Triumphrat

whatisit · 09-23-2005, 08:13 PM

I got a set from a '97, I'm re-using my lowers. Is there a recommended fork oil weight, or have any of you with the F3 forks tried different weights? More importantly, do you know the volume specified by honda? I did measure & record the volume of oil that came out, I can figure a small loss for oil adhering to the springs & get pretty close, but if somebody already knows that'd be nice.

I'm nearly done polishing them... tons of sanding first. I'm also polishing my top triple clamp, gauge plate, clip-ons, and a few other odds & ends. (I previously polished the case, sprocket, and cam covers) I'm going to do something different with the headlight mounts, I hate those chrome cylinders that fit over the forks that the stock ones bolt to. I cut two nice clamps from the honda triple clamp, but I need to make two more from something else or... who knows what, maybe I'll just spring for aftermarket brackets.
Also, I'm going to fit some ZRX shocks, they're nearly identical in length & can be modified to be 5/8" shorter if desired. The lower bushing needs to be swapped with one of the thruxton's current shock bushings, but it looks to be strightforward from there. I'll make a detailed post with pics when I've got that done in case anyone else wants to go that route. -I've got a ZRX & love the suspension (never owned a full-on sportbike though) so I'm pretty optomistic about them. The thrux is lighter than the rex (I assume), and the shocks are a tad on the stiff side for the rex to begin with, so it won't be a "cushy" ride. But they're nice looking piggybacks with compression and rebound damping adjustment. And about $1,000 less than Ohlins. :wink:

thruxtonone · 09-24-2005, 03:07 AM

I ended up with 5 wt synthetic oil with my f3 forks(10 wt was too stiff). I used 430cc. ZRX rears will be interesting, may not feel too stiff on smaller rear tire. let us know.-Pictures when you are done please.-T1

whatisit · 09-25-2005, 01:10 AM

Ok, I finished polishing my lowers this morning, took the rex to fetch some fork oil (I'll try 7wt to start) and assembled the honda stuff into the thrux lowers without a hitch. But I'm unsure of the lower bolt (was called the damper rod bolt in the triumph manual, but since the honda innards don't utilise a damper rod I'm not sure what to call the honda bolt). The honda bolt is a smaller diameter, so it'll be able to slop around inside the larger hole in the triumph lower. Since this bolt seals in the oil with a copper washer, I don't expect that to last very long. I think I need to find a bolt with a slightly larger shoulder, don't I? What did you guys do?

thruxtonone · 09-25-2005, 01:15 PM

I backed up the copper washer with a thick steel washer with the correct center hole. This also keeps the damper rod centered.-T1

whatisit · 09-27-2005, 05:06 PM

I ended up using a bit of hose as a sleeve over the bolt, as a bonus it fit snug enough on the bolt AND in the hole that it'll probably help in sealing, too. -Thruxtonone, did you find that measurement somewhere? I'm having a hell of a time finding the info online, searched a few CBR forums, googled all the key words I could think of, too. -I did measure the volume that came out of them, 380ml each side. Taking into account for some adhering to the springs & tube walls I was going to guess at 400ml. -But if you found 430 from a manual or someplace I'll just do that. I tried sending a PM but it says that's not operational at the moment. -Almost done, pics shortly!!
:chug:

[ This message was edited by: whatisit on 2005-09-27 15:07 ]

Thrux-ton-up · 09-29-2005, 09:34 AM

whatisit,

You can fill the forks up when they are compressed with no springs installed and fill to 135mm from the top. This way you don't have to worry about how much to put in / or is still in the forks. I made a cheap fork oil measurement tool out of a 99 cent turkey baster and attached some clear flexable tubing to this with 135mm mark on the the tube from the end in which you put in the forks. Several companies also sell this style tool if you want something nicer or more high tech. This measurement is for F3 forks. I have the forks on my bike with race tech springs and gold valves. Along with polishing and BMW gaitors. I used 5 wt. oil and 80 lb springs - the lightest race tech had for the bike. The stock F3 springs are a 69 lb progressive wound. I sold these to a friend who put those in his stock bonnie T100 forks and really likes the ride and handling. I have had the forks on my bike for 9000 miles so far and have had no problems and really like the ride and handling improvements of the cartridge style over the stock damper rods. JCW

Thrux-ton-up

[ This message was edited by: Thrux-ton-up on 2005-09-29 07:39 ]

thruxtonone · 09-29-2005, 12:20 PM

I couldn't find the actual spec either. I also did it based on a measurement from the top of the tube (compareed to orig) like ton-up which turned out to be 430. You need to keep all the parts in oil and not have so much that you blow the seals when fully compressed. This usually gives you about 50cc to play with. 430 is conservative.-T1