Front Fork - Too Soft

[freiesss]

Hey everyone,

I have a 1982 Yamaha Maxim. The front forks are extremely soft... Does anyone know any easy ways to stiffen these up? I don't really want to replace them with something new. Looking for a quick fix if possible...

Let me know!

-Brian

 

[bcware]

Going with some heavier weight fork oil will help slightly, but you can only increase it a little bit (like 5w heavier) before it starts to adversely affect performance. You might also try adding a small spacer made from pvc to increase the preload a little.

Honestly, if you think it is a big deal (I did) you will not likely be happy unless you replace the fork springs with progressive ones AND increase the weight of the fork oil a smidge.

There really isn't a quick fix unfortunately. If you try and raise the fork oil level or just use super heavy oil you will screw up the damping and especially rebound.

 

[freiesss]

Going with some heavier weight fork oil will help slightly, but you can only increase it a little bit (like 5w heavier) before it starts to adversely affect performance. You might also try adding a small spacer made from pvc to increase the preload a little.

Honestly, if you think it is a big deal (I did) you will not likely be happy unless you replace the fork springs with progressive ones AND increase the weight of the fork oil a smidge.

There really isn't a quick fix unfortunately. If you try and raise the fork oil level or just use super heavy oil you will screw up the damping and especially rebound.

Thanks for the quick response!

This might be a dumb question but, can I buy springs that will replace the existing ones without changing anything else? I don't mind doing that. I just don't want to replace the entire fork itself.

Thanks!

 

[bcware]

Oh yes, of course, you do not need to replace the fork. It is just an internal spring. You will want to replace the fork seals at the same time while you are in there along with the oil.

I don't remember the exact spring you need off hand, but if you search you'll find it. You can get them on Ebay. I also have a video on youtube I made while rebuilding my 1978 SOHC forks. It was only the second time I did the job, so there are some minor inefficiencies, but I corrected everything with comments/text. It won't be exactly the same as your DOHC, but it will give you a good idea about what is involved in the job.

 

[PEPXS400]

BCWARE, could you post a link to your youtube vid for changing the spings. I want to do it this winter.

 

[millions]

Pretty sure this is the video bcware is talking about..

 

[willem]

havent been on the forum for about a year, but I used to have a DOHC bike.

Mine had about 95k km on it, and when I changed the fork oil I think it might have been still in there from the factory. There was too little in them, and it vaguely resembled something that used to be oil. Fresh 10W oil made a ton of difference and was a 30 minute job. So get yourself a liter or quart of fork oil and do that first. If it doesn't make a difference, you will still have plenty of fork oil for when you change the springs later on.

good luck!