1981 GS1100E - front suspension - How to tell if they are doing there job.

[Guest]

Hi.

Took my bike out for the first time this year and concentrated on practising breaking.

Breaking hard at slow speed, mayby 40km, drops 6 inches.
I find it very spongy.

What is normal for this bike?

I searched but did not find related posts.

[posplayr]

Check your sag. It is most likely ft and back springs are shot. There is a thread for Charlie's who is going through the process now

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=207894

[Steve]

I really do hope you were not practicing your "breaking", but rather you were practicing your BRAKING.

Anyway, ... if the front of the bike is dropping 6 inches while BRAKING, it's too much. There is a very good chance that you have no fork oil to provide any damping.

Since your bike is also 32 years old, it's kind of easy to assume that it might also have the original springs in the forks. If they are original, you might want to consider upgrading them. They were designed with lighter spring rates, as they were meant to be augmented with some additional air pressure. It's possible that you simply need some air (probably 7-10psi), but even that won't keep you from dropping a full six inches while BRAKING.

New springs from Progressive Suspension or Sonic, along with the proper amount of fork oil will do wonders for comfort and handling.

.

[c&c]

haha yes Braking. Thanks for pointing that out.

I plan on doing a complete rebuild this winter with some USD forks so I dont want to invest to much in better/performance parts for fixing this suspension.

I'm sure the front fork is all original. The bike has 42000km's.
Maybe replacing the oil and doing that anti-dive hack could help.
The lower knob was at #1. I'll try #4.
How much for a rebuild with new seals cost?

My rear suspension are Marzocchi.

The shock tubes have surface oil on them is that normal? Should they be 100% dry?

I'll be keeping an eye out on Charlie's thread. I read a bit and it's all Chinese to me at the moment. I'll have to study it more to fully understand.

[Steel Toed Tank]

I did my fork springs, seals and oil for under $150.
And that included shipping from the USA to Canada.

Don't be cheap, the price of doing it is well worth it.

[eil]

I'm sure the front fork is all original. The bike has 42000km's.
Maybe replacing the oil and doing that anti-dive hack could help.
The lower knob was at #1. I'll try #4.
How much for a rebuild with new seals cost?

My rear suspension are Marzocchi.

The shock tubes have surface oil on them is that normal? Should they be 100% dry?

If you're riding the bike this season, it would be a good idea to service the existing forks. Normally, all you have to replace are the oil and fork seals and neither are terribly expensive. BassCliff's site has info on fork rebuilds, I believe, and there are plenty of threads here on the subject as well.

Yes, the chrome fork uppers should normally be pretty dry. If you push down on the handlebars and afterwards see a ring where the movement stopped, you need new fork seals.

[c&c]

Thank you for the info! Much appreciated.

I'll be looking into changing the seals and oil for the front and maybe rear if they need them.

I went riding Saturday and turned the knobs all the way to 4. They where allot stiffer and the bike handled better but I did notice a big difference between the front and the rear which was softer. I'll be looking into adjusting the suspension.