Help! Present / past Concours owners

[Coyote Chris]

I just took my fork springs out of my Connie and they came out in different directions!
One tube had the wide spacing of the progressive springs at the top and one at the bottom.
I know some of you have had Connies before....do the springs go in with the wide spacing at the top or bottom?
I asked this on the Connnie boards but so far no luck...it isnt in the Manual, btw, that I can see.....
Thanks!
Chris

 

[EX Winger]

Hi Chris,

I just saw your post a little bit ago & called my buddy who worked in the Honda / Kawasaki shop for many yeas, but has been out of the for 5 or 6 years now.He thinks that the wisw spaced end goes to the bottom of the fork, in that way it will give you a stiffer front end for hard charging into the twistieds etc, but he also says try it one way and then the other to see which you perfer, he also suggested trying ot go on line to progressive and see if you can find a set of instalation instructions.

Eldon

 

[Coyote Chris]

Thanks!!!!!...so he thinks the wide spacing goes into the tube first so that it is at the bottom? I will try and find the answer the way you suggested and try the other forums too.....
I really appreciate your help.
Chris

OK, the aftermarket progressive spring install instructions say to put the large spacing down the tube first.....why it would matter, I have no idea....anyway, that is the way I will put them back in a few minutes if I dont here more. BTW, after 32, 000 miles, the tube that had no weeping had pretty clean oil....the tube that had just a bit of weeping at the seal was filthy.....

 

[EX Winger]

the wider spacing at the bottom increases te bottom tensioning rate, like you come busting into a tight sweeper at 100 or somewhere near it and need to do a quick braking toscrub off speed get you through it. If in the reverse the suspension will be soffter and not handle situation as well! would be more comfortable if you want ride for a 90 yea old geezer, any wy that is theway my buddy told me!

 

[charlie b]

Doesn't matter. The spring compresses the same whether up or down. Most people put the wide part down just because it looks better that way.

Want a test? Put both in a press and see how they compress. If in the press does it matter which way they go? What if you put them in a press sideways? Same same.

 

[junglejim]

Coyote Chris, "BTW, after 32, 000 miles, the tube that had no weeping had pretty clean oil....the tube that had just a bit of weeping at the seal was filthy....."

This is a good reason to drill and tap the bottom of the fork legs and insert a plug so you can change the fork oil without pulling them apart. Big K should have done that in the first place. It is amazing how dirty the fork oil can get.

 

[ARKNT]

Big K should have done that in the first place.

On the C10 (at least older ones) they did have a drain screw.

Chris I don't think it matters. The tightly wound part will bottom coils together since they are softer. They will do this if installed up or down.
With that said in the NT manual (page 15-27) it specifically states to put the tightly wound part down.
I guess that should clear it up.

Brad

 

[ARKNT]

Chris,
After a little more research (race tech bible), there is a reason they should go in one way or the other.
When you add the new fork oil it is measured from the top of the fork before the spring in installed. When the spring is installed it displaces oil and changes the oil level, so if the springs are installed upside down they will displace more or less oil and the level will be wrong. As the fork rises over a bump the air space at the top of the fork pressurizes.
So if the springs are in wrong and makes the oil level wrong, it could make front end harsher or weaker over bumps.
I hope you found out which way they should be before you installed them and have to pull them back out to get it right.

Brad

 

[Warren]

Wider spacing down for less unsprung weight.

 

[Phil Tarman]

According to an article on suspension tuning in the most recent Iron Butt magazine, what Warren says is right.

 

[Coyote Chris]

Wow....very interesting.....well, I installed them wide spacing down....and changed the coolant. Will ride it tomarrow.....
I thank you guys for your input....I like both explanations of why the wide goes down. Interestingly, the "spring in forks extented"
reading, which is no longer used , came out the same on the non weeping fork as when I started. They now want you to set the level
to 155 mm, fork springs out, shocks compressed......which I did.
BTW, just wanted to thank you guys....for some reason, your response was much better than either the ZG forum or the COG-on-line forum.....
No one there can or would answer my question.....I e-mailed a COG techie so we shall see what he says....

 

[Bear]

Chris,
Glad you got it sorted out.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I was a COG member for many years, and know the guy who was the web-master of the COG Forum for most of that time (he now runs the ZG/GTR Forum after a dispute with COG's upper-level management. I also was on the COG Mail List for years (still am, I guess) and have noticed that the support from others has gone down.

The timing goes back to 2006 when some people thought it was imperative that the COG Forum be set up to allow members to shop online and pay for rallies on line, and basically stole the COG website from the guy who'd paid for it and maintained it.

I still have lots of good friends in COG, but it ain't what it used to be.

 

[Coyote Chris]

Chris,
Glad you got it sorted out.

Well, Fred Harmon, tech guru for COG, says the wide spots go up! If that is true, my oil level is a bit lower than it should be as my wide spots are down....but I am not taking those things out any time soon and the bike rides fine...

 

[Coyote Chris]

I was a COG member for many years, and know the guy who was the web-master of the COG Forum for most of that time (he now runs the ZG/GTR Forum after a dispute with COG's upper-level management. I also was on the COG Mail List for years (still am, I guess) and have noticed that the support from others has gone down.

The timing goes back to 2006 when some people thought it was imperative that the COG Forum be set up to allow members to shop online and pay for rallies on line, and basically stole the COG website from the guy who'd paid for it and maintained it.

I still have lots of good friends in COG, but it ain't what it used to be.

Fred Harmon e-mailed me that the wide spots go up! No one on the two forums has crossed their hearts and hope to die said they go up....I am leaving mine down.
I find it disappointing that there are so many folk on that forum who have taken apart their forks and havent answered....I dont mind paying the dues year after year, but when
I have a basic question, I would like to get an answer. I would also like the tech ed to slap his forehead and say, "wow, Kawasaki blew this by not putting it in their manual, we blew it
by not putting this into our manual supplimnet, "Chalkdust", Larry Buck blew this by not putting it into his Concours magazine article on changing the fork oil...Lets make a note in our
on-line tech section .....is that too much to ask? Chris who hates politics.

 

[ARKNT]

Chris,
As long as it handles right I would also leave it alone. The difference has to be pretty minimal and not noticable under all but GP racing. If you decide on GP racing with your Connie, you may want to change a few more things also.

Brad

 

[elizilla]

I think that it doesn't matter, as long as you get the right amount of oil in there - and getting a matching amount of oil in each fork, is easier if both springs go in the same way.

 

[Coyote Chris]

I think that it doesn't matter, as long as you get the right amount of oil in there - and getting a matching amount of oil in each fork, is easier if both springs go in the same way.

The plot thinkens like Oatmeal! Fred is now hedging on his thoughts and others on the Connie forums say the wide spots go down...I can see how this would change the oil level in the assembled fork, and therefore the
space for the air, if they were put in wrong...but not by much.
No matter though, they are in there and the bike rides fine. The fork seal has stopped weeping, which I was told was a consequence of switching to Belray 15 w oil.
Just wanted to say that while I have really enjoyed COG folk over the years on the forum, I agree with Phil and I like you folk much better....cant wait to meet some of you at the rally.