stiff forks

[crafty]

I rebuilt my LM 3 forks with Wurth springs and FAC dampers and they feel very stiff. I'm really getting jolted around at high speed over expansion joints,etc. Has anyone found that they loosen up over time? I also replaced the tubes which have a more satin finish than the original chrome. Could there be added friction with the seals and boots sliding over that surface?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Yes, they will "loosen up" with use. How much atf did you put in the forks?

[crafty]

2 oz. each.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I think ccs - that's about 60 ccs, IIRC. Factory spec. is 50 cc, so that shouldn't be too much.

[sdcr]

This past Spring, Charlie installed the same setup on my LM 3. During the first 2-3 hundred miles , I thought that the front end was unusually stiff. Now,, with about 700 miles on the bike, the front end has  softened up a bit.


John

83 Le Mans III

[mtiberio]

No solution, but this is why I stick with stock stuff, and prefer used but good dampers

[canuguzzi]

Absolutely certain the tubes are straight? A guy I rode swapped out his tubes, they kept leaking at the seals no matter what he did. New tubes went in and the bike was a bucking bronco. Turned out one of the tubes as slightly bent.

[crafty]

I took the forks apart and noticed that the lock nuts on the damper rods were worn at the corners . When the springs compressed they'd flex a bit side to side and the nuts would jam into the coils. I ground the nuts round until the flats were gone, chamfered the tops and bottoms into a bullet shape and filed in two flats to get a wrench on and problem solved. I know FAC's and Wurth springs are a common combination and I've never heard of this problem but maybe this will be helpful info for somebody.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I took the forks apart and noticed that the lock nuts on the damper rods were worn at the corners . When the springs compressed they'd flex a bit side to side and the nuts would jam into the coils. I ground the nuts round until the flats were gone, chamfered the tops and bottoms into a bullet shape and filed in two flats to get a wrench on and problem solved. I know FAC's and Wurth springs are a common combination and I've never heard of this problem but maybe this will be helpful info for somebody.

I noticed that when installing my first set of FAC dampers. The nut supplied with them is larger than the nut on the original dampers, so I reused the original, smaller nut.