Installing emulators and springs: Difference between revisions

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Step 4a: [[How do I remove the fork caps/pistons?|Remove the fork caps]]. The fork caps are held in place by a small ring that sits in a groove. The caps are preloaded by the fork spring, and there is a lot of pressure there, so be careful! The fork seal article suggests a couple of alternative methods to remove these that may or may not work. ~~Our author recommends a~~ two-jaw puller~~. It~~ is very easy and makes the work quick. You also have a controlled method for releasing the spring tension, which is probably the best reason. A 3-pack of pullers from Harbor Freight runs about $15. It is worth it.

Step 4a: [[How do I remove the fork caps/pistons?|Remove the fork caps]]. The fork caps are held in place by a small ring that sits in a groove. The caps are preloaded by the fork spring, and there is a lot of pressure there, so be careful! The fork seal article suggests a couple of alternative methods to remove these that may or may not work for you. A two-jaw puller, like the one used here, is very easy and makes the work quick. You also have a controlled method for releasing the spring tension, which is probably the best reason. A 3-pack of pullers from Harbor Freight runs about $15. It is worth it.

Step 4b: What you do is install the jaw puller and compress the spring enough to provide easy access to the ring. Then you use a $3.99 Chinese secret weapon:

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Step 14: De-burr and chamfer the holes, inside and out. Racetech instructs you to do this in the directions. When you chamfer the holes, you are essentially getting rid of the sharp 90-degree corners where you drilled the hole and replacing the straight line with a beveled edge. This makes the fluid (fork oil) flow better through the holes, which is why the extra holes are there in the first place.

One way to safely chamfer the hole would be to use a small, circular file. With the file held at a 45-degree angle to the rod, file evenly around the holes until the outside edge is beveled. Repeat for the inside edge. You'll need a file that has a smaller diameter than 5/16" (the diameter of the hole) in order to do this effectively.

One way to safely chamfer the hole would be to use a small circular file. With the file held at a 45-degree angle to the rod, file evenly around the holes until the outside edge is beveled. Repeat for the inside edge. You'll need a file that has a smaller diameter than 5/16" (the diameter of the hole) in order to do this effectively.

Another way would be to use a rotary tool (dremel) with a sanding bit. Do basically the same process as above. The dremel makes for light work, but it is much easier to make a mistake by removing too much material. It is also much easier to have an accident when chamfering the inner surface, since the tool is mostly inside the damper rod, and if/when it catches the wrong edge the tool can fling about violently. A drill bit on the dremel is most definitely the '''wrong''' tool for the job.

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Sonic springs gives you a long tube of PVC pipe to make the spacer. Cut the spacer to length and clean up the edges to prevent loose pieces of PVC from floating around.

Step 18: Add fork oil and bleed. This is done without the GVE or spring or anything else (other than the damper rod) in the fork tube. Add enough oil that when the fork is completely extended the oil still covers the inner tube. Pump the fork up and down a while until you hear (and see) no more air coming out. Not too complicated.

Step 18: Add fork oil and bleed. This is done without the GVE or spring or anything else (other than the damper rod) in the fork tube. Add enough oil so that when the fork is completely extended the oil still covers the inner tube. Pump the fork up and down a while until you hear (and see) no more air coming out. Not too complicated.

Step 19: Assembly and setting the fork oil level. As gently as possible so as to minimize a big splash of fork oil, drop the GVE down into the fork tube. Fully compress the fork. Measure from the top of the fork ~~the distance~~ to the fork oil. This is the important thing: the fork oil level. Racetech recommends 130mm of fork oil. Sonic Springs (and others on this website) suggest 115mm. 125mm was chosen by our rider. Remember to take your time. Set up a jig or something to hold the fork upright at this point so you don't spill fork oil.

Step 19: Assembly and setting the fork oil level. As gently as possible so as to minimize a big splash of fork oil, drop the GVE down into the fork tube. Fully compress the fork. Measure the distance down from the top of the fork to the fork oil. This is the important thing: the fork oil level. Racetech recommends 130mm of fork oil. Sonic Springs (and others on this website) suggest 115mm. 125mm was chosen by our rider. Remember to take your time. Set up a jig or something to hold the fork upright at this point so you don't spill fork oil.

Step 20: Install the fork springs, then a washer, then the spacer, then another washer. Place the fork cap back on. If everything is done correctly, the cap will be 1/2" (preload setting) above the ring. So, you'll have to compress the spring to get the circle/ring clip (or [[How do I remove the fork caps/pistons?|new circlip]]) back on:

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====Adjusting the emulators====

The Racetech instructions will tell you how to adjust these to your preference. Just note that after you have the ~~GVE's~~ installed, it's possible to remove them for adjustment by just dropping the handlebars, popping the fork caps, washers, spacers and springs, and fishing them out with a little loop of copper wire. There's no need to drop the wheel and remove the forks just to change those little adjustment springs.

The Racetech instructions will tell you how to adjust these to your preference. Just note that after you have the GVEs installed, it's possible to remove them for adjustment by just dropping the handlebars, popping the fork caps, washers, spacers and springs, and fishing them out with a little loop of copper wire. There's no need to drop the wheel and remove the forks just to change those little adjustment springs.

====Conclusions====

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 [[image:18010131893.jpg|150px]]
-Step 4a: [[How do I remove the fork caps/pistons?|Remove the fork caps]]. The fork caps are held in place by a small ring that sits in a groove. The caps are preloaded by the fork spring, and there is a lot of pressure there, so be careful! The fork seal article suggests a couple of alternative methods to remove these that may or may not work. Our author recommends a two-jaw puller. It is very easy and makes the work quick. You also have a controlled method for releasing the spring tension, which is probably the best reason. A 3-pack of pullers from Harbor Freight runs about $15. It is worth it.
+Step 4a: [[How do I remove the fork caps/pistons?|Remove the fork caps]]. The fork caps are held in place by a small ring that sits in a groove. The caps are preloaded by the fork spring, and there is a lot of pressure there, so be careful! The fork seal article suggests a couple of alternative methods to remove these that may or may not work for you. A two-jaw puller, like the one used here, is very easy and makes the work quick. You also have a controlled method for releasing the spring tension, which is probably the best reason. A 3-pack of pullers from Harbor Freight runs about $15. It is worth it.
 Step 4b: What you do is install the jaw puller and compress the spring enough to provide easy access to the ring. Then you use a $3.99 Chinese secret weapon:
@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 Step 14: De-burr and chamfer the holes, inside and out. Racetech instructs you to do this in the directions. When you chamfer the holes, you are essentially getting rid of the sharp 90-degree corners where you drilled the hole and replacing the straight line with a beveled edge. This makes the fluid (fork oil) flow better through the holes, which is why the extra holes are there in the first place.
-One way to safely chamfer the hole would be to use a small, circular file. With the file held at a 45-degree angle to the rod, file evenly around the holes until the outside edge is beveled. Repeat for the inside edge. You'll need a file that has a smaller diameter than 5/16" (the diameter of the hole) in order to do this effectively.
+One way to safely chamfer the hole would be to use a small circular file. With the file held at a 45-degree angle to the rod, file evenly around the holes until the outside edge is beveled. Repeat for the inside edge. You'll need a file that has a smaller diameter than 5/16" (the diameter of the hole) in order to do this effectively.
 Another way would be to use a rotary tool (dremel) with a sanding bit. Do basically the same process as above. The dremel makes for light work, but it is much easier to make a mistake by removing too much material. It is also much easier to have an accident when chamfering the inner surface, since the tool is mostly inside the damper rod, and if/when it catches the wrong edge the tool can fling about violently. A drill bit on the dremel is most definitely the '''wrong''' tool for the job.
@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
 Sonic springs gives you a long tube of PVC pipe to make the spacer. Cut the spacer to length and clean up the edges to prevent loose pieces of PVC from floating around.
-Step 18: Add fork oil and bleed. This is done without the GVE or spring or anything else (other than the damper rod) in the fork tube. Add enough oil that when the fork is completely extended the oil still covers the inner tube. Pump the fork up and down a while until you hear (and see) no more air coming out. Not too complicated.
+Step 18: Add fork oil and bleed. This is done without the GVE or spring or anything else (other than the damper rod) in the fork tube. Add enough oil so that when the fork is completely extended the oil still covers the inner tube. Pump the fork up and down a while until you hear (and see) no more air coming out. Not too complicated.
-Step 19: Assembly and setting the fork oil level. As gently as possible so as to minimize a big splash of fork oil, drop the GVE down into the fork tube. Fully compress the fork. Measure from the top of the fork the distance to the fork oil. This is the important thing: the fork oil level. Racetech recommends 130mm of fork oil. Sonic Springs (and others on this website) suggest 115mm. 125mm was chosen by our rider. Remember to take your time. Set up a jig or something to hold the fork upright at this point so you don't spill fork oil.
+Step 19: Assembly and setting the fork oil level. As gently as possible so as to minimize a big splash of fork oil, drop the GVE down into the fork tube. Fully compress the fork. Measure the distance down from the top of the fork to the fork oil. This is the important thing: the fork oil level. Racetech recommends 130mm of fork oil. Sonic Springs (and others on this website) suggest 115mm. 125mm was chosen by our rider. Remember to take your time. Set up a jig or something to hold the fork upright at this point so you don't spill fork oil.
 Step 20: Install the fork springs, then a washer, then the spacer, then another washer. Place the fork cap back on. If everything is done correctly, the cap will be 1/2" (preload setting) above the ring. So, you'll have to compress the spring to get the circle/ring clip (or [[How do I remove the fork caps/pistons?|new circlip]]) back on:
@@ Line 161: / Line 161: @@
 ====Adjusting the emulators====
-The Racetech instructions will tell you how to adjust these to your preference. Just note that after you have the GVE's installed, it's possible to remove them for adjustment by just dropping the handlebars, popping the fork caps, washers, spacers and springs, and fishing them out with a little loop of copper wire. There's no need to drop the wheel and remove the forks just to change those little adjustment springs.
+The Racetech instructions will tell you how to adjust these to your preference. Just note that after you have the GVEs installed, it's possible to remove them for adjustment by just dropping the handlebars, popping the fork caps, washers, spacers and springs, and fishing them out with a little loop of copper wire. There's no need to drop the wheel and remove the forks just to change those little adjustment springs.
 ====Conclusions====