I wanted to install Progressive Suspension fork springs on my 2003 V-Max, but all the manuals I reviewed only covered the complete disassembly of the forks. I couldn't find anything here as a how-to, so I am writing this up. The process is really very simple and can be completed with simple hand tools. The early model forks are different, and I cannot account for those. This will be for only replacement of the springs, not for Race Tech emulators or fork seals, etc. I didn't take as many pictures as I had originally planned to since I had my hands full most of the time. Maleko on the forum here helped me out on this, and I would recommend a friend to help with one of the last steps.
What you will need;
Fork springs, washers and spacers cut to spec provided by manufacturer of springs
Way to lift front end of bike
22mm socket for the fork cap bolt
42 oz of fork oil
several feet of clear tubing
A container or tub of some sort to capture oil
Allen keys and associated tools to remove front wheel, calipers and forks.
The previous owner removed the center stand to allow room for the Kerker so I built a wheel chock of sorts to hold the bike upright. This is a very simple design using wood and two 'eye' bolts. I jacked up the front of the bike several inches past the point where the front wheel is off the ground using the oil pan and placed jack stands under the Cycle One Off frame sliders.
Remove the calipers and front wheel. I will not go into detail here, reference a shop manual. A complete factory shop manual can be downloaded here;
http://vmaxoutlaw.com/main.html
under Vmax tech & info; Documentation & Specs; V-Max service manual online.
I would loosen the cap bolts on top of the forks now as the fork uppers will have a tendancy to spin in the sliders when trying to remove them.
Unscrew the chrome caps covering the shrader valve assembly/cap bolt from the top of the forks. The cap bolt can loosened/removed with a 22mm socket. Beware the cap bolt is under spring pressure and will pop out when removed! Here is a picture with one cap bolt removed and the other still on.
With the front wheel removed you should have the ability to loosen the six triple tree bolts holding the forks and slide the fork out and clear of the bike.
Once the cap bolt is removed hold the fork assembly upside down over something to capture the oil. The fork oil, factory spacer, washer, and original spring will come out. I left the forks together with the brace and fender on and did one side of the fork at a time to limit the mess. Here is the Progressive Spring next to the factory one. The Progressive Spring is on the top. You can tell that its a much more substantial piece.
I also cleaned out each fork leg with carb cleaner to get any residual fork oil out. This is probably not needed, but it was recommended that I do it.
Once both fork legs are clean it is time to fill them with the new oil. I went with Bel-Ray 15wt fork oil for this. The factory is 10wt and I have heard that 20wt can make the ride a little rough. Take the clear tubing and make a mark at 4.8 inches in length. Push the fork tube all the way into the slider, place the clear tubing into the fork tube with the mark on the tubing at the very top of the fork tube. Fill the fork with oil until it reaches the bottom of the clear tubing. It can be handy to add a little more oil than is needed and just suck it out to the correct level. This is why you have several feet of clear tubing, you don't want to inhale any fork oil! Once both tubes are filled per spec, pull the fork tubes back to the full exteded level and drop in the springs first, followed by the washer that should be provided with the springs and then the spacer on top of that. Now we have to put the cap bolt back on. This one was tricky as I did not have an impact gun, or vise to assist us and the top of the spacer will be sticking out of the fork and under spring pressure. After several failed attempts we succeded in getting the cap bolt on by Mark pushing down on the cap bolt with a socket and me turning the fork tube to start the threads on the cap bolt. I am sure there is a better way to do this, but it worked. From here its just a matter of re-installing the forks, front wheel, calipers, etc and torquing everything to spec.
Overall the difference is huge! The brake dive under braking and fork rise under acceleration is almost eliminated. The bike no longer 'wallows' around corners, it seems a lot more flickable, and generally seems all around more stable. Well worth the approx. $80 charge for the springs, fluid, etc. :clapping:
Update: I had originally cut the PVC spacer provided by Progressive to the spec they recommended for the post 93 models. This provided about 2 inches of pre-load and made it next to impossible to install the cap bolt back onto the forks. The bike sat like a truck in the front and the ride was brutally rough. It did handle well though! I removed about one inch of the Progressive spacer and re-installed them, providng about an inch of pre-load. The ride height is more normal, the ride less brutal, but it does not handle as crisp as before.
What you will need;
Fork springs, washers and spacers cut to spec provided by manufacturer of springs
Way to lift front end of bike
22mm socket for the fork cap bolt
42 oz of fork oil
several feet of clear tubing
A container or tub of some sort to capture oil
Allen keys and associated tools to remove front wheel, calipers and forks.
The previous owner removed the center stand to allow room for the Kerker so I built a wheel chock of sorts to hold the bike upright. This is a very simple design using wood and two 'eye' bolts. I jacked up the front of the bike several inches past the point where the front wheel is off the ground using the oil pan and placed jack stands under the Cycle One Off frame sliders.
Remove the calipers and front wheel. I will not go into detail here, reference a shop manual. A complete factory shop manual can be downloaded here;
http://vmaxoutlaw.com/main.html
under Vmax tech & info; Documentation & Specs; V-Max service manual online.
I would loosen the cap bolts on top of the forks now as the fork uppers will have a tendancy to spin in the sliders when trying to remove them.
Unscrew the chrome caps covering the shrader valve assembly/cap bolt from the top of the forks. The cap bolt can loosened/removed with a 22mm socket. Beware the cap bolt is under spring pressure and will pop out when removed! Here is a picture with one cap bolt removed and the other still on.
With the front wheel removed you should have the ability to loosen the six triple tree bolts holding the forks and slide the fork out and clear of the bike.
Once the cap bolt is removed hold the fork assembly upside down over something to capture the oil. The fork oil, factory spacer, washer, and original spring will come out. I left the forks together with the brace and fender on and did one side of the fork at a time to limit the mess. Here is the Progressive Spring next to the factory one. The Progressive Spring is on the top. You can tell that its a much more substantial piece.
I also cleaned out each fork leg with carb cleaner to get any residual fork oil out. This is probably not needed, but it was recommended that I do it.
Once both fork legs are clean it is time to fill them with the new oil. I went with Bel-Ray 15wt fork oil for this. The factory is 10wt and I have heard that 20wt can make the ride a little rough. Take the clear tubing and make a mark at 4.8 inches in length. Push the fork tube all the way into the slider, place the clear tubing into the fork tube with the mark on the tubing at the very top of the fork tube. Fill the fork with oil until it reaches the bottom of the clear tubing. It can be handy to add a little more oil than is needed and just suck it out to the correct level. This is why you have several feet of clear tubing, you don't want to inhale any fork oil! Once both tubes are filled per spec, pull the fork tubes back to the full exteded level and drop in the springs first, followed by the washer that should be provided with the springs and then the spacer on top of that. Now we have to put the cap bolt back on. This one was tricky as I did not have an impact gun, or vise to assist us and the top of the spacer will be sticking out of the fork and under spring pressure. After several failed attempts we succeded in getting the cap bolt on by Mark pushing down on the cap bolt with a socket and me turning the fork tube to start the threads on the cap bolt. I am sure there is a better way to do this, but it worked. From here its just a matter of re-installing the forks, front wheel, calipers, etc and torquing everything to spec.
Overall the difference is huge! The brake dive under braking and fork rise under acceleration is almost eliminated. The bike no longer 'wallows' around corners, it seems a lot more flickable, and generally seems all around more stable. Well worth the approx. $80 charge for the springs, fluid, etc. :clapping:
Update: I had originally cut the PVC spacer provided by Progressive to the spec they recommended for the post 93 models. This provided about 2 inches of pre-load and made it next to impossible to install the cap bolt back onto the forks. The bike sat like a truck in the front and the ride was brutally rough. It did handle well though! I removed about one inch of the Progressive spacer and re-installed them, providng about an inch of pre-load. The ride height is more normal, the ride less brutal, but it does not handle as crisp as before.
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