[ST] Re: re:Fork upgrade

["Rick & Joyce" <rnjwesc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Scott Friday" asked:
> Why did you decide to raise the level in addition to changing
> the weight of the oil? Why not just change the oil only? Does
> that also affect the damping?

Hi Scott,
It's a trick I learned years ago with a GS650.  On that bike I
added 10% more oil & the improvement was dramatic.  Raising the
oil level reduces the volume of air in the fork tube and provides
a rising (spring) rate as the air is compressed.  I tried 10%
with the Sprint (500ml = ~100mm oil level) but it was too much,
limiting the fork travel.  The increase in oil viscosity (from
7w) was more a matter of availability, though I'm happy with the
slight increase in damping.

On the Viffers you have an advantage in that IIRC, they have a
fork oil drain plug.  So you could overfill the forks by 10% or
so and then drain out a measured amount from each side until the
desired result has been reached.  I'd be careful with viscosity
increases.  On my Trophy, I switched from the factory's 10w-20 to
15w and while the bike felt better in the twisties, it was pretty
harsh for normal riding.  Switching back to 10w with a little
extra oil volume was much nicer.
Cheers,
Rick




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