Changing front springs

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 1997 18:01:09 -0800
From: Jim Davis
Subject: front spring installation

Hi Hawk people--
I sent this to one lister, and we reasoned that it might do the list some
good. The procedure is more or less the same, no matter what springs you're
installing--Progressives, WP dual rates, Eibach straight rates, or modified
stockers.

Steps to change front fork springs:

1. Put the bike on the centerstand, and put something under the motor cases
to lift the front wheel. I use a small bottle jack, but a stack of 2x4's
works fine, too.

1.5 Tape an old towel onto your tank with duct tape to the frame to protect
it. Having a supply of rags on hand isn't a bad idea.

2. With a 17mm wrench, remove the caps from the forks. When it comes out,
it will "POP" and the cap will be pushed up around an inch by the spacer and
spring compression.

3. Take out the spacers, taking care not to drip fork oil on anything that
you don't want it on. I throw these away, but that's your option.

4. Have someone remove the jack or the stack of 2x4's from under the motor
while you hold the back end of the bike down (which will hold the front
wheel in the air). Slowly allow the front end to compress by slowly letting
the back end of the bike up. It will stop with the forks collapsed, and the
stock springs about 1 1/2" down.

5. Under the spacers on top of the springs is a washer. Take these out,
and pull out the springs. They will be almost totally immersed in oil, so
go slow, with an "unscrewing motion" if you really are meticulous (I was
once....), with a rag handy to catch drips.

6. I like to adjust the oil level to 4 1/2" below the top of the fork tube
with the springs out and the forks collapsed. This helps give the front end
some resilience. I use 15 wt fork oil. This step is optional.

7. Drop in the new springs, tightly wound end downward.

8. Firmly push the back end of the bike back down, and have your helper put
the jack or stack of 2x4's back under the engine. The top of the springs
will be anywhere from 1 to several inches down in the tubes, depending on
which spring is being used.

9. Put the washers that were in between the spacers and the springs back in.

10. Cut 1" ID schedule 40 PVC spacers to such a length so that they stick
out about about an inch, (which is just a starting point).

11. Put the fork caps back in with a 17mm wrench. A ratchet is useful
here, as is someone else to lift up on the handlebar, or push down on the
wrench, while you try to turn it, without cross threading the aluminum cap
into the steel fork tube. (Really, it's not that bad, I did it myself today...)

12. Check static sag:
A. put a zip tie tight around one fork tube.
B. have your assistent hold the bike upright while you sit on it in riding
position.
C. have them slide the zip tie down snug on the fork lower.
D. get off the bike, without bumping it up and down.
E. have your helper pull up on the bars to fully extend the forks, and
measure the distance that the zip tie is from the fork slider.

You want this distance to be around 1 to 1 1/2 inches, as a starting point,
and adjust it according to your preferences and the type of roads that you
frequent.