RD07A front fork overhaul advice anyone?

[desertjoe]

just busy overhauling my front forks, as they where a bit flooby for my liking. few issues though with limited resources in namibia.

1. was told to upgrade oil from 5W to 10 or 15W but there is only 5W available here, so some backyard maccie claims they use ATF (automatic transmission fluid) to slightly stiffen the suspension? apparently that is what they used before fork oil existed. any ideas?

2. my springs free length does not tally with the info i find in the manual? the top small spring is longer and the long bottom one is shorter than stated in the book! anybody know what these should be for this model (99)?

3. if the springs overall length is below spec, can i add a few spacers in the top to compensate a bit, as it will be close to impossible for me to find replacement springs. and if so to what thickness max? i have reassembled one fork with 9mm of spacers and feels nice and stiff out of the bike, but not sure if she will kick me of once mounted!

4. i would like to lift the nose slightly, and i hear you get fork extensions that screw into the top. anyone have an idea where in the UK i can find some, as i have a mate coming over that can bring them with?

cheers chaps!
joe

[Treadtrader]

These guys were advertising fork extensions.

Stafford Motorcycles -

[lootch67]

I would seriously consider getting progressive springs given the terrain you ride. Hagon here in London do progressive springs for about £95 though their website still has it advertised for £78-ish. I have heard very good things about "Intiminators" too so that might be another option, though probably a bit more expensive.

It's probably worth raising both ends of the bike. Africa Queens do a raiser kit for the AT - https://ssl.kundenserver.de/s7427041...%2B=28UF010=29 - Sadly it's not cheap You can buy the fork extensions seperately - https://ssl.kundenserver.de/s7427041...%2B=28UF011=29

I can't believe that you can't find 10W fork oil in Nam. Have you tried the shops in Windhoek?

[desertjoe]

thanx lootch, but i think them queens has smoked to much sauerkraut with their prices! gonna see if i cannot get a mate to machine them for me. the upgrade forks looks great, but none of that is in the budget at the moment, so home improvements is the way forward. have not talked to the windhoek bike shops, the coastal chaps recon they did not know there is other grades but W5! funny funny folks. the two german chaps in town with AT's import everything they need from the queens. not an option. so hey, as they say: n boer maak n plan! will keep you posted on my experiments.
and thanks treadtrader, i mailed the chaps at stafford, will see what they come up with......

[lootch67]

Joe, if those guys haven't even heard of fork oil other than 5W I would not trust anything they say. Having said that, wwaaayyy back they did use all sorts of normal oil in forks but there's a good reason a specialist oil was developed for forks, the main reason being that normal oil would start "frothing" which seriously reduces it's damping characteristics meaning you'll probably end up worse off that just sticking to normal 5W. AFAIK Pupkewitz is the Honda dealer in Windhoek. Their telephone number is 061 381 600 and email address hondawhkdp@pupkewitz.com If you're just looking for oil any of the other main dealers should be able to help you. I know Yamaha and BMW have dealers in Windhoek. The Kawasaki/Suzuki dealer went bust shortly after I last dealt with them (nothing to do with me! though I won't exactly be shedding any tears given the shoddy service I received from them) but this was 2½ years ago and I don't know if there's a new agent.

Let me know if you need help sourcing parts from this end. You can email me at louis_mouton@hotmail.com

[desertjoe]

cheers for that lootch69! sorry, did i get that right? these chaps in town are utterly useless, but did track some w15 down in walfish, so sorted. also got hold of the foxy chap in CT and he actually skyped me last night. had a long and bloody helpfull chat about all sorts. also ordered progressive springs, but in mean time made a spacer, and working like a charm! man, she feels like a different beast. he also seems to have solved my cutout problem (fingers crossed) if it works i will place a thread with answer, as its a silly problem that can happen to anyone (it took him a month to find the fault!) testing tomorrow.
cheers for the honda connections, will give them a call if and when i need something again.
sooo, we started chatting last night about doing a fundraising ride through the desert for the elephants????? mischief is afoot! will keep you posted.
a mouton then? friend of my dad is a namibian mouton. hunted there years ago when i was a kidd. close to otavi maybe? cannot remember
cheers for now

[lootch67]

Glad you got sorted Joe. I would've been quite surprised if Mike didn't come to the party. I'm going to try to ignore the ride through the desert for now as I'm having enough sleepless nights as it is at the moment.. But keep me posted all the same

I'm indeed from the Otavi Moutons, though a lot of my family farm in the Otavi / Otjiwarongo area. See if you can dig out a name - it's probably not my dad or his brother as they don't really like hunters on their farm - someone gotta do the conservation!