fork hand pump

[geol]

Suggestions... hand pump for the front air shocks. I want one that doesn't dump the air when you remove the schrader valve from the pump.and has an integrated gauge. Most I saw were 300 PSI... would like one with lower pressure rating so I can get the pressure a little more accurate. I know some folks have suggested Progressive Fork springs but I don't want to go there right now. Thanks

 

[Dogma]

I'm not aware of such a pump since the original Suzuki tool, but I'm not really here for that. Progressive brand springs will preserve the squishy, diving front end feel of the stock progressive rate springs. I recommend some straight rate springs (Sonic are good, and not unnecessarily spendy), to limit dive under braking and make turn-in more precise. Add some cartridge emulators to your wish list to take the harshness out of the damping without giving up control of the front end.

Seriously, finding a pump to keep the air forks going is probably at least half the cost of the new springs. Come to think of it, the cheapest way to get away from the need for the pump is get some PVC pipe and make new preload spacers so you don't need to keep pumping the forks up to maintain preload.

Now, maybe you like the air fork adjustability, that's up to you. I don't miss it.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

That is so hard to do. I got it done a couple times with a small bicycle air pump.
One pump or maybe even 2 was all it takes.
You can not unscrew the hose end fast enough to keep the tiny volume of air from escaping.
Cut some PVC pipe for spacers is easy.

 

[geol]

I am pretty happy right now with the stock front suspension. I was just looking for a low PSI pump with a non-leak feature. Harley sells a 0-60 PSI pump with the no-leak feature but was hoping to find some pump with low max and less cost. I may look into rebuilding the front end at some point but it works nicely now just a pain to get both shocks pumped equally. I found one leaked a lot more quickly than the other when i remove the bleed valve. I had to pump it to 30 PSI and then by the time I got the pump valve removed, it ended up at 10 PSI. The other shock was pretty easy to set at 10 PSI.

 

[Grimly]

Some pocket-sized bicycle pumps have a no-loss connector. Look at your online pedaller outlets. The 0-30psi requirement is a difficult one, though.

 

[geol]

I think you nailed it... almost all are 300 PSI except the ones made for a Harley big twin and those are EXPENSIVE! I had one that was low-psi and gave it away with a bike that had air fittings on the shocks... don't recall which one. Wish I had kept hold of that pump.

 

[yekrahs]

Not sure about 0-30psi range but you can find some 0-150 psi pumps for bicycle suspension. searching "low pressure shock pump" I found this-
http://slavensracing.com/shop/low-pressure-suspensionforkshock-pump-by-drc/

 

[Guest]

I think you nailed it... almost all are 300 PSI except the ones made for a Harley big twin and those are EXPENSIVE!


lots of harley branded pumps on ebay less than 30 bucks.
I have one, works great

 

[Guest]

Set your air compressor regulator to the desired pressure and let it even out.

 

[Guest]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F212OK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works well for me

 

[Rob S.]

I sprang for the Drag Specialties one with a 0-60 psi gauge. Don't remember the number, but it wasn't cheap.

 

[Steve]

You are REALLY over-thinking this problem.

I know some folks have suggested Progressive Fork springs but I don't want to go there right now. Thanks

OK, I will not suggest Progressives, I will suggest Sonic springs.

I recommend some straight rate springs (Sonic are good, and not unnecessarily spendy), to limit dive under braking and make turn-in more precise. Add some cartridge emulators to your wish list to take the harshness out of the damping without giving up control of the front end.

You can see that I am not the only one that recommends them. Rich Desmond, owner of Sonic Spings, is a member here, I'm sure he would recommend them, too.

I am pretty happy right now with the stock front suspension. ... I may look into rebuilding the front end at some point but it works nicely now just a pain to get both shocks pumped equally.

Well, since you started this thread, it's obvious that you are NOT "happy with your suspension", at least not all of it. There is really no need to rebuild the front end, especially if your fork seals are good. Drain the fork legs. If you don't remove the air pressure first, there will be some interesting spray patterns on the opposite wall. Remove the handlbars for access to the tops of the forks. Loosen the upper tube clamp. Remove the spring(s) and any spacer(s). Replace the drain plugs. Install the proper amount of 10w fork oil. Slide your new Sonic springs into the tubes. If necessary, cut a spacer of the enclosed tubing that will just barely stick out above the fork tube, put that into place, put the caps back on.

Now, you will ALWAYS have EXACTLY EQUAL air pressure in your fork tubes and will not EVER have to worry about checking or setting the air pressure.

I thought I liked the suspension on the front of my 850. I installed Sonic springs and now it rides even better. About $90 for the springs, another $10 or so for the oil and about an hour of your time. Don't wait.

.

 

[bwringer]

Steve has just served up a large helping of steaming-hot TRUTH. Eat up.




In less polite terms, farting around with air pressure is frustrating and futile. Air pressure in forks is unreliable, a great way to wear out your fork seals, and overall a totally Mickey Mouse, doomed solution to the problem of inadequate 35 year old factory springs. You can't make them work right with a better pump -- the whole idea is fundamentally flawed.

If you are rather light -- less than approximately 160 pounds -- ride rather gently, and prefer a plush ride, then Progressive's progressively wound fork springs might be just the ticket. Otherwise, straight-rate fork springs with a rate appropriate to your weight, riding style, and bike, will give you the best possible combination of performance and ride. Once the springing is sorted out, most of us end up with 10W fork oil.

A few here have also added cartridge emulators and fork braces to their GS forks as well, but these aren't all that necessary.

 

[geol]

Not being sure how my mind was being read, I will leave that alone. I find the stock front suspension fine and the ride great. I asked about the pump because I checked air pressure and the pressure dumped after removing the air gauge. I attempted to fill and the air dumped after filling to 10 PSI. I filled to 30 PSI and it dumped to 10 PSI and stayed consistent and I have both sides equal and the ride is great. I asked about the pump that has an anti-loss feature and lower scale to make reading it relevant because I intend on keeping what I have now. I am sure you guys know more than me and I am not nearly capable of deciding these things and I guess I just don't want to "eat it up". Sorry if this offended those who order me to do what they think I should.... guess i am just being uncooperative. BTW: I am also a fan of Progressive fork springs and have used them in many of my bikes; vintage and otherwise and I weigh a bit more than 160 lbs. They work for me.

 

[Charlie G]

I bought one of these, changed to a 0-30psi gauge. Easy to use.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...ade7d9d8189351e9945435cbd5bd66dao0&ajaxhist=0

 

[Steve]

Not being sure how my mind was being read, I will leave that alone.... BTW: I am also a fan of Progressive fork springs and have used them in many of my bikes; vintage and otherwise and I weigh a bit more than 160 lbs. They work for me.

Nobody was trying to read your mind. What we were getting from your post that you were frustrated with the lack of ability to "properly" set the air pressure in your forks. There were a couple of suggestions for gauges and/or pumps that might do that for you and a couple of us offered alernatives in the form of better springs.

You say you are a fan of Progressive springs. I thought I was, too, as we have several sets of them here. Two of them in GSes, one in a Yamaha Venture, one in my Wing. Overall, not too bad, but I installed Sonic (straight-rate) springs in my GS and was VERY pleased to find that it is even better than Progressives.

My 'gravitational attraction' is also "a bit more than 160", and I'll bet that my bike weighs a bit more than yours, so I was offering an alternative based on experience.
It's only a suggestion, you can choose to accept it or not, but nobody is ordering you to do anything.

Evidently your mind was already made up when you started this post, sorry we wasted your time.

.

 

[bobgroger]

I use my air compresser set to 15 lbs or so, and a low pressure tire gauge like this. Pump it up a little high, then work down.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...ch_tire+gauge_1505278_3731&keyword=tire+gauge

 

[geol]

Steve, You said:

QUOTE Well, since you started this thread, it's obvious that you are NOT "happy with your suspension", at least not all of it. UNQUOTE

I don't think I ever said I was unhappy about anything... I had previously searched using google to see what threads were available on the subject of suitable hand air pumps. Most all the threads failed to mention any pump that was low pressure and also anti-loss aka anti-leak. I had such a pump at one time. I gave it away (I think) and kept the Progressive Suspension pump I now have.

The Progressive Suspension pump is 300 PSI and while you can read low PSI values from it, suspect that with this large a PSI scale, may not be very accurate. The reason for a new pump though, was lack of anti-leak/loss feature as when you take the schrader valve off, the air leaks right out. I soon found that if you pump the shocks to 30 PSI, it would bleed down to almost exactly 10 PSI; about where I wanted it. It took about 15 minutes of replacing the pump's schrader valve back on and removing several times to be fairly sure of the consistent 10 PSI. I think I still want a pump that I don't have to fiddle with although it only took 15 minutes and now would take about 5 minutes or so I guess. I found that I had a bit less than the recommended 8.something PSI in both forks but they were equal. I had not checked the air pressure as I never noticed that they were air forks and when I did notice, I was concerned that I hadn't checked them.

I don't want or need suspension upgrades although I think this is great information. The next poster had to give me a lecture on air forks wearing out the seals and mine are fine and likely have been fine for the past 36 years although they may been changed at some point. Not sure I follow the logic of air forks ruining fork seals. I have owned several dozen bikes with air forks and have never had much of an issue on any. I think I will stick with them for a bit.

Charlie G. made the suggestion to look at Buzzy's pump but the only ones they sell now are 200 PSI and 300 PSI although they are anti-leak. Best suggestion has been bobgroger's as I never thought about setting my compressor down to 15 PSI and filling as I have quick release air chucks. The low pressure gauge is a great idea.

Thanks to all who replied... interesting advice and probably more than enough for such a simple issue as a hand air pump.