jmo Posted June 7, 2010 Report Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi everyone... I've finally got my recently purchased TLR on the road this week, having had to do a few jobs to get it through the MOT - one of which was replacing a leaking fork seal... so I took the opportunity to flush the fork oil and refill too... I used 5wt Putoline oil, and the [workshop manual] recommended volume of 295cc/10fl.oz However, they now feel rather stiff, and slow to rebound - nice and stable on the road, and not really a problem at trail riding speeds, but not really 'plush' enough for slow speed stuff... so I am wondering if the oil weight was too heavy and or the volume too much? I'd be interested to hear what other people are running, and what you would recommend... I have some 2.5wt oil that I can easily replace the 5wt with for example... Jenny xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcman56 Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 If it is a Reflex with stiffer springs, 10 wt @ 5.7" works. For me, 5wt was OK with soft springs but the front end felt "busy" over small rocks with stiffer springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinshocknut Posted June 8, 2010 Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 According to the workshop manual ATF (automatic transmision fluid) 295cc +/- 2.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted June 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2010 Interesting you use 10wt, if anything I was thinking of going lighter [than 5wt], as the fork rebound is rather slow, as if the front is bogging down... Or maybe I'm just not used to 25 year old fork technology?! J x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcman56 Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) If yours is not a reflex, the forks are different. The Reflex has skinny (33mm?) forks so the valving may be different. 5wt felt fine until I got stiffer springs. Then, it seemed to deflect quite a bit on small rocky sections. Compared to a modern bike, everything happens slowly on the old Honda. I guess that includes the suspension. Edited June 11, 2010 by mcman56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted June 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Thanks McMan... no, I'm pretty sure mine is not the Reflex, but (presumably) a Japanese spec TLR200 import - particularly as it has gold alloy DID rims and 35mm forks - with air valves in the top. The handbook suggest pre-loading the forks with approx 5psi of air, but all this really alters is the sag, rather than the rebound itself. I emptied out the 5wt and put 260ml of 2.5wt in (ie. more air gap, as suggested above), and it's better... but if still feels 'sluggish', almost if it's binding on the rebound? I guess like you say, they are old design forks, that are also 25 years old... The bike is a total hoot though - I rode the best part of 200 miles on it this weekend - trail riding all over north Wales! I'm loving it! J xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tltel Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 HI I hate to say this but it sounds like your forks might be bent. Have you had the front whel out? If they are not bent much you might be able to turn them slightly in the clamps to make them run smooth, Try turning them with the wheel out that should show you if they are bent or not. (if the gap beween the forks stays the same they are not bent) TLTEL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted June 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 HI I hate to say this but it sounds like your forks might be bent. Have you had the front whel out? If they are not bent much you might be able to turn them slightly in the clamps to make them run smooth, Try turning them with the wheel out that should show you if they are bent or not. (if the gap beween the forks stays the same they are not bent) TLTEL Hi Tel... interesting suggestion... they certainly rebound fine when off the bike, it's just when they are bolted up in the yokes and the wheel in place that they feel like they are binding... I will investigate further... That said, they do seem to rebound ok on the bike sometimes, only other timers they feel really stiff, and then sluggish... J x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted June 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2010 Quick update: I had a great weekend on the TLR last week - nearly 200 miles trail riding! However, while the forks felt ok, they do seem to bed down and are reluctant to return... I tried adding a little air, but this didn't make much difference... So I stripped the forks off this afternoon, undid the top caps and slide the legs up and down to try and see what is sticking - and sure enough, they are very slow to compress and return, especially without the assistance of the springs... so I fear I may know what the problem is... My bike is shown on the V5 as a 1986 model, although it was previously registered abroad in 1985. The new fork seals my shop ordered were for a 1986 model - which according to an ebay listing, should have 33mm stanchions. Running a micrometer over my fork legs shows I actually have 35mm forks (of the earlier version)... So could it be as simple as having 33mm seals when they should be 35mm?! If so, no wonder they are bloody sticky! I shall update you once I've been back to the shop on Monday! J xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmo Posted June 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2010 Well it certainly isn't the wrong seals - they did supply the 35mm ones, even though it shows 33mm listed for that year? and it would have been obvious if the 33s had been put in there as they wouldn't have seated properly anyway... So I really am wondering what it is? - I took them back the shop and we stripped them down again, and he agreed they felt 'sticky' around the seal area, but also possibly lower down too... The chrome is very good on my forks so might it be that they have been re-chromed and are just that little bit thicker than before - and that the brand new seals have highlighted that? They don't seem to be bent at all - we rotated them in every different way and the were no stickier that any other way, and the fork legs themselves so no sign/marks of a tight sport either... Maybe I just have to ride the little bugger a bit harder and bed those new seals in? For the record, I have refilled them with 5wt oil, and at 10floz (as per the workshop manual)... Better put it back together now and go for a ride! J xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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