Remove the anti-dive?

[Anonymous]

I've seen in a few old posts that I've read through, as well as the recent steel-break lines post, that people are removing their anti-dive mechanisms. Why would you do this? I've just started restoring my first GS, an '83 750E, it has an anti-dive system and it seems like a good idea to me. So, what's the skinny?

David

[Clone]

AAAAHHHH, there you go generalizing. SOME people are removing the anti-dive unit.
Quoted from a previous post:
"My bike is an 83 GS750E with the antidive intact, originally my brakes were a little soft. ....... I have ridden an 83 without the antidive units and just a machined plate over the forks. My bike noses down way less. The antidive units serve a purpose. ......"

My brakes feel fine, but then I don't race or really carve up the road a lot. If it gets to the point where my lines are soft I will replace them with braided steel, and keep the front end intact, nothing removed.
As to why someone would do this, I cannot definitively answer that question, you would need someone who removed their anti-dive and subsequently what they did to manage the flow of oil in their forks.

[Anonymous]

I have an "85" GS 1150 & an "83" GS 1100 that have functional anti-dive systems, I also have "86" 1150, with a non-functional system, & a "83" CB 1100 F (Honda), & a "2000" EX 250 Ninja (Kawasaki) that have no anti-dive system. If I set the systems up tight, the two with the functional systems, don't dive as much as the others. I've tried to find the advantage of the bikes that don't dive as much, but I can not find any advantage. The normal dive of any bike has never caused me any problem, so what is the advantage of the system, except to say the front end of my bike doesn't dive as much as yours does. I don't notice any difference in the brakes being softer or firmer. I don't have braided steel lines on any of the bikes

[Anonymous]

If your antidive is working decently, I'd leave it intact. Some people may not want to overhaul them if they fail;o-rings,plungers,relief springs,etc. Maybe if fork oil isn't changed regularly it fouls the valving; I've seen some pretty horrible fork oil a time or two and it looked like someone horked loogies in it.
The valves are there to limit fork oil flow which slows nose dive on hard braking. A friend of mine has an 1100ed with block plates instead of the valve assemblies and it dives like crazy on a hard stop;much worse than my 750ex does. I have a set of antidive forks complete off an 1100 and when I get to redoing them they're going on. Maybe it's hard to get a short braided line to go from the caliper to the valve, I don't know. I would leave it intact unless someone knows a trick to do it without hindering fork performance.

Jon Kram
________________________

81 GS750EX and proud of it!!

[Anonymous]

I had put progressive springs in the tubes a few months back and finally got to remove the antidive stuff a week ago. Actually i cant tell the differnce.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why all the manufacturers experimented with anti dive gizmos back in the '80's, probably to make up for the weak springs and damping they all used. Funny none of the new bikes have that feature. If you really want less dive and better handling install some decent fork springs and Race Tech Emulators(damping valves). If you want to make your brakes easier to bleed and don't like paying extra for a five separate stainless brake lines disconnect the anti-dive. Now if you do decide to disconnect it, don't make a block off plate. Leave the actual unit in place and just remove the banjo bolt and line and then seal the hole so moisture doesn't get into it. You'll also need to replace the long banjo on the caliper with the short one from the antidive.
Axel

[Anonymous]

I don't know why all the manufacturers experimented with anti dive gizmos back in the '80's, probably to make up for the weak springs and damping they all used. Funny none of the new bikes have that feature. If you really want less dive and better handling install some decent fork springs and Race Tech Emulators(damping valves). If you want to make your brakes easier to bleed and don't like paying extra for a five separate stainless brake lines disconnect the anti-dive. Now if you do decide to disconnect it, don't make a block off plate. Leave the actual unit in place and just remove the banjo bolt and line and then seal the hole so moisture doesn't get into it. You'll also need to replace the long banjo on the caliper with the short one from the antidive.
Axel

axel

Biker 66 has always posted something similar to your method on his sweedish website--However i was a bit afraid to just leave the hole open so i sealed it with another bolt of a proper size--now i feel a bit more secure. i do think that in spite of not noticing any diference in how the bike dipped under braking, i do seem to feel alittle more sensativity in the brake lever.
I was afraid that some sort of O ring in the anti dive unit would deteriorate and i would begin losing fluid.

[Anonymous]

I was afraid that some sort of O ring in the anti dive unit would deteriorate and i would begin losing fluid.

I first did this back in '83 and had trouble finding a bolt to fit. Since then I just kept using rubber plugs. Three different bikes and no leaks yet. Can you imagine what would happen if a seal let go while the antidive line was still connected? No brakes!
Axel

[Billy Ricks]

The anti-dive unit is actually a two piece affair. The top portion of the anti-dive unit has a piston in it that is forced down by hydraulic pressure to act on the valve in the unit below. Nothing will leak out other than the small amount of brake fluid left behind. You should seal it up just to keep the piston from getting corroded from moisture in case you ever want to reconnect it. Sometimes those pistons freeze up and the anti-dive doesn't work at all even when it remains connected. When I was still running the GS front end I had that happen to me.