[fatty]

Hello All,

I hope everyone is safe and well.
I have a 99 TLS with 38,000km on the clock.
I'm about to get the forks serviced.
My question is
Do the internals of the forks wear out and do they ever need to be replaced?
I'm not after the ultimate in performance as I ride conservatively but I do want things done properly.

At this stage, is it just a regular service or a more through service?

Your help is appreciated.

Take care.

 

[Rickysnicker]

There are bushings and seals inside the fork. It's up to you if you think they should be changed out or not. Are there any leaking issues or "knocking" being felt in the forks. If not, then probably a fork oil change should be fine. Take a look at this site, TLR/TLS Fork Disassembly/Reassembly It shows the complete tear down of the forks. Even if you don't do that, it's good to have the knowledge and see what all is involved.

 

[palmywagener]

Hi,
Its a pretty easy job to do a strip down, clean and re oil. Makes a huge difference and you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

 

[PQA]

Greetings Fatty,
Are the forks, bottoming out, when plunging, coming to a banging stop when fully compressed?
Mine were very tired, so added to the above advice, I had my forks reconditioned, and set up for my weight 120kgs.
New springs, valves, and seals, just to find the inner was slightly pitted, but upon advice let that go for future replacement.
This made the ride a lot safer and more comfortable, especially when cornering and hitting successive pot holes at speed in the wet, where stability was no longer the issue that it once was.
Add to this I also had the back suspension set up for my weight.
I was told by the suspension set-up guys, who specialize in contemporary race machines, that there appeared to be (as well as the recon work undetaken), a 30kg disparity between the pre-existing OEM and their re-set custom suspension setup.
The difference in ride experience and subsequent rider confidence was profound.
Likened to day and night..
Good luck.
Thanks for the link Ricky :
TLR/TLS Fork Disassembly/Reassembly
98 TLsw
PQA