[keener]

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I don't think the front fork fluid has ever been done on my 1984 Aspencade so I'm about to undertake that task with the help of a friend. My question is, should I replace the springs? If so, with Honda items or move up to Progressive?

 

[Jason]

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There is no way to know if the springs are worn out until after you replace the fork oil. So you will either need to replace the oil and take it for a test ride, or take a chance and replace the springs anyway. If you are intending to buy new springs, buy the Progressives. Cheaper and better than the stock ones.

 

[Shooter]

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Want to give a second to Jason's recommendation of the Progressive's. Also to warn about following the manual's safety cautions. Bleed off the air first, then put bike on centerstand and with a block of wood under the engine,(on a floor jack), raise the front wheel off the ground to help relieve "SOME" of the spring pressure.

Watch-out for the final release of the fork caps, they're still under some spring tension. And take your time when re-installing the caps, so as to NOT get them cross-threaded... :gunhead:

 

[Dave Campbell]

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Naw, I wouldnt, cant imagine why thed be bad, PLUS many $$$$$$$$$. If they come exploding out of the tubes when you remove the caps, youll know the tension is good. They come out with quite a force.

If its gone dry on fluid, might have to tear down and inspect the tube bearings. They are plain babbit bearings like unto an auto crankshaft bearing (at least the '86 are)

Mine were too soft so I used 5W-30, made a big difference on a short bank account.

 

[mjpliv]

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Loosen the tube caps (after draining off the air pressure) before you remove them from the tripletree. Those buggers are slippery and being clamped in the tripletreemakes it a lot easier.

The Clymer manual for the '84 Aspencade lists the following service limit specs for the uncompressed springs in the front tubes.

Upper short spring - 6.4 inches

Lower long spring - 16.02 inches

They say replace the springs if they measure less than that.

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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If your normal riding style and weight causes the front suspension to bottom frequently, change the springs, if not, enjoy the ride and simply refresh the fork oil.

Vic

 

[mjpliv]

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I just had my "84 Aspencade tubes rebuilt. I had both the seals and bushings replaced with genuine Honda parts (based on recommendations from this forum). There was little or no teflon left on the bushings at all. The shop where I had it done showed me the bushings that came out and the new, upgraded ones that went in. They have a much larger surface area than the original parts.

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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So, what difference have you found in ride quality since the new parts upgrage?

Vic

 

[mjpliv]

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I wish I could tell you but we have approximatly 4 feet of snow on the ground at the moment. Ask me again about the middle of March!

 

[englishted]

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The new fork oil alone will make a huge difference. If you managed with stock springs before then you may never need Progressives at all. Some people think the Progressives are a bit too hard for normal street use.

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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The fork oil weight will make a dramatic difference. I tried 30W oil in my forks and it rode so rough that I replaced the 30W with 15W before the week was out. Now it rides comfortably with the 15W.

Vic

 

[XCLR8N]

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Keener

This website is full of suspension knowledge. It is intended for Dirt bikes but if you want to understand suspension this is the site. The suspension guru on this site says try to deal with original equipment first, fixing one problem at a time then if your not happy get new stuff. I would think that 20 year old suspension parts probablyare sagged and worn.

Good luck.

http://www.dirtridersinternational.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=672

 

[keener]

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Thanks for the pointers / comments. After pricing the Honda bits (WOW!), I decided to go with the Progressive springs. Bit stiffer ride-wise but that should be okay. Pretty well everything, except new tires, is on hand now to get my 1984 Aspencade tooled right upfor the coming season.We're gonna do backroads Alberta plus bits of Montana, Idaho and Washington then back through the Okanagan this summer. Can't wait!

 

[BRowan]

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Best of luck with the Progressives keener. They are stiffer but you will get used to it.

 

[RedWinger]

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