ColtMax's 1997 Restoration thread - 1 - Overhaul of the Front Suspension

[ColtMax]

This thread is part of a series, you can find the list of all other threads related to my overall restoration here: ColtMax's 1997 Restoration thread

PARTS SELECTION STRATEGY:
Requirements
I use my Vmax as a cruising bike, although I like to twist the throttle a lot, I want this bike to be comfortable for long rides (8+ hrs). I also ride with my wife a lot. Our combined weight is nearing 400lb once all geared up.
The roads up here in Quebec are pretty bad, crack bumps, hole... you name it.. it's there. For this reason I would like to have a front suspension that rides smoothly while providing proper support for riding with passenger. I would also like to limit the nose dive when applying front brakes aggressively.

Budget
Obviously, this is a 28 years old motorcycle with 144,000km (90k miles), I want to restore it, but I would like to keep the overhaul budget to something reasonable.
All in all I would like to keep the front fork rebuild under 500CAD$ which is nowadays approximately 20USD$ Seriously, this is around 350USD$ at time of writing this post.

Options:
1 - Progressive Suspension Springs + Stock Fork Rebuild (SELECTED)

Pros: ​

Can accommodate a wide range of riding conditions,​

Simple to install​

Within my budget​

Cons:​

Might not offer the best performance riding experience​

2 - Race Tech Front Springs
to be completed

3 - Gold Valve Cartridge Emulator (can be added to stock fork) (ADDED)

Pros:
This video speaks by itself but in short: This insert takes control of oil damping inside your shock. The spring loaded valve keeps minimal transfer when forks moves slower providing stiffer damping. But on bumps or holes, the faster travelling of the shock will increase oil pressure and open this bypass oil.​

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Cons:
More $$ thrown at the bike
Adjustment process may involve several shock dismantling events.​

Following Fire-medic's comment convinced me that I need this Gold Valve emulator.​

4 - Fork swap to an inverted fork

Pros: ​

Lower unsprung weight for better suspension responsiveness​

Can accommodate more performance braking systems​

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Cons:​

Depending on source model, the front end might get too low.​

Expensive and complex​

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PARTS:
I have ordered the following OEM parts to perform this task:

Item	PN	Description	Qty
15	4V4-23188-L0-00	O-RING	2​
19	3LR-23149-00-00	WASHER, SPRING UPPER	2​
9	3GM-23173-00-00	SPINDLE, TAPER	2​
6	4PU-23144-00-00	SEAL, DUST	2​
4	4PU-23145-01-00	OIL SEAL	2​
7	4V4-23146-L0-00	WASHER, OIL SEAL	2​
5	5EB-23125-00-00	METAL, SLIDE 1	2​
12	4V4-23158-L0-00	GASKET	2​

UPGRADE
As an upgrade, I am installing the Progressive Suspension spring 11-1144



DISASSEMBLY
The disassembly process was pretty straight forward, thanks to Seans's video.


Here is how my bike sits now:

 

[Fire-medic]

Looks like you're doing the work to allow it to come back together well. No "where does this widget go?"

You should look into the cartridge emulators or RICOR set, as I believe you will notice more of an improvement with them than you will get from the Progressive Suspension replacement springs. They may take a bit of tuning, like riding on a certain piece of pavement, with lots of turns, and some broken pavement perhaps on another piece of pavement, and seeing which setup allows you to travel through there faster, or with a greater sense of control, and less hammering thru the front end and into your arms.

 

[ColtMax]

Looks like you're doing the work to allow it to come back together well. No "where does this widget go?"

You should look into the cartridge emulators or RICOR set, as I believe you will notice more of an improvement with them than you will get from the Progressive Suspension replacement springs. They may take a bit of tuning, like riding on a certain piece of pavement, with lots of turns, and some broken pavement perhaps on another piece of pavement, and seeing which setup allows you to travel through there faster, or with a greater sense of control, and less hammering thru the front end and into your arms.

From the Race Tech video I just added to my OP, I am now convinced that this cartridge is what I need. Stiffer on slow suspension movements, but smoother on bumps. Makes a lot of sense. I give that tuning these devices requires to dismantle the fork for every adjustment right?

 

[Fire-medic]

Yes.