :rant: I ALREADY HAVE PROGRESSIVE SPRINGS IN THERE!!!!!! :head bang: :head bang: :head bang: :head bang:

 

[mcgovern61]

Man, you never know what you have until you take it apart! These forks came from Ebay way back in 2008. The original '82 forks were pitted really bad and the '81 forks were bent from an accident. So I ended up buying forks from Ebay for an '80-'82 and they were perfect! I should have completely pulled them apart, but they were not leaking. I replaced the fork seals in 2008 out of precaution and drained the oil. Flushed the tubes with clean oil and refilled.

In 2014 I drained and flushed the oil again just out of caution. They never leaked oil and always held air! The funny thing is, I remember remarking how I took the Vetter faring off and have been riding around with no air, or at best 10 lbs. Never dawned on me it was because there were already Progressive springs in there!

More than likely, I have been over filling the oil since Progressive has a different oil level requirement than Honda OEM, but again, the seals never leaked.

So........now what? Install the new springs because I know i put 27 K miles on them with a faring or just pack them up and make them available for sale on the Forums? :headscratch:

 

[dan filipi]

Well you could throw them in and see if there's any difference from yours with miles on them. If for nothing else but a reference.

 

[brianinpa]

That how I found out I had progressive springs too. The only difference is I didn't buy a spare set before hand.

 

[Ansimp]

Now you are bragging Brian :whistling:
Gerry I would reconmend that you check the spring free lengths and if the have compressed slightly swap them for the new ones and sell the old ones. I would love to know the length of the new ones so that I can compare that with my new second hand ones. :yes:

 

[mcgovern61]

brianinpa » Thu Jun 02, 2016 9:04 pm[/url]":364f15md]
That how I found out I had progressive springs too. The only difference is I didn't buy a spare set before hand.

:cheeky:

 

[mcgovern61]

I pulled the old ones out and measured both and they are the same length. I decided, what the hell, I already bought them! Dropped the fork oil (which was actually still reddish this time), checked the amount of oil from each fork and they matched (no loss of oil). However, as I looked into the manual, the amount of oil coming out was 8.6 oz ('81 forks). It dawned on me that they may not be '81 forks and could very well have been '82 forks in the first place.

I added 9.6 oz of ATF this time and checked the level Progessive wanted. Forks all the way down and I could not get anywhere near the 5.5" they wanted from the top. 9.6 oz is the '82 fill level, so I left it there. Took a 2 x 2 and cut a slot in the end to fit over the fork cover bolts, dropped the new springs in (tight wind spring at the top) and screwed the caps back in. The springs need a 1" pre-load and there is 1" between how much sticks out the tube and the distance down the tube before the cap threads catch and seal. I did not add any air yet.

Took her out for a spin and guess what, she rides a lot nicer! :yes: Much smoother over normal potholes and manhole covers. Decided to head out on the highway (beautiful night for a ride) and she is handling very nicely!

Verdict (as far as I am concerned), the old springs had a bit of wear in them. I rode for nearly 7 years with the Vetter faring on them and who knows how old they really are and what kind of riding was already on them. I am happy! :moped:

 

[slabghost]

Congratulations! Money not wasted.

 

[Ansimp]

Great to hear Gerry. I still wouldn't mind that length if you could please. :yes:

 

[Denver]

If there's an extra set of fork's around, one could rebuild them. :headscratch: It's handy to have around a spare set. :good:

 

[mcgovern61]

Ansimp » Thu Jun 02, 2016 10:46 pm[/url]":163f6ekx]
Great to hear Gerry. I still wouldn't mind that length if you could please. :yes:

Tony, they are exactly 20 3/4".

 

[Ansimp]

:thanks: Gerry :good:

 

[brianinpa]

What are you doing with the old springs?

 

[mcgovern61]

brianinpa » Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:31 am[/url]":28381e4o]
What are you doing with the old springs?

I was thinking of hanging on to them in the event we buy that '81. Are you interested in them?

 

[brianinpa]

Not sure yet... I have a spare set of fork in my garage attic that I haven't opened up yet to see what is inside.