1992 front Forks Drop 2"down, without any load applied.

[wainot-Phil]

I have a 87 with a 2nd hand set of 92 Forks fitted.
I changed the Fork Oil when I fitted the forks a few months ago.
My problem is that if the Bike sits over night or for a few hours on the side stand and you then stand the Bike up straight (with out sitting on it)  the front forks DROP down about 2"..This happens every time the Bike is stood up .With out putting any weight on the Bike. The Bike seems to ride and handle just fine. The springs look fine and I have the adjusters both set on the 2nd position. . Any Ideas . Thanks in advance..

[ribbert]

Phil, that sounds about normal to me with standard forks and as you say, it rides and corners OK.
I did a 100k like that, no problems. Better with an upgrade but no problems as is.
Noel

[Pat Conlon]

Phil, FYI the '91-93 FJ's came (oem) with the softest spring rates of any FJ. .475kg/mm

Even the stock '87 forks the spring rates were stronger at .644kg/mm

http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=1983.0

Keep in mind, these soft spring rates were measured when the springs were new, now it's 25-30 years later.
Japanese spring steel in the '80's was never known for it's longevity.

IMHO to begin with, these oem spring rates were too soft for our FJ's, now especially true today on 25-30 year old fork springs.

[wainot-Phil]

thanks Noel for your reply ,,Its just that my other 2 FJ's  the 92 and 94 models do not do this at all . I will try and explain it a bit better .  With the Bike on the side stand , the forks seem fully extended approxametly and then when I stand the Bike up, (with out me on it)  the forks are STILL just holding the weight of the Bike up fine with the front end sitting up nice and proud just like my other 2 FJ Bikes. The PROBLEM is ,  Then (with out me on the Bike)  as soon as I touch the Handle Bars or go to push/move the Bike by hand standing next to it ,  That's when the Forks and the front end of the Bike ''instantly drops'' down about  2" . As I said my other 2 FJ Bikes remain the same height at the front end after being stood up off the side stand ,they only drop a small amount under compression once I get on the Bike ,But in saying that the 92 and 94 front ends still stand tall ,,, The Forks drop down instantly ,like dropping you phone , They do not slowly compress down the 2" ,,They drop straight down,, Once the 2" drop happens the Bike sits about parallel with the ground at the front and back ,,where as my other 2 FJ Bikes sit with the front slightly higher than the rear of the Bike ,,so I am looking forward a little at the Dash,  not looking down at it ,, Can you tell me if its the springs or the Oil that holds the Bike up when the Bike is just sitting by itself (without any one on it) ,,The springs look fine and I had a fair bit of resistance when I screwed  the Fork Caps back on after renewing the Oil ,,,thanks for you help Noel ,cheers Phil

[wainot-Phil]

Phil, FYI the '91-93 FJ's came (oem) with the softest spring rates of any FJ. .475kg/mm ,

OK great thanks for the info Pat   . It got the better of me a hour or so ago so I went out and Drained the Forks of Oil ,Installed new 10W Fork Oil to the correct height (springs out and tubes compressed)  and then fitted another S/H set of 91> springs that I had laying around . The Bike seems to be standing up a little better now . I will check and see if it still drops down the 2" tomorrow morning . As you said , It looks like the old springs are getting a bit worn and starting to sag. Might be time to invest in a new set of Springs if it is still compressing with out me putting any weight on the Bike ,,cheers

[ribbert]

Phil, I know exactly what you're talking about. When you put the bike on the sidestand you take the weight off the suspension and the forks extend, as you say. When you stand it up, and the weight is back on the bike, they remain extended. When you blink or breath on the bike it drops a couple of inches.

What happens is when you stand the bike back up, there is just enough drag on the fully extended forks to support the bikes weight, and I mean just, the second you touch it you add just enough weight or movement to overcome the drag and the bike drops to whatever level the springs are now supporting the weight. The 2" you mention is not unusual. Being right on the threshold, they can, as you describe, creep over time for the same reason. Comparing it to two other bikes of a similar vintage is not really relevent because if yours had just a whisker less drag fully extended, it wouldn't do it either.

It is normal and nothing to worry about.
I actually don't have a problem with springs that have compressed a bit over the years. As long as you are not bottoming out the forks and there are no clearance issues, they still do the job and the slightly lower front end makes turning a little easier anyway. I have intentionally lowered the front of mine 20mm for just that reason.

As I said, an upgrade is better and as Pat said, the springs were a bit soft from the start, but nothing wrong with a front end that's sagged a bit. In fact if I had my time over I would replace the rear shocker and move the fork upgrade further down the list, and the forks on my FJ's are/were just like yours.

Will we see you in Bermagui?

IMO

Noel

[FJools]

The ideal static sag, which is what you are describing, is about 25mm I believe