Front Forks

I seem to be bottoming out my front forks, it hasn't leaked oil any where, so that should be OK, it has about 20Psi pressure, what should it be?

 

if i recall correctly i think the max pressure is 17 psi, i have run 10 psi in any of the air fork bikes ive had with no problems.

 

Have you checked to see if it has any oil in the forks ?

 

I have had the bike for 20months and ride it nearly every day, rain, hail or shine, i have never had any oil leaks on the front, it squirts oil out when i check the pressure, but no i have no idea exactly how much oil is in there.
I have a 1,000km ride next week end so i want it sorted by then, how much oil should it have and what grade?

 

I found a German Manual, which from what i can work out is 286cc SAE 5W SE oil and 39.3KPa pressure. When i dropped the pressure the front end drooped, it is obviously relying on air pressure to hold it up, not just to assist the springs???? I have put it back to 25Psi (175Kpa), was 20Psi. Is this right?

 

The stock fork springs were not good when they were new...add a quarter of a century of use,and the ride suffers significantly. If your bike doesn't stay up on level ground when using the side (or jiffy stand,as it is sometimes identified as),it is a good candidate for some Progressive Suspension fork springs. I won't be so foolish as to quote you a price (however, mine were under $80 US),but I can say that they offer a lifetime warranty. I have used them on several of my bikes,and have been more than satisfied with each application.

 

The haynes manual recommends 6 - 15psi of air, and 5W fork oil. Have you done a fork oil change in the last 12 months?

The oil level should be 164 - 168mm from the top of the forks. You will have to take off the fork top bolts. Be careful with this, as the bolt can fly off. It's under pressure from the spring. Remove the spring, and bottom out the forks to check the oil level.

I'm not sure about how effective the air assistance is, as I have a 1988 XJ900T, which has non-air forks with no anti-dive.

 

Ok, i replaced the front fork oil, old stuff was pretty black and grotty. Measured the free length of the springs, was 530mm, manual says 522mm, yet with no air it sags! Am i missing a spacer or something?