gasgas280 Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Hi New member here Just bought a 2000 280txt The front forks seem harsh to say the least especially on initial impact I have stripped them put in 300mm of new 5 wt without any improvement When apart 1 leg in particular seemed to have alot of stiction in the seal Any ideas what could be causing this? THANKS ANDY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliechitlins Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 You could try sanding the tube with some #600 sandpaper. Even better if you can chuck it in a lathe to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtt Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 When you say "you stripped them", did you take them all the way down? It sounds like something internal may be off. It is possible for debris to get jammed in one of the orifices and greatly effect damping. I'd take it all the way down, closely inspect everything and carefully blow out all the orifices. Also take note of the bushings to see if there is any unusual wear or wear patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronm Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Andy, I just have a minute so I will be brief and answer both of your recent questions. If you are running 5 wt oil, the forks should not be harsh near the bottom if properly adjusted. Your forks adjust thusly: Right side knob- rebound damping. Screw clockwise to increase damping. Left side knob-compression damping. Screw clockwise to increase damping. Spring preload- adjust by varying length of preload spacers ( easy to make from PVC pipe). The seal is in a removable sleeve (as you know) and you should be able to feel if there is excessive friction. Most GasGas owners I know, tighten up the seals before installing by removing the garter spring and shortening it by about 8mm. This is done by finding the joint in the spring and unscrewing it. Cut 8mm off the non-pointed end and screw it back together. This does not apply to your problem, I only mention it for future reference and to demonstate that seal friction is probably not your problem. You could have a bent tube. The 2000 GasGas fork tubes are Titanium Carbo Nitrided (dark gray color). I would never sand these tubes. Just inspect closely for nicks and dress any with a very fine grit stone. If the forks move freely when bouncing the front end (as in hopping), the tube is probably not bent. You might try loosening the axle pinch bolt and the lower fork clamp bolts and bouncing the front end a few times to relieve any binding. Then tighten the fork clamp screws. Then bounce it a couple more times and then tighten the axle pinch bolts. Then try adjusting the compression damping. I always run mine in the stock position. To return to stock- screw the knob all the way out. Then screw it all the way in while counting the turns. Screw it back out half of the number of turns. (Rebound is done the same way). As for the question about the brake disc- yes it is supposed to float. All trials bikes have floating disks. It is a lighter and simpler system than floating the caliper. On street bikes, etc, floating calipers allow for brake alignment and pad wear compensation. On a trials bike in addition to these, the floating disc prevents the disc from pushing the pistons into the caliper everytime the forks tweak. If this happens, you won't have brakes the first grab or two on the lever. Got to go. Good luck Let us know if you don't get it sorted out. BTW- the 2000 TXT 280 is a great bike and is still fully competitive with anything out there at anything below champ or expert class level. One of the guys in our club sold his new GG Pro and bought another standard. In case you have not seen them, there is a link on the home page to some articles I wrote a while back. They cover suspension, brakes, and others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinnshock Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 We had a similar problem with stiction on a 2000txt 249. On inspection the replaceable bushes seemed clean but after a couple of strips and rebuild the problem would not go away. Finally decided to replace these bushes and problem solved. Stuart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasgas280 Posted June 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 No I didnt strip them all the way Think i will try that. how do the sliders remove from the base is it just a sharp tug ? Also how do seals & bushes come out of the base tube? How do internals come apart does top cap screw off or does it come apart below the spring So many qusetions i know but no manual Is there such a thing available? Thanks for all your help so far Reagrds ANDY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliechitlins Posted June 8, 2004 Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 I think these a cartridge forks, and they're pretty complicated (a hassle). Did you try Ron's advice? In a nutshell: Loosen lower triple clamp, axle and fork brace. Bounce forks and tighten in that order, bouncing between steps. Make sure the tubes are the same height in the top tree, and when you get to the fork brace, make sure the brace isn't bound up by mis-aligned holes. If the bolts don't turn freely, open up the holes in the brace until it's free to jiggle a little. If you have to take the forks apart, one set of innards will come right out and the other will only come out with slight compression of the forks. Once you have the springs, etc. out, you'll have a clearer picture of how well they're sliding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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