Rebound question.

[somecallmery]

How many full turns should be available on the forks?

I had my seals and stuff done and when I got the forks back I had like 1 turn on one side and almost 2 on the other. Brought them back and they adjusted them and now I only have 1 turn each side and the guy said the manual states that.
My manual recommends 1.75 turns for some rider weight so I'd assume at least that much would be available plus some.

I left the bike but am beginning to doubt the profeciency of the shop.

 

[BambamXB12r]

Probably just a different year. My 09 calls for even more.

 

[somecallmery]

I guess it might help, I've got an 07 xb12s
I'm just wondering how many turns I should have available, not what I should set it for.

 

[Chicknstripn]

Sounds like you should be looking in the service manual for what is specific to your bike on how the adjuster is suppose to be set before, during and after a rebuild. When I rebuilt the forks on my 07 xb12r I remember the service manual being very specific as to how the adjuster must be set during the rebuild processss in order to NOT lose the full range of the adjuster screw/rebound movement and or adjustability.
Sounds like your rebound screw/adjuster was not set/reset properly during the rebuild.
If I were you I'd take the service manual to the shop that did your rebuild and ask them to follow it specifically.
That's my 2cents. Hope it helps
Good luck

 

[Cooter]

There is a specific procedure for re-assembling the Showa adjustable forks.
It's where the locknut is at the top, under the main cap, below the pre-load nut. It makes sure that you get full adjustment and more importantly, that they are equal.

The short story is that the dimension between the rebound adjuster rod (long pointy thing) and top of the cap need to be equal and precise. The long pointy thing fits into an orifice at the bottom to slow down the oil= rebound control. The procedure is in your manual. You can do it on the bike if you have too, but FYI you will still have to compress the springs to re-assemble.

Remember that the factory settings are just a starting point for your total weight with full gear and riding preferences, and are assuming a totally stock bike. Different tires ("tyres" Tone) and different fork oil brands and weight will change that setting drastically.

Edit: I didn't think there was a difference in R vs. S forks? (Other than the 41mm to 43mm change, and obviously Scg)

 

[ToneTheMoan]

"tyres" thanks Cooter! lol :eagerness:

 

[midway]

There is a specific procedure for re-assembling the Showa adjustable forks.
It's where the locknut is at the top, under the main cap, below the pre-load nut. It makes sure that you get full adjustment and more importantly, that they are equal.

The short story is that the dimension between the rebound adjuster rod (long pointy thing) and top of the cap need to be equal and precise. The long pointy thing fits into an orifice at the bottom to slow down the oil= rebound control. The procedure is in your manual. You can do it on the bike if you have too, but FYI you will still have to compress the springs to re-assemble.

I've identified this to be the case for my front fork rebound dampening. Dealer touted their new fork seals as a selling point but apparently didn't pay attention to the travel this screw should have been allowed on reassembly.

I see one of you has a degree in rocket science on YT. Not sure which one of you this is but you're my first choice for advice on what can be done to compensate for having only one full turn on each rebound screw not two as the SM states should be available. Obviously I won't be going after this until new seals are needed again but what if I backed off the preload one ring and accepted the loss of a half turn (for my weight) on the rebound? Do you see this as a possible patch for now?

Who did this... Cooter?----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FptHgvIhO4

 

[Cooter]

Not me, I've only ever posted myself on YouTube one time:

https://youtu.be/S50p5nZ8lTs
:black_eyed:
I would highly recommend fixing the forks as it is critical that they are the same. You can fix them on the bike if you hang the front end, loosen the upper triple, and take off the fork caps. Follow the service procedure from there and you are GTG.
No need to change seals, or mess with the oil but I would check the level for sure considering the shoddy work they did.

 

[midway]

I would highly recommend fixing the forks as it is critical that they are the same. You can fix them on the bike if you hang the front end, loosen the upper triple, and take off the fork caps. Follow the service procedure from there and you are GTG.

The rebounds are wrong, but collectively wrong so I'm stable unless you mean in relation to the compression settings then yes they cannot be matched. My understanding is rebound and compression do not have to mate in setting when seeking preferences beyond default SM setting charts.

Am I misunderstanding your comment from Nov12th posted above "You can do it on the bike if you have too, but FYI you will still have to compress the springs to re-assemble." If I don't have to compress the springs then this falls back a little from the 'long beard' difficulty level I see in the video and I might proceed with getting this corrected right away. Which btw Cole Houser in that fork seal replacement video is macgyver/genius :up: The trail guide in your video... not so much :black_eyed:

 

[Cooter]

I read your post wrong and thought they were mis matched. If they are equal (to each other) and you can get the setting you like (throw the factory weight chart away now) then no worries.

Compressing the spring can be done by hand when the forks are mounted to something solid (like on the bike) and you're not a sissy:applause:

Ya that looked like his garage. It's AZMidget

Gotta put air quotes around "trail guide" guy didn't even flinch:upset:

 

[midway]

I read your post wrong and thought they were mis matched. If they are equal (to each other) and you can get the setting you like (throw the factory weight chart away now) then no worries. That looked like his garage. It's AZMidget

Ah... now we understand each other and thank you for the brief 'how to' fix the problem should I feel the urgency.

Now about the temporary solution I suggested. Do you think turning out the preload a little to compensate for the inability to turn out the rebound a half turn more will compensate and produce similar results as if the rebound screw had full range of motion? btw where is this member... Midget?

 

[Cooter]

No. Preload is a weight adjustment, re-bound is a damping adjustment.
Follow basic tuning instructions in order and see if you've got enough rebound control that you like the way it rides.

In your particular case: With the rebound needle set too long like that, you may not be able to soften up the forks enough.

 

[user_deleted]

Ah... now we understand each other and thank you for the brief 'how to' fix the problem should I feel the urgency.

Now about the temporary solution I suggested. Do you think turning out the preload a little to compensate for the inability to turn out the rebound a half turn more will compensate and produce similar results as if the rebound screw had full range of motion? btw where is this member... Midget?

i see the Dunning–Kruger effect has reared its ugly head......again.
you really need to spend a few minutes of quality time reading the below link contents. fiddling with internal componentry and making adjustments on "triple aspect" suspension settings....which all XB's have front & rear....without basic knowledge is inherently dangerous.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/suspension-setup-101-part-ii-all-about-damping

 

[midway]

No. Preload is a weight adjustment, re-bound is a damping adjustment.
Follow basic tuning instructions in order and see if you've got enough rebound control that you like the way it rides.

In your particular case: With the rebound needle set too long like that, you may not be able to soften up the forks enough.

Thanks Cooter, this is all I wanted to know.

John the fiddling has been done (by a dealer) I can't un-fiddle it because I believe you that it's dangerous! Unfortunately I'm going to ride it with the stiffer setting that they locked me into even though I'm 180 lbs and one full turn on the rebound is not enough for my weight until the next time I need fork seals. Then I will seek more competent Buell fork specialists. Mr. Midget video makes it look easy but I suspect he has vast skills with his Buells.

 

[Chicknstripn]

As long as you follow the service manual it's pretty easy.
I've never done motorcycle forks but I wasn't about to pay a dealer $300 to do it!
Have no adjustment issues with mine either.
There's a reason a lot of us reference the service manual. It's an invaluable part of owning a Buell and the fact that it's free at www.buellmods.com makes those that choose not to use it absolute idiots.

 

[midway]

Agreed... bought the hard copy the day I brought the bike home. Always wondered how you guys work with an SM from a computer or tablet

 

[midway]

Gathering up some bits and wiggles and the confidence to open the mis-set rebound adjustment it seems you can't get these caps without the whole 260.00 left & right set. I like to replace cosmetics as I go but apparently these are not sold separately. I could be mistaken but isn't this what you see here too? No single part reference for the large nut caps.

 

[bottlefedbuell]

i was very apprehensive about doing my forks on the XB. The price to have it done, made it seem like a huge job.
Boy was i glad i took the time to watch the nice youtube videos and tackle it myself.
It was honestly, easier than rotating the engine down.
I had no leaks, but after 20,000 Michigan miles, i figured it would be good measure to do them anyway.
From the factory my dampening rods were about 4mm off from eachother.
Didnt seem like a lot, but with the fresh fluid, matched settings, and a quick adjustment from Wheeler, it made a huge difference in the ride quality of the bike.
And my tires last longer as well.

 

[midway]

Here's the problem with the service manual... It's all about complete disassembly of the forks OFF THE BIKE so it's no help verifying if I can get to the (rebound range of motion screw) correction while the forks are ON THE BIKE. Unless someone in here has had an out of calibration rebound fork issue from a dealer incorrectly reassembling after installing seals (and has corrected it with forks ON THE BIKE) it's not worth a complete teardown right now for me.

BECAUSE ... backing off the preload a half turn softened the front end nicely in compensation for the last full turn of the rebound screw. Actually a pretty nice ride now for my weight. That theory made sense to me and was worth experimenting with. I still plan to correct this issue the right way but maybe not until new fork seals are needed again.

If any member has had their forks put together wrong concerning the (rebound range of motion adjustment screw) and fixed it without completely taking forks off the bike ... PM me and lets chat.

 

[rchuff]

OMG!! Look if you don't understand the manual you should of had someone that can do forks do yours. Maybe some one on here will write a blow by blow write up. But it won't be me. Call me a d- ck I don't care.