isallgood.com or is it?

[Randy Phillips]

I completely removed my front forks and drained all the oil overnight. Shot a little contact/brake cleaner in and let drain overnight again. I'm getting ready to assemble the front forks and replace springs with LR Progressive, etc. I know some on the list have recommended 15wt fork oil and filling up to 170mm from top. I've had the dealer tell me to use 10wt and no more than 190mm or I could experience seal leakage. I've also had another experienced person tell me to use 7.5wt oil. So, being anal like I am, will I have any issues with leaky seals if I set the oil level to 170mm? Thanks! Randy A17 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Randy Phillips Technology Specialist Logical Systems, Inc. 208.321.2626 PHONE 208.321.2626 FAX randy@... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Riley]

I found the shock to harsh with 15 wt and went with 7.5. The spring and spacers determine stiffness the oil determines how fast the fork moves. I found with the 15 wt it respoded with a sharp hit now it follows the road better. I'm 210 lbs. Riley A15 Montreal

----- Original Message ----- From: "Randy Phillips" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 12:23 PM Subject: [DSN_klr650] LR Progressive Springs > I completely removed my front forks and drained all the oil overnight. > Shot a little contact/brake cleaner in and let drain overnight again. > > I'm getting ready to assemble the front forks and replace springs with > LR Progressive, etc. > > I know some on the list have recommended 15wt fork oil and > filling up to 170mm from top. I've had the dealer tell me to use 10wt > and no more than 190mm or I could experience seal leakage. I've also > had another experienced person tell me to use 7.5wt oil. > > So, being anal like I am, will I have any issues with leaky seals if I > set the oil level to 170mm? > > Thanks! > Randy > A17 > > :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: > > Randy Phillips > Technology Specialist > > Logical Systems, Inc. > 208.321.2626 PHONE > 208.321.2626 FAX > randy@... > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to: > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com . > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > >

[Randy Phillips]

Thanks for the comments! Much appreciated. Randy A17 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Devon]

I'm on my third (and hopefully final) front end, here;s my $0.02 randy@... wrote:

>I completely removed my front forks and drained all the oil overnight. >Shot a little contact/brake cleaner in and let drain overnight again. > >

Make sure you do the same with some fork oil before you fill it up for real, especially run the forks through the stroke a couple times. Contact cleaner takes ALL the oil off of parts.

>I'm getting ready to assemble the front forks and replace springs with >LR Progressive, etc. > >I know some on the list have recommended 15wt fork oil and >filling up to 170mm from top. I've had the dealer tell me to use 10wt >and no more than 190mm or I could experience seal leakage. I've also >had another experienced person tell me to use 7.5wt oil. >

Your dealer is wrong. I used 170mm for 20,000mi. Got a blown seal at 150mm but that might have been coincidence (very hard use offroad). As far as oil weight, the machining on KLR forks is hit-or-miss. The two stock front ends I had needed TOTALLY different oil weights (25m vs 10w) to get the same feel. If you liked the front end with stock oil, or it was just a little soft, go with a 50/50 mix of 10w and 15w. If it's too soft, dump a tablespoon of 90w into each fork leg. If it was a sloppy bottoming mess all the time, try 15w. Devon

[Randy Phillips]

Emulators look enticing..... Thanks! I have had a Happy Trail fork brace since I purchased my A17 new so I don't really remember what the ride was like pre-happy brace. I'm assuming it made a BIG difference as my bike handles quite well in aggressive dirt riding other than the front fork bottoming problem. Looking forward to testing these LR Progressive springs! Thanks again! Randy A17 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[The Mule]

I had the Progressive LR springs in my last KLR. They were a huge improvement over stock. I put 15wt. in at the time and regretted that part. As someone else pointed out, it made for a harsh ride. When I get around to doing it again with my present KLR, it'll be with 7.5 (or 8) wt. at the mid-recommended volume. Should make for a smoother ride. The springs themselves (and the preload........using 2" spacers?) are progressively stiffer, so you'll be much less likely to bottom. Seems to me overfilling is done to increase bottoming resistance, but at the risk of your fork seals' health. For most riders, the LR springs should be bottom resistant enough. I, too, have been considering the Race Tech cartridge emulators. I'll probably pass as they are expensive, require time and labor to tweak, and I believe the combination of LR spring with light oil will be just fine. Steve The Mule A17

> Emulators look enticing..... Thanks! > > I have had a Happy Trail fork brace since I purchased my A17 new so > I don't really remember what the ride was like pre-happy brace. I'm > assuming it made a BIG difference as my bike handles quite well > in aggressive dirt riding other than the front fork bottoming problem. > Looking forward to testing these LR Progressive springs! > > Thanks again! > Randy > A17

[Randy Phillips]

I assembled the forks last night with Bel-Ray 10wt oil at 170 from the top with LR springs and 2" spacers. I weight 160lbs so I assumed the 10wt might give me a touch better ride as I plan to do some long rides this summer. I mounted the forks very close to the top fork bridge leaving enough room to torque down the fork caps. It was nice getting in there cleaning up the front end. Sure makes a guy feel good knowing everything is back together all nice and fine tuned. I did have a heck of a time getting the oil levels just right. I am getting very anxious to get everything back together, but I'm in need of a new torque wrench. I suppose Sears is as good as any? So, I'll get that today and finish the project tonight. I'll comment on my 'experience' with new LR's once I get a chance to go for a nice aggressive ride. I'm going to give these LR's a go and see what happens. If that doesn't cut it I will go the emulator route. Sounds like a great solution! I'm amazed at the difference in the size of the front forks from my old 93 KLX650 compared to this 03 KLR. You would think Kawasaki would beef up the front end just to accommodate the weight of the KLR. I suppose it's not so bad if you are just putting around on the street. Thanks guys for the comments. Much appreciated!! Randy A17 - Idaho ------------------------- Randy, My first set of KLR forks needed the brace desperately. The second set was pretty decent without it, but still worked better with the brace. The PS springs will help the bottoming a bit, if only by making the front ride higher in the stroke so you have a little more travel for the damping to work. But big hits, taken at low speeds, will still bottom the fork fairly easily. Someone (don't remember who) has my spare set of KLR damper rods. If you buy the emulators, let me know. The "good karma damping rods" are supposed to be loaned to whoever is doing an installation at the moment, then once the bike is together and working fine, their original rods go to the next guy. Devon [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[dbocz]

Can any one comment on the products and service from the isallgood.com? Past dealings? Thanks Doug Regina SK CND