XJ11 Fork Rebuild - Meet the Forkers

[KA1J]

First off, my Springtime hellos to everyone. I've been dealing with life's other things and haven't spent enough time on or working on my bikes but now that the garage is at a temp I can move easily in, I'm on to working on the remaining bike issues from last year.

I'm needing to replace the fork seals and am going to be using Crazy Steve's excellent tutorial http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...ight=fork+seal I am still not sure what to do about the pneumatic connections to the forks other than to discharge any residual air pressure.

I did buy a cheap used triple tree for an XS so I can disassemble the forks a ways off from the bike but my smaller vise is too small to hold them so I'll likely be best to remove everything while the top half is still attached to the triple tree on the bike. That being the case maybe I won't need to remove the pneumatic line between the forks & if that's the case, are there any caveats I should be aware of before removing the bolt on top or something else not mentioned in the tutorial?

Also, since I'll have the springs out, are there any better progressive springs for the XJ11 to replace the stock ones with? If so, which ones in particular? I'm guessing after 30 years of constant tension they may be somewhat less strong than in 1982.

Thanks!

[bobobaggins]

Great timing for me that you would be doing this. I am in the midst of some forking drama myself. Good Luck.

[KA1J]

Hi Bobo, I see by your # of posts you're new to the site. If you have a XS11 or XJ11, you've found what is likely the best source of info on the web on these marvelous bikes. You'll be amazed at the depth of knowledge and willingness to share that you'll find here.

Welcome to the Clan!

[crazy steve]

The air line 'tie' between the forks just slides off once the top tree is removed. Just let the air (if any) out before you start disassembly.

Progressive makes a replacement fork spring set for these; part #11-1110. These springs also don't require air, so that eliminates that hassle....

[KA1J]

Hi there Steve,

Thanks for that reference, found them for $68 on Amazon, haven't looked elsewhere yet.

Have you had a chance to try out these progressive springs with no air pressure compared to original springs & air? If there's a significant improvement I'll be happy to use these instead.

& Since there is no air needed, is there any difference in reassembly?

Does the damper adjustment system still work or is it "automatic"? Not sure what to do differently with reassembly, if anything.

Thanks again!

[crazy steve]

I haven't run their springs in a XS/XJ (yet), but have them in my Harleys and am very pleased with them. Several members use them (without air) and have reported improved handling...

There will likely be a couple of small changes in reassembly; one, these need a preload spacer fitted (or it may be precut; sometimes they are) and Progressive usually likes to see a specific oil level in the fork, which may or may not be the same as stock. The directions will detail this....

One tip: if they do want a certain oil level, keep track (by CCs or some unit of measurement) of how much to make fork oil changes easier down the road.

The springs will have no effect on the damper adjustment, that should still offer some tuning.