mushy front forks

[Mjholi67]

I'm slowly working my way thru my 1979 gl1000. The front forks are mushy. What are the steps of determining what needs done? Is there a way to stiffen them, or do they need to be dismantled and resealed? I havent found a good source of information yet.

[WingAdmin]

I'm slowly working my way thru my 1979 gl1000. The front forks are mushy. What are the steps of determining what needs done? Is there a way to stiffen them, or do they need to be dismantled and resealed? I havent found a good source of information yet.

When you say mushy, do you mean they compress too easily? Too quickly? Too much dive when stopping?

[Mjholi67]

Yes, yes, and yes. I don't bottom out when I ride but there is alot of give.

[WingAdmin]

It sounds like you could have either a) low/no fork oil, b) worn-out springs, or c) both. In any case, the forks are going to have to come apart to fix the issue.

[Mjholi67]

Does anyone have a step by step for changing the fork seals on a 1979 honda gl1000. I have a printed manual but the visuals are poor.

[Aussie81Interstate]

Do the top of the forks on the GL1000 have air valves, and the bottom sections have drain bolts? - if so you might be able to drain and refill the forks if the seals are not leaking.

But it could well be a better process to bite the bullet - remove the forks and rebuild them - it is not an overly difficult project - and thereis a lot of self satisfaction in doing it as well.

[made2care]

My interstate had the same problem, switched to progresssive springs, went with thicker oil weight and PRESTO !! works great. had a shop do it.

[Doug T]

I too have a similar problem? When I`m riding at 50mph my front forks bounce like crazy. They shim up and down the shaft about 2 inches {vibrate steady} and don`t know what`s going on? Any Help will be appreciated.

[WingAdmin]

I too have a similar problem? When I`m riding at 50mph my front forks bounce like crazy. They shim up and down the shaft about 2 inches {vibrate steady} and don`t know what`s going on? Any Help will be appreciated.

That indicates that there is no damping going on inside your forks - a very dangerous situation. Either the seals inside are completely gone, or you have no (or very low) fork oil in them. I would not ride your bike while it is in this condition, it's extremely dangerous.

[Doug T]

Found the problem.....I had just changed my front tire and the guy from the shop did not balance the tire. I put another front wheel that I had on and the shimming was totally gone. But still going to do rebuild the front forks. How much is the right amount of fork fluid do I put in when rebuilding?

[sfruechte]

From Randakk's site:

Front Fork Fluid Capacity:

OEM Method:

• When merely draining and replacing fluid: put 5.8 – 6.1 oz in each fork tube (170 – 183 cc)

• When rebuilding (completely dry internals) use 6.6 – 6.9 oz in each fork tube (195 -205 cc)

http://www.randakksblog.com/removing-st ... ont-forks/

[Doug T]

Thanks for the reply Randakk . This will help me a lot when I do the rebuild.