550 maxim suspension adjustment.

Can anyone out here point me in the right direction on suspension adjustment. How do you do it?

 

The only thing adjustable is the preload on the rear shocks. At least that I am aware of. Stick a screw driver in it and turn up or down to another notch. Shocks are so old I'm not sure I can tell can tell the difference on my bike

 

Not an adjustment, but if your forks haven't been serviced lately I'd change the fork oil. It would be some work but nothing super technical.
To do a proper job you have to remove the forks, empty the old oil, wash out the parts. Then with the springs out and forks compressed add new oil
(likely 15wt) to a fill line not by a premeasured amount simply poured in. Example; fill to 4" from the top of the tube. Make sure both are exactly the same level.
Forks are removed so you can dump all the oil out and really parts wash them, you'll be amazed how much sediment comes out.
Cheers, 50gary

 

Everyone seems really big on unnecessary disassembly of late. You don't need to remove the forks, they can be serviced on the bike as long as we're talking about just changing the oil. We're not setting up a racebike here, using the recommended pre-measured amount of fork oil will work just fine. Yamaha recommends 10w, and 272cc for the 550 Max.

That being said, if what comes out of the forks bears little or no resemblance to oil, or they need to have their seals replaced, then they will need to come off for more thorough service.

On the 550s, you may experience issues removing the fork tube caps; if they cannot be simply pushed in far enough to clear the retaining rings DO NOT HAMMER them in. Or, if you manage to push them down far enough to remove the retaining rings but they don't pop right out, apply penetrating oil and wait. If it doesn't work, invest in some Kroil and use that. Once loose, the plugs will come out quite smartly as the fork springs are pushing up on them.

As for suspension adjustment the rear shock preload is pretty much it. You can stiffen up the ride by going to 15w in the front fork; in all honesty the best adjustment for the stock suspension is to replace some things. Progressive Suspension fork springs and new rear shocks will work wonders, guaranteed. The stock components, especially on the 550s, left a lot to be desired to begin with and if the bike has more than about 8K miles on it, the rears are all done anyway. Doesn't do any good to adjust preload on shocks with no damping left, you're just tightening up the springs on the trampoline.

 

Bigfitz52, you are the man....good to have you back!!

 

When removing the fork caps, loosen the top pinch bolt on the triple tree. This can pinch the tube enough to keep the cap from moving .

 

Hi @bigfitz52 , what would happen if those caps did in fact have a hammer used on them?
I have been able to remove the clips but unable to release the caps. They have been soaking in penetrating oil for weeks with no result. The level of the cap is below the clip groove, so there is nothing holding it back from releasing. Could I build up internal pressure via the bleed screw at the base of the shock?
I am trying to fill without removing the shock for the moment.

 

Have you tried compressing the fork tube? That will cause the spring to exert pressure on the plug. It might need a lot of pressure, so it's helpful to have an assistant hold the lower section steady. Make sure the top of the tube is covered to prevent the plug and spring flying out when they release. I would just use my hand however you might want to position a rag as a buffer. If that fails you can make a jig to gradually exert downward pressure on the plug. I've got photos of that if needed.

 

Thanks @Brent NZ I tried this with a couple of ratchet straps, from the axle to the top of the triple tree and took as much travel out of the shocks as the straps would allow. They also have no oil in them, so I’m guessing there is not enough pressure from the spring alone to pop the plug.

 

Suggest you separate the forks from the bike. It's not a particuarly difficult job once you get stuck in and will make it easier to exert pressure on the fork tubes

 

Makes good sense, sadly. Looking for the easy way out will often take longer.
Thanks for the advice. Say safe and healthy over in NZ.

 

If it is easy, it is not right.

 

Hi again @Brent NZ I took the forks off the bike and still no joy getting these caps out. By the look of the assembly diagram, the only thing holding this in is an o ring. I tried to pump up the internals via the oil drain screw at the base, 120 psi did not pop this cap. Could you advise what kind of jig you made to push the plug down?

 

Had the same issue on some forks I got. Soaked it in acetone/atf for many weeks. I've tried several cycles of heat and cold with some light tapping on the tube with a rubber mallet, compressed the fork with a ratchet strap then turned it upside down and struck it against a 2x4...many times, did not budge.

After weeks of lubing, compressing, pounding etc...I ended up drilling and taping the plug. I used an impact gun to pull it out. It was wedged in there so tight that I broke the first bolt (1/4"). Worked the second time with a larger bolt (7/16").

When I finally got it to pop and looked at it, it looked fine...I think a PO had hammered them down.

Pics here
https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/1982-seca-xj650rj.128609/page-3#post-650648

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the reply TJ Impact gun + 7/16 thread is a lot more force than I was thinking.
I might give the heat cycles a go or try the shop press before I drill and tap. These caps are hard to find in Oz

 

My problem with the Seca was the PO did not have the circlip in it's slot when assembling. When the pressure went on the plug it probably wedged itself against the half-protruding circlip & jammed everything tight. What made things worse was water got in & rusted everything tight.
So I made a jig out of a length of steel & a large bolt - ref photos, looks pretty ugly but it got the job done. The bolt didn't have a lot of thread so was deliberately configured so the fork had to be compressed to fit in the jig. Didn't take much winding to break the seal.
TJ's suggestion to use heat makes a lot of sense, heat guns are cheap & should get the fork hot enough to weaken the seal. I've had a similar problems with seals which have gone hard, if the steel is scalding hot the rubber will soon give up.
If you don't have a welder for a jig you can make a clamp as shown in the linked video. This method does risk damage to the fork chrome

 

...the circlips have definitely been removed? Circlip is shown in photo

 

Thanks again. Circlip is definitely out. Mine was looking more corroded than yours in the picture, I'm thinking the corrosion seeping into the plug might be the cause of the problem. The bike was sitting for a long time before I picked it up.
A heat gun will be the next try, then a jig.

 

Put the top of the fork leg on a piece of softwood and compress the slider, it may come out.