Race Tech Installation

["Paul Steinbacher" <psteinbacher@xxxxxxxxx>]

	Just finished the installation so here are the details. First I think the
setup instructions furnished with the emulator and spring were pretty poor
and quite confusing regarding initial setup instructions. That said, I used
the recommended parts and setup information from the RT web site.
	For a 170 lb rider weight the recommendations were; Fork Gold Valve
Emulator Kit FEGV S4301, Number of Turns of Emulator Valve Spring Preload
2.0 turns, Oil US-1=5w, Oil Level, 125 mm (4.9"), Fork Spring Series	FRSP
S3732, Recommended Fork Spring Rate 0.907 kg/mm,  Recommended Fork Spring
Preload 15 mm (.59").
	I removed the fork tubes without removing any bodywork. I put the bike on
the center stand then tied the top triple clamp to the ceiling using soft
ties and tiedowns. This held the bike in place while I completed the work.
Remove the clamps that hold the wiring and brake hose to the fork tubes.
Removed the two front fender pieces, brake calipers and then the front
wheel. Remove or loosen all handlebar hardware but left them in place
(loosen pinch bolt) then remove the fork tubes by loosening the pinch bolts
on the upper and lower triple clamps (bottom ones are difficult to get to
with fairing in place).
	Now with the forks in hand, you have to remove the fork cap and the damping
rod bolt. After trying two ways, I would suggest removing the damping rod
bolt first (this is the Allen at the bottom of the fork leg). Draining is
messy and takes a while this way, but the fork spring holds the damping rod
in place while you remove the damping rod bolt. Some forks I've worked on
have an Allen slot on the upper part of the damping tube, this allows you to
hold it in place, the Triumph fork does not. I loosened the fork cap and
damping rod bolt slightly using a vise. I wrapped the fork tubes with rubber
jar lid remover to loosen the fork cap. I then loosened the damping cylinder
bolt using the same procedure only holding the fork leg in the vice instead
of the fork tube. I then used a Park bicycle stand to hold the fork tubes
for the rest of the operation. After the forks have drained and you have the
fork cap and damping rod bolt removed you can turn the fork upside down and
the damping tube will slide out. Spend some time cleaning everything up.
	This is the point of no return. The instructions tell you to drill 6
compression holes, at least 5/16" (8mm) in diameter in the damping rod. The
Triumph damping rod has one compression hole and no rebound holes. I
enlarged the one hole to 5/16"  and added 5 more. You need to deburr the
holes and get rid of any metal filings. Put the emulator in the top of the
damping rod at this point just to see how it fits, take it out and set it
aside.
	Now you put the damping rod back in the fork and install the damping rod
bolt. The Triumph manual does not say to use thread lock but there was some
on it when it came out so I used locktite medium strength. Torque the
damping rod bolt to 25 Nm (18.4 lb ft).
	Now drop in the emulator (adjusted 2 turns for me), make sure the emulator
seats itself correctly as you saw previously. Drop in the spring with 2
spring washers on top of it. Measure the distance to the top of the tube
(6.9" for me), now measure the fork cap height (1.2") subtract the fork cap
height, that leaves (5.7"), add the preload (15mm or .6") and you get the
length of the spacer you require (6.3"). Use a tubing cutter to cut the
length of spacer that RT sends with the spring.
	Remove the spring and spring washers from the fork and fill with fluid. In
my case they recommend using 5W oil and filling the tube to 4.9" from the
top when the fork is compressed. That turned out to be near 500cc of oil, I
used Silkolene Pro RSF. You will need to work the leg up and down to get oil
throughout the fork before the measurement is taken. Just keep compressing
and extending the fork until no more air seems to be coming up through the
oil, then do it a few more times for good measure. Measure the distance from
the top of the fork tube to the oil with the fork compressed and add or
remove oil as required.
	Now, put the spring in, put in one spring washer, put in the spacer, put in
the second spring washer. Use the original Triumph spring washer for the
top, since the hair pin on the fork cap will interfere with the spring
washer sent with the RT spring. The top of the spacer should now be about
.6" below the top of the fork tube. If it is higher than the tube, the
emulator probably got pushed out of the top of the damping rod when you were
stroking the fork leg to get the oil distributed. Just hold down lightly on
the spacer and stroke the leg lightly, the emulator will reseat itself in
the proper position. You will know that when the spacer is the proper
distance inside the tube.
	Carefully thread in the fork cap, you will have to push down and start the
threads, be careful not to cross thread the fork cap. Tighten the cap to 30
Nm (22 lb ft).
	Now put the forks back into the triple clamps, the top of the fork should
be flush with the top of the top face of the handlebars. Tighten upper
triple clamp bolts to 20 Nm (15 lb ft), lower triple clamp bolts to 35 Nm
(26 lb ft). Handlebar bolts all get tightened to 22 Nm (16 lb ft). Slide the
wheel into place (careful with the speedometer drive), tighten axle to 61 Nm
(45 lb ft), Mount the brake calipers, tighten to 40 Nm (29.5 lb ft). Put the
fender halves back on. Clamp the wires and brake line to the fork tubes.
Remove the ties to the ceiling. Take the bike off the center stand, pump the
brakes a few times, now hold the brakes and pump the front end a few times
to line the forks up. Tighten the fork pinch bolts to 20 Nm (15 lb ft).
Double check all of the fasteners. Job done.
	I spent about 6 hours doing this job and did not really find any areas that
would create any difficulties for someone with some mechanical skills.
Nothing here is overly complicated or difficult. All it takes is some
patience and making sure that you check and double check your work. Since
this is an area that could impact your safety, don't attempt it if you don't
feel confident.
	If anyone needs some further guidance, or if you live close and want some
assistance feel free to get in touch with me. I'll get some real time on the
bike tomorrow and give some kind of report on how I think this has worked
out by the end of the weekend.


Paul & Dee
Madd Dawg & Dinky Dawg
1999 Sprint ST
2000 Buell X1


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