HELP! Front suspension seal+dust cover+noise. Should I take it out for 100km ride?

[DODO``]

Hi guys again,
First of all, Happy Easter !


261482

Now, I have 2004 Suzuki VZ800 Marauder, and the picture above shows the condition of the dust cover on my front suspension.

below is the noise it makes when compressed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v7KtthAi04&feature=youtu.be


not good. I know. Im getting this replaced on upcoming Thursday.
Sounds like the oils gone dry and something is rubbing against something.

I need to go make 100km ride on the motorway, and was wondering if this will last for that much long..
If not I'll take a car but thought I'd ask as the weather is just fantastic over this Easter weekends.

If I do take this out, would it cause further damage?

YAY or NAY?

:Punk:

[Mom]

Hi guys again,
First of all, Happy Easter !


YAY or NAY?

:Punk:

You need to ask? For heavens sake! Honestly I really do worry about the caliber of some bikers out there. That is not good, not safe and frankly if you had to ask you should not be riding. Nice weather or not.

[DODO``]

Yeah.. alright alright.. I know its bad.. thought I would double check.. just bought this bike and picked up last week. And the reason I thought it stand a chance for another 100km was that the previous owner said it had more life for another year.. I feel ripped off now hahaha good thing I did write here for another opinion. Thanks for the comment.

[DODO``]

Wonder how the previous owner got the warrant... it was issued just before I picked it up.. Haha weird

[Drew]

How he got a warrant, is that the fork has no fluid in it, if there was fluid it would have leaked and not passed. Hence the noise, and total lack of apparent damping.

[DODO``]

Shit. I thoght it was weird there was no leak when the dust cover was this bad. There were no noise when I was inspecting it. Must just have ran out. He said it was just a dust cover and the actual seal was fine. Hmm haha my bad,, I guess should have checked it further. Now I will leave it until i carefully take it to the mechanic on thuraday. Thanks for the comment.

[DODO``]

Do u guys think replacing all the seals + oil will fix this? Or is this noise something worse??

Mechanic will tell but I want to double check if possible.

[mrchips]

carefully flick the dust seal out of it's groove & see if noise still there, could be just the dust seal & fork rubbing making that noise ?

[nzspokes]

Ring this dude in the morning. He may be able to help tomorrow. Very good guy. Hes out Whitford. His names Alec. Hes a motorcycle engineer.

http://www.smebike.com/index.php?route=information/contact

He helped me out today, I rung him yesterday with a problem with my carbs. He told me what he thought was wrong and said pop by today to get the parts which I did. Bike runs better than ever now.

[DODO``]

Thanks for the helpful comments. hard to believe the previous owner left it like this and told me it was ok.. but hey, lesson learnt the hard way I guess.

Just one more question,

Is it possible to get a new WOF with the front suspension dust cover in this condition??

[hayd3n]

pop the dust cover off and have a looksie
there is a dust cover and a fork oil seal
if its just a shitty cover itll be fine for now

[DODO``]

pop the dust cover off and have a looksie
there is a dust cover and a fork oil seal
if its just a shitty cover itll be fine for now

Its deteriorated so bad I might break it as i pop it out, and not be able to put it back on,
I'd talk to the guys who issue the warrant first thing tuesday morning and hear what they have to say first I think..

The oil don't seem to be bone dry tho, I can feel a thin layer of oil coat as the suspension is compressed and back. but no layer of oil on the other side, fu*k. noise might had been coming from the other side all along,,

[Drew]

Then it possibly is just the dust cover. If it's that fucked, there's no problem in breaking it to get it out, as it wont be doing anything but trap dirt in at the moment.

[DODO``]

Then it possibly is just the dust cover. If it's that fucked, there's no problem in breaking it to get it out, as it wont be doing anything but trap dirt in at the moment.

oh........ i c i c.. you guys are awesome, Thanks a bunch! :woohoo:

[DODO``]

fuck. upon closer inspection I realised that the noise is coming from the other side.
dust cover looks as though is in good condition, but no thin layer of oil.. + noise.. :(

Im going to purchase the kit and replace all seals and do the oils on thursday, and see what happens I think.....

dang, no ride over this beautiful weekends!!

[Drew]

fuck. upon closer inspection I realised that the noise is coming from the other side.
dust cover looks as though is in good condition, but no thin layer of oil.. + noise.. :(

Im going to purchase the kit and replace all seals and do the oils on thursday, and see what happens I think.....

dang, no ride over this beautiful weekends!!
Poor luck man. But it's very hard to buy a perfect bike, and saving by buying private means no come backs.

That said, you can do a complete fork rebuild for $100 a side, and have it better than factory new. Not a major in the grand scheem of things.

Oil viscosity is key when you do the seals. I almost always go thinker than factory spec oil weight, but then again, I don't own a cruiser. Ask a parts man you trust, who actually rides and does their own spannering.

[DODO``]

Poor luck man. But it's very hard to buy a perfect bike, and saving by buying private means no come backs.

That said, you can do a complete fork rebuild for $100 a side, and have it better than factory new. Not a major in the grand scheem of things.

Oil viscosity is key when you do the seals. I almost always go thinker than factory spec oil weight, but then again, I don't own a cruiser. Ask a parts man you trust, who actually rides and does their own spannering.

whats the advantage of having thicker oil??

[nathanwhite]

whats the advantage of having thicker oil??

Thicker oil moves slower and therefore slows down the compression and rebound of the forks. You set up the weight of the oil by adding parts of 5, 10 and possibly 15wt oil to suit your weight and/or riding style.

Or at least thats what I think it is. No doubt someone will be along shortly to correct me.

[DODO``]

Thicker oil moves slower and therefore slows down the compression and rebound of the forks. You set up the weight of the oil by adding parts of 5, 10 and possibly 15wt oil to suit your weight and/or riding style.

Or at least thats what I think it is. No doubt someone will be along shortly to correct me.

Sorry for being dumb. So how is it good /differ if the suspension compression / rebound is slower??

[nathanwhite]

Sorry for being dumb. So how is it good /differ if the suspension compression / rebound is slower??

I think it's like preload. You set it up for your weight.

[Drew]

whats the advantage of having thicker oil??It's a primitive way to tune your suspension, by doing what Nathan White says below.


Thicker oil moves slower and therefore slows down the compression and rebound of the forks. You set up the weight of the oil by adding parts of 5, 10 and possibly 15wt oil to suit your weight and/or riding style.

Or at least thats what I think it is. No doubt someone will be along shortly to correct me.


Sorry for being dumb. So how is it good /differ if the suspension compression / rebound is slower??


I think it's like preload. You set it up for your weight.Less to do with weight, more about getting the right feel. The fluid doesn't hold the bike up, but slows it's descent/rise through the stroke of suspension. By using a thicker oil, you can stop the bike from bottoming out under brakes, leaving a 'buffer' for bumps mid turn, where traction would normally be the only thing that could give.

Suspension is as important as tyres on a bike, and on road bikes often gets totally forgotten. Hands up anyone who changes their fork oil, or has their rear shock serviced before they start leaking?

And there are huge benefits, including more comfort, longer tyre life (lots), and increased performance for those, "Oh fuck" moments.

I don't think you have cartridge forks on your bike, (which is a far more efficient way to damp the stroke), so thicker oil is a cheap stop gap unless you want to put emulators in. They are a very simple and cost effective (run you about $500 to have installed by a pro) way to get a middle ground between damper rods, and cartridges.

It's all worth the money, because like tyres in my opinion, it's cheaper than engine casings and body work.

[DODO``]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[mossy1200]

My MT01 had a leaking fork seal at 7000km.From the MT website its common.I took the forks out and took them for service.Taking them out of the bike saves some money.

My yamaha now has honda seals.Is that ghey or am I still ok.

If the suspension is bad its prob just no or very little oil.I dont think spending a larger amount of money will greatly increase handling or tire life on a cruiser if your just cruising on or around the speed limit.Having no oil will make it really soft and ride bad though.

[Drew]

My MT01 had a leaking fork seal at 7000km.From the MT website its common.I took the forks out and took them for service.Taking them out of the bike saves some money.

My yamaha now has honda seals.Is that ghey or am I still ok.

If the suspension is bad its prob just no or very little oil.I dont think spending a larger amount of money will greatly increase handling or tire life on a cruiser if your just cruising on or around the speed limit.Having no oil will make it really soft and ride bad though.

Oil level is lesss of an issue, than degredation. The oil absorbs moisture, and looses it's hydrolic properties. Front tyre wear on a cruiser is usually ugly as fuck, and I don't hink it needs to be.

Mr Taylor, help me out here with some tech info!

[mossy1200]

Oil level is lesss of an issue, than degredation. The oil absorbs moisture, and looses it's hydrolic properties. Front tyre wear on a cruiser is usually ugly as fuck, and I don't hink it needs to be.

Mr Taylor, help me out here with some tech info!

i just think theres a good chance it has no oil in one or both sides at all hense forks not leaking.

[DODO``]

i just think theres a good chance it has no oil in one or both sides at all hense forks not leaking.

one side is definitely dried out. :(

[Drew]

i just think theres a good chance it has no oil in one or both sides at all hense forks not leaking.I agree, I said the same thing earlier in the thread. I thought we were talking generally here though.

[DODO``]

O i c i c... hey look what ive found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbe2a8PkzZ0&list=FLVskPoCseocCTmm-YZlpqFw&index=7&feature=plpp_video

[nathanwhite]

Less to do with weight, more about getting the right feel. The fluid doesn't hold the bike up, but slows it's descent/rise through the stroke of suspension. By using a thicker oil, you can stop the bike from bottoming out under brakes, leaving a 'buffer' for bumps mid turn, where traction would normally be the only thing that could give.



How does this differ from different spring rates?

[mossy1200]

O i c i c... hey look what ive found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbe2a8PkzZ0&list=FLVskPoCseocCTmm-YZlpqFw&index=7&feature=plpp_video

Handy watch.Did you take yours apart.Looks like the dust seal rusting is a common issue.Wonder if he just kept wiping up oil and left it leaking until it ran dry.

[Drew]

How does this differ from different spring rates?The spring holds the bike up softly, but it doesn't change the speed at which the suspension will travel through it's stroke once it hits a bump. Well, it will, but if you just keep winding spring on till the bike doesn't bottom out, it'll be bloody rigid and slide all over the show.

[DODO``]

Handy watch.Did you take yours apart.Looks like the dust seal rusting is a common issue.Wonder if he just kept wiping up oil and left it leaking until it ran dry.

Ill soon find out by looking at how much the oil is actually left inside when I open it up, I didn't yet though.
although I like to get my hands oily (restored classic mini from ground up including rebuilding the engine + panel work & paint all by myself) I think Ill just take this to the shop, I dont have any stands and improvised tools for this job. besides im gone lazy now, hee hee

this is one of the picture taken of my mini for a competition I won,
261608

[DODO``]

Just got off the phone with the guys who issued the warrant at Colemans Suzuki who are adamant that this bike is warranty worthy.

hm.. my picture and the video begs questions though.. and leads me into more options as to how to go about this situation..

so, what now?

VTNZ? or NZTA? or just pay up and fix it myself?

[Drew]

There is no minimum requirement of damping in suspension, in warrant regs. So long as there's no oil leaking, and not too much play, it's legal.

[DODO``]

You need to ask? For heavens sake! Honestly I really do worry about the caliber of some bikers out there. That is not good, not safe and frankly if you had to ask you should not be riding. Nice weather or not.

Hmm........ Ive spent the entire day corresponding / visiting 7 different workshops (with good rep.) including VTNZ and NZTA. they all said it was WOF worthy and I could do another year or so depending on my driving style + mileage. Noise was coming from the spring inside and minor problem.

shit, All that worry for nothing. The previous owner did get the warrant legally. I feel sorry for doubting the guy.. haha
Done all this at least for my peace of mind. So yeah.. Thanks very much "Mom" for talking like you knew something.:facepalm:

One thing about Colemans Suzuki though,, they were the only one who said the noise was absolutely fine and every bike will make a noise which they could not prove otherwise.
-The mechanic jumped on my bike,
-pushed the suspension on my bike,
-heard the noise,
-said it was normal and all bikes sounds like this,
-I requested if I could hear the similar noise from other bike as they had many many bikes on site,
-he jumped on other bike,
-pushed the suspension on other bike,
-no noise,
-after I told them I could not hear anything they referred me as "are you deaf?"

Other workshops not only diagnosed the life expectancy of my seals would be not too long but I've heard at least 2 workshops saying "hey heres another one with suspension issue from Colemans"
It seemed like the Colemans are taking the suspension matter a bit too lightly on their bikes.


I will still get the bike inspected from NZTA and hear what they have to say too, now that Im already engaged.

[mossy1200]

In all fairness Colemans unless requested to do a repair have no right to insist work is done unless the bike isnt able to pass a warrent.
Old owner wont have volunteered suspension work unless it was required if going to sell the bike.

If it makes you feel better my MT01 needed seals at 7000km.
I puckered up and spent the $200 on having it done.2 honda ghey seals later and its done.Yes you heard it here first.My yamaha is slightly ghey but not fully out of the closet.