Fork tube oil and seal replacement

[SirBannedAlot]

I work on a pc for 15 hours a day, so trying to draw any meaningful conclusions from posting times would be an effort of folly. But nice dodge of a simple question. Wonder why? Afraid the answer might erode whatever minsicule credibility you *think* you have on this topic.

Yes, it’s rhetorical, you don’t need to answer. ;-)

 

[Don231s]

And there's the butthurt.

 

[cimino289]

Just wanted to let everyone know I appreciate the advice

 

[SirBannedAlot]

And there's the butthurt.

I am sorry that my candor impacted you in that way, kid. My apologies.

All banter aside, my reason for asking you, was to know your "credentials" on this topic. Having an opinion is worthless if there is no experience or real knowledge to back it up.

Are you a WERA racer or a mechanic yourself? Or do you have a ragged out old Harley that you ride on the weekend to the local bar or Starbucks? Do you even ride, or just have a dirt bike as a kid?

I am not a mechanic, but I have spent literally several hundred hours with some of the top techs in the Southeast, sitting in dyno rooms, asking questions, having suspension worked on and getting set up. Asking and learning WHY you do certain things, why it's important. I have done this for the past 12 years with 20 of just my own bikes, not to mention friend's I have brought in to the shop, racer friends of mine, etc... So I have managed to pick up a few things over the years... With 200k street miles and 14 or 15 track days, I learned a few things there as well.

So do I know everything? Hell no. But I do know quite a bit and so when someone asks an honest question, I give an honest answer.

Something you seem unwilling to do... Speaks volumes to your credibility and integrity...

Later Sweet Pea, no hard feelings...

 

[SirBannedAlot]

Just wanted to let everyone know I appreciate the advice

No worries, its worth what you pay for it. :-)

Certain things I have found, just make sense to have a pro do. If it's something that can put you on the ground... suspension not done right... ever had a tank slapper at speed? Not fun.

Installing brake pads, oil changes, air filter cleaning, installing an exhaust, installing a tune with a laptop, jetting carbs... those are all things the average rider should be able to do. If you have the tools and know-how, rebuild your own motor and all the rest. But if you don't really know what you are doing, go find a good shop. Dealers can be hit or miss, but any of them should be able to do a fork or shock rebuild.

If you want your motor rebuilt, the head decked, cam work, dyno tuning and stuff like that, find a race shop. That's what they do and there are several good shops around. Livengood in Lawrenceville... HFD1Motorsports in Buford, CaylorMade, The Ducshop, Traxxion Dynamics... There was Marietta Motorsports but they are gone now unfortunately. Huey wrenched for years for many WERA, as well as AMA(Now MotoAmerica) teams, a Macau GP team and a team from Isle of Mann used to fly him over to crew chief their team. He's done suspension setup and dyno tuning on at least 15 of my bikes and I was bummed when he decided to move out of the industry.

Any way, figure out what needs doing now that you have seen your options. Also consider that if you put in new springs in the front to match your weight, or change the thickness of the oil(as you probably don't have adjustable preload and rebound damping circuits) that you can improve the ride up front... but what about the rear? The front and rear suspension work as a team to keep you compliant on the road, and maximize traction. You don't want a stiff front and a soggy rear, or vice versa. You want the bike's suspension to compress and rebound the same front and back.

If all you plan to do is replace the seals and put in new oil the same weight as OEM, then that's not a complicated job. If you plan to replace the front springs with maybe some progressive springs and thicker oil, then you need to consider the rear as well and that is where a good shop can help.

Anyone who tells you that changing up the front and not considering the rear, is a noob or a Harley rider that doesn't understand this stuff, and can't take a turn anyway... lol

 

[SirBannedAlot]

Also, if you want to improve your ride quality, tires are key. Not just the choice of tire, but the pressure you run in them. Most people look at the side of the tire and read what the max pressure is and use that. That unfortunately is not the IDEAL tire pressure. That's just the maximum pressure that you can safely use as per the manufacturer.

Which might be fine on a long interstate trip with a passenger and gear... For day to day riding, or hitting the mtns, you should run lower.

That's how you get heat in the tires. When you see squids weaving back and forth and they say it's to heat up the tires, they don't know what they are talking about. That works in a car, not on a bike where you are leaning in a turn.

Most of the heat in your tire comes from the flexing of the carcass. You ever bend a piece of metal back and forth a bunch of times to snap it off? You remember how hot that broken edge got? It's just like that. The carcass flexing generates heat, and hotter tires(to a point) provide better traction. But you don't want too soft, as you will compromise handling and have the bike feeling "wallowy"...

So you need to find your tire's optimal pressure where the tire is soft enough to help absorb some of the bumps of the road without bouncing, flex enough to generate heat to get the tires up to optimal temp, but not too soft. That will usually be several pounds less than whatever the "max" is listed as on the tire.

For the street I run 34 front and 36 rear. If I am on the track, I drop to 32 front and 30 rear. Guys that are running racing slicks on the track tend to run 22-24psi on their tires...

Obviously these are sportbikes, not cruisers, but the laws of physics are the same.

What brand and size tires are you running?

Also, don't use a tire more than 4-5 years no matter how much tread it has left. The rubber gets hard and your traction goes down and the chances of you ending up on your head go up. Tread depth is never an indicator of how good the tire is from an age perspective. If you have had that tire 4-5 years, it could easily have been manufactured a year or two prior to that. It's time for new ones.

 

[cimino289]

SirBannedAlot I figured I'd get Dunlop's front and rear put on they appeared to be pretty good tires. Dad had some on his Suzuki and got good use out of them.

 

[SirBannedAlot]

SirBannedAlot I figured I'd get Dunlop's front and rear put on they appeared to be pretty good tires. Dad had some on his Suzuki and got good use out of them.

Dunlop, Pirelli, Michelin, they all make good tires. Tubeless or radials? The brand is important, but so is the construction, the profile, etc... What model and size are you gonna go with?

 

[Don231s]

With 200k street miles...

In that way, kid.
Later Sweet Pea...

200k is all?

The other two comments speak to either your lack of maturity or passive-aggressive issues, in addition to OCD evidenced throughout this thread. Give Avita Community partners a call. They're the service provider for Hall County.

 

[SirBannedAlot]

200k is all?

The other two comments speak to either your lack of maturity or passive-aggressive issues, in addition to OCD evidenced throughout this thread. Give Avita Community partners a call. They're the service provider for Hall County.

Yeah, just enough miles to circle the globe 8 times over. ;-)

If by OCD, you mean "thorough" rather than your pearl of wisdom when you said, "Just trust your safety to Chinese tools/parts and YoutTube".... Guilty as charged? I guess?

While you are here whining and complaining and trying to make what you consider to be clever quips, I actually tried to help the guy. Who is immature, exactly?

You obviously don't know much about bikes, or riding. That much we have established and you have all but admitted.

Bye Felicia.