fork springs

[frank1200]

is it worth changing the springs on the forks of my 84 g/s

i have to replace the fork oil seals and as i have got a ohlins shock for the rear i am wondering will the front need improving to match the rear

any advice or experiance of this

 

[JPR]

Definitely yes.inexpensive improvement,when you compare the old ones with the replacement youll see why.

 

[fayeslane]

Yes.

When they are out measure them -if they are original there will be significant sag.

My thoughts are that if you improve the back end then you also need to do the front.

Wilbers progressive springs improved the front end on my R100GSPD.

On my 84 G/S I used 5w oil but will try 10w as it doesn't feel right.

 

[Beemerboff]

Getting the balance correct, front to rear is IMHO the most important post of suspension fine tuning.

Your Ohlins will probably come with a 75 / 425 lb spring. and 17 mm preload, and that will be pretty spot on, and give 40/45 mm rider sag

I have found that 3 to 5 mm more sag at the front than the rear is around optimum , and it is unlikely that the existing fork springs will give that.

Ohlins usually have a recommendation for a suitable spring, as do Wilbers and Wirth .

I have fitted Wirth and Wilbers springs found them better than stock , but not perfect.I dont like Progressive brand at all.

Given the cost of the shock it is probably worth shelling out a little extra for Ohlins items , is they have them , that is.

I tried 5 wt oil in the front and found it slightly better on rough bitumen , but off road it felt wrong unless the back was softened off to match.

And then it felt wrong on bitumen if you cranked things up a bit.

10 is probably a better all round compromise.

However , my forks have 300,000 km behind them so they may not be typical.