Anti Dive on Seca

I have read that some people like to bypass/disable the anti dive setup on the Seca's. I am in the proces of a rebuild and am curious what the benefits/drawbacks may be.

 

I didn't like the feel of the anti-dive on the front forks on my 82 Seca 750. It gave me the false sense of security when applying the brakes, because I expect some amount of dive when I use the front brakes and some times I'd actually slid the front tire under hard braking!! I just removed the hydrolic brake line (and the small unit on the bottom of the forks) and plugged the holes with metric bolts with plastic washers to seal everything up and it worked perfect. I like it alot better now.
* Put it this way, you don't see the bike manufacturers using them anymore (not that I'm aware of anyways) so they weren't effective as they may have thought. It was mainly a sales gimmick that never really caught on. >PD<

 

Have not had a problem with mine. Overhaul them with new o-rings when you pull the forks to replace fork seals and you should be good to go for years to come.

 

The anti-dive setup on my 85 gs700 was the same way, really numb. I ended up diasabling it and really liking it without it.

 

I always thought it didn't make much difference anyways... then I adjusted it one day (years later) and found out how much it helps! I haven't done anything special with mine and haven't had a problem. I say install and hook it all up, if you don't like them you can always turn the adjustment down. I know I like it, wouldn't bother me not having it but since it's there might as well use it.

 

Just had my calipers shop re-built, installed them myself, now to bleed-- nothing! I even broke loose the banjo fitting--no flow! and I have anti-dive and the hidden Master CYL. 1981 Seca 750. Where do I start???

 

I feel for ya man! I bled the brakes for the first time on a Seca in August and it can be a task. What I ended up doing was using a small funnel shoved into the end of some clear vinyl hose. I think the hose was 3/8" inside diameter. The key to it is that the hose needs to make a seal around it's outside when you push it into that hole in the master cylinder (the cap with the allen head).
I grabbed some mechanics wire and attached the funnel upright to my bars and then filled with brake fluid. Then just do the standard open bleeder-squeeze clutch, close bleeder-release clutch, repeat many times. This worked well for me as I could see when the fluid was getting low and could keep it full.
Any other method I tried seemed to end up slurping air because I would empty the cylinder. Good Luck! Hope this Helps!

 

Thanks for the advise Guy! I rigged a funnel 3 feet up with clear tube and bled from basically a dry system. The left anti dive "nipple" didn't bleed. Would that indicate a malfunction or blockage? Didn't have enough "time to ride" on the street to test it. insert picture here.

 

The only problem with Anti-dive is related to maintenance. The Factory Manuals show how to overhaul the Dive Units and at what recommended intervals.

Without maintenance ... the moisture absorbed by Fork Oil turns to a slime-like mud and settles in the Dive Unit. Since the Dive Unit is a Piston within a Nylon Cylinder ... it doesn't take much to foul the close tolerance between the Piston and Cylinder and have the Unit rendered IN-OP!

Since changing Fork Oil comes-in lower than any other maintenance item in surveys of motorcycle owners ... it's no wonder that more than 85% of Anti-Dive Units are clogged and rendered useless after 5 (Five) years.

How old are the ones you blocked-off?
If they were still working ... I'd get the Manual and overhaul them.
They are really nice to have working for you when you need a fist-full of brakes, suddenly, while in a turn or going down a moderate grade.

 

i found my anti dives worked a heap better after a serious bleed session and cleared a lot of rubbish out of the system. that and a new set of fork springs included in the front end over haul and you beauty it all works great especially going for a big grab into a turn. bottom line is if they don't work at first fix'em, if you don't like how they feel turf'em

 

If you have the patience to remove the Dives and Overhaul them ... THAT'S what you should do.

Bleeding the system is supposed to "Equalize" their performance. The Problem is ... and, ... it's a BIG Problem ... you can Bleed the System and get only one side freed-up.

It's also possible to bleed the system and still not have them work. But, getting only ONE Side back in-the-game is NOT what you want to do.

HAYNES breaks-down the Dives found on 750 Models. You have to consult a Factory Manual for 900 Style.
Either way, either Bike ... Overhaul Both Sides and make sure that there's Un-hampered movement of the small Pistonn within the Nylon Bushing.

Otherwise, you will have one side resisting kneeling into Turns and Front Wheel Braking and the Other Side either ... Stiff or loose. Not a situation to have when you expect the Bike to be doing something opposite of what it's supposed to be doing under hard braking and leaning into curves.