Fork clunk

G'day all...

I had my forks resealed a few years ago and I've noticed since then that whenever I hit a moderate to large bump the forks clunk.

HELP!!! Its really annoying and embarassing.

I tried to take it back to the guy who did it and he said I had waited too long. :evil: Hmmm, he did the work for me in November, I rode it home and parked it for the winter and noticed the problem the following spring. Technically, it was "just completed". Obviously, he permanently lost a customer, and references I might have given, and gained mucho bad karma. (If you're in the Portland, Oregon area and want to know what shop it was, I'll reply off list.)

Is there some adjustment I can do? As a side note, I have my rear shocks set to full extension so the front is VERY soft in comparison. Quite annoying on aggressive cornering.

Please keep in mind, I do very little work on my bike personally, so suggestions will need to be fairly detailed.

Thanx,

 

Do your shocks have the nipple for compressed air? You might just need to pump them up a little. (be very careful if this turns out to be the case, it's easy to over fill them)

 

maximator, I dont think the bike not having air in the front forks would make it clunk..I just rebuilt the front forks on my bike and I have not filled my forks with air yet..I do ride it like it is..The air that you do put in is a realtive small amount..I believe the max is 18lb of air pressure and its only to stiffen the shocks up a bit..If you over fill the front forks with air pressure, you run the risk of blowing out the front seals..However it does sound like the forks are bottoming out...I wonder if the right amount of fluid was used...It is a good suggestion imo to put pressure in the forks and see if it helps.. Im not sure what to tell you besides Check for fluid leaks on the forks and around the front brake area..If you have a torque wrench check all torque specs on the head set down to the front tire..Make sure nothing is slipping..This Is a pretty easy chore (breaking down and reassembly of the forks).

If it was me I would take the forks off and atleast drain them and make sure the correct amount of fluid is in the forks. also check the damper bolt on the bottom for correct torque. Im telling you this because, it is my opinion that if the fork specs are not right or close to the better side.
Well then other things could be wrong that the better buisness burea should be informed of. It makes me wonder if the springs being installed upside down could be a cause of this problem.

If you need the specs for this bike I still have them hanging on my garage wall.
Just pm me and ill shoot them to you.There could be many soultions to this problem and the only for sure way to find it is to look into the problem.

Your health and safety is well worth it! Im sure somebody else will come along with some info that will articulate the resolution for you.

Good luck and be safe. ~Ridz~

 

I know the "clunking" you're speaking of - I have the same issue on my bike - the funny thing is it doesn't feel like the forks are bottoming out when the sound appears.

I'm thinking about puting some new oil in there. Possibly something a little stiffer - and eventually switching to some progressive springs.

I'm also thinking about going a 1/2 inch or an inch shorter - I now have the forks pushed up through the trees about 3/4 of an inch to lower the bike - but the rear springs are a full inch shorter than stock.

BTW - anyone know the best place to get fork upgrades (Progressive springs - Seals, kits, etc) for out XJ/s? This would be for my 650 Seca.

 

I had a mysterious clunk in my front end for the longest time, ended up being the weight in the handle bar end was loose and jumping around inside.

 

My front forks bottom out with a clunk pretty easily and I don't have any air in them. I guess I was hoping it would make a big difference for him to give me hope.

In my case I am 100% sure of the volume and weight being on spec for the shock oil, so I suspect my springs are getting tired. I did not take the time to measure them while replacing my fork seals unfortunately. I plan to upgrade to progressive springs for next season.