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progressive springs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter seuadr
  • Start date Start date
S

seuadr

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i will find out tommorow, but i am pretty sure my fork springs are shot. I looked for OEM springs on z1, bike bandit, and my local dealer, and they all said discontinued. so i assume i'll need to get some aftermarket springs? my question is, for my "E" forks, not knowing what year they came off from, is the seal kit and/or springs going to be significantly different from year to year? i'm not sure which ones i am supposed to get, or if all of them will fit a specific mm fork size range regardless of years? anyone got any experence? i saw a set at bikebandit for 74 dollars, which didn't seem to bad to me, although shipping might suck. any suggestions on where to get them? i'm going to be in a position to measure and photo everything tommorow, so i can supply that if that will help. thanks in advance.
 
Why do you suspect the springs are "shot"? If you mean they have sagged and lost stack height you can add a spacer to get that back. If they are too soft you can cut out some coils and replace them with a spacer - increases the spring rate.
 
I'd bet a paycheck that your seals measure 37mm id x 49 mm od x 8 mm thick. Same as on pretty much every street motorcycle made in the late 70's to mid 80's. Both Katanas and my dearly departed GPz use the same fork seals. As does my buddy's V-Max.
 
Did you change out the fork oil yet? The spring length and oil capacities will vary depending on the type of fork you have.

To narrow it down do your forks have:

air valves on top of the forks?
air valve of the L hand side of one of the forks w an interconnecting tube going to the other fork tube?
does the axle go directly underneath the forks or a couple of inches in front of it?
do the forks have damping adjustments knobs on the bottom?
do the forks have any preload adjustments on the top of the fork tubes?

This will help us to determine what type of forks you actually have on your bike.
 
JayH said:
Did you change out the fork oil yet? The spring length and oil capacities will vary depending on the type of fork you have.

To narrow it down do your forks have:

air valves on top of the forks?
air valve of the L hand side of one of the forks w an interconnecting tube going to the other fork tube?
does the axle go directly underneath the forks or a couple of inches in front of it?
do the forks have damping adjustments knobs on the bottom?
do the forks have any preload adjustments on the top of the fork tubes?

This will help us to determine what type of forks you actually have on your bike.
Click to expand...
1. yes.
2. no, it's on the right hand side.
3. under
4. yes
5. not that i noticed.

after seeing blowups of e forks and several pictures, i'm about 99% sure they are e model forks. they have dual discs and the front anti dive units.

i changed the fork oil out for 15 weight.. and if i take the air out of the forks, i can still bottom them out with a little effort. and bottom them out as in, the black seals hit the triple tree if i bounce the forks on the center stand. tommorow i'm gonna pull the springs out and measure them, then compare them to what the manual says.
100_0929.jpg

there is a picture, if that helps at all.
nessism, i suspect they are shot because the comment here and the local suzuki dealership both reflected that pretty much, with oil in the forks, i shouldn't be able to just bottom the forks out by bouncing them a little on the center stand. i could be wrong, but it seems there is definitally something amiss.
 
looks like a good place.... ill have to keep them in mind. im pretty sure mine are shot too
 
seuadr said:
1. yes.
2. no, it's on the right hand side.
3. under
4. yes
5. not that i noticed.

after seeing blowups of e forks and several pictures, i'm about 99% sure they are e model forks. they have dual discs and the front anti dive units.

i changed the fork oil out for 15 weight.. and if i take the air out of the forks, i can still bottom them out with a little effort. and bottom them out as in, the black seals hit the triple tree if i bounce the forks on the center stand. tommorow i'm gonna pull the springs out and measure them, then compare them to what the manual says.
100_0929.jpg

there is a picture, if that helps at all.
nessism, i suspect they are shot because the comment here and the local suzuki dealership both reflected that pretty much, with oil in the forks, i shouldn't be able to just bottom the forks out by bouncing them a little on the center stand. i could be wrong, but it seems there is definitally something amiss.
Click to expand...
For sure they're shot. Get some progressives, put the necessary spacer in them ( based on feel, some of the guys here can give you a good ballpark likely, the spacer you make out of PVC cut to length based on what feels good to preload the springs) add oil and forget the air.
 
That picture confirms what I thought already about your forks. Just confused me without having the black on them.

Those forks are from a EZ/ED/EXD Suzuki. The style of anti-dive unit gives it away.

You will need seal no 51153-49000 or 51153-49001.

If you have two springs inside the tube thats an ED/EXD front end and wants the 49001 seal.
If it has one spring its a EZ front end and wants the 49000 seal. Also the EZ has Air assisted front suspension (UK model does so suspect USA also) where the ED/EXD doesn't.


Suzuki mad.

All part number quoted correct for UK bikes (USA may be slightly different)
 
check before you buy

check before you buy

i would suspect that your springs are not the right size for your forks (or you re missing a spacer) rather than that they are just "shot"
mine were totally in spec after 100k kms
also, i'd double check that you have the right quantity of oil for your forks

shot springs would be indicated by larger-then-normal sagging under the weight of the bike/rider (when stationary) but would still provide good suspension in most cases

worn springs alone would not cause the bottom-out effect as readily as you say it happens
 
great guys, thanks. it's nice to have outside comfirmation. I'm gonna try a spacer today, as i believe you are probably right.. being a harley guy that put them together, he probably didn't realize that was not normal! :D

if i do indeed need springs, a long standing member has offered me some, and i'm sure he'll be very reasonable. these forks have an air assist on the right hand side, it raised up the forks a good 2 or 3 inches when i put around 15psi in them yesterday. i'm gonna guess they are from an EZ. he said when i bought the bike that they were from the same year 1100GS he probably didn't realize there were a few different models.
 
fun fun. lots of problems with my forks, all since fixed. first, the springs had no spacers at all, fortunatly a friend had a couple we could toss in there.no oil. forks were dry. i knew i should have checked the oil, buti didn't have anything to catch it in.. and i foolishly assumed that there had to be at least some in there. lastly, and i'm not sure how much of an issue this is, but the little caps that go on top with the o rings? .. no o rings. i replace them, and it feels like a totally different bike!
 
seuadr said:
and i'm not sure how much of an issue this is, but the little caps that go on top with the o rings? .. no o rings. i replace them, and it feels like a totally different bike!
Click to expand...
those o-rings help keep air/oil in, at least on a non-air-assisted forks
yea, oil and spring spacers help, dont they :D
 
psyguy said:
those o-rings help keep air/oil in, at least on a non-air-assisted forks
yea, oil and spring spacers help, dont they :D
Click to expand...

Very important. There cheap so no 'scrimping.'

The motto of this thread, always check things on a new bike becasue the PO may not have know what the ****** he was doing.

Suzuki mad
 
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