Need a little help with fork rebuild/ upgrade

My fork seals were leaking and the springs felt weak. so I've got the new seals installed, now I'm not sure how to/when to fill with oil. Do I put in oil, cycle a few times then install springs? I've got new Progressive springs, does the amount of oil need to change?

The instructions that came with the springs say between 3/4" and 1" of spring pre-load. With the new springs and the original unmolested spacers I have about 1.5" preload. I'm a big guy (270 lbs) should I try at 1.5" or should I make shorter spacers?

 

that order sounds right. go with the amount in the book, you can tune it a little with more or less oil later if you want.
the original spacers will probably work but you don't want to get the spring smashed, coil bind, but i think you'd be ok.
consider a little heavier oil, like 20W.
drop the springs in slowly and slowly cycle the forks, it really makes a mess if the oil comes out the top

 

I got everything back together. I used factory recommended oil capacity but used 15W instead of 10W. I also used the original spacers with the new longer springs. Before I could sit on the bike, roll forward and bounce a little and nearly compress the forks all the way. Now I only get about an inch of compression when doing the same thing.

I can't tell how it rides yet. Forks were last on a long list of wrenching for this weekend. I pulled the carbs to take care of a stuck float, replaced original rear shocks with shorter EMGO shocks, Replaced rear brakes, changed handlebars, and replaced front brake pads now that the forks aren't leaking all over them. After everything was buttoned back up, Went to fill the carbs and I've got a different float sticking. :evil:

 

Finally got everything together and working and went for a ride. The new shocks and upgraded forks make a huge difference. It's nice having a suspension that doesn't require counting teeth afterwards.

I live on a gravel road and have to ride about about half a mile to get on pavement. Before the bike felt reasonably stable on gravel but now it feels kind of unstable. My rear shocks are on the stiffest preload, would backing them off a notch or two help?

 

When I put in my progressive springs, I had to drop some fork oil. Too much and you can blow your seals

 

Your front shocks should be stiffer with that oil upgrade. This is going to cause a bit of instability on the gravel. It has everything to do with the front, so changing the rear won't help very much. One thing you may want to check is the steering head bearings. It's possible that wrenching on the triple trees could have hurt a bearing that was close to finished to begin with.