skorpion 945 Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, embee said: Oil levels are quoted from the top of the stanchion (the fescalised portion, as you put it) with the spring/spacer/washer removed and the fork fully compressed, and upright. Yes, 140mm means less oil than 104mm. The 2016 on NC750X, Honda's specification is 180mm air gap, whereas Wilbers is 150mm so more oil needed . Wilbers spec's below. http://wilberssuspension.co.uk/images/wilbers/federbeine.pdf Edited October 28, 2018 by skorpion 1 Link to post
makman 975 Posted November 7, 2018 Author Share Posted November 7, 2018 (edited) Changed the fork oil level just a touch today, syringe and tubing to adjust. Will test for the ride home, they were just a touch too firm for my liking. They should be a bit smoother now and more plush. The rear is pretty much there, but I may back the preload ring off a turn or two. Time will tell once I've got the forks where I want them and then I can get the balance right. PS, this really is a DIY job and saves you a lot of money!! Edited November 7, 2018 by makman Link to post
skorpion 945 Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 2 hours ago, makman said: Changed the fork oil level just a touch today, syringe and tubing to adjust. Will test for the ride home, they were just a touch too firm for my liking. They should be a bit smoother now and more plush. The rear is pretty much there, but I may back the preload ring off a turn or two. Time will tell once I've got the forks where I want them and then I can get the balance right. PS, this really is a DIY job and saves you a lot of money!! Please keep us updated. Link to post
Graham NZ 1,186 Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 On 10/28/2018 at 05:29, neojynx said: Mine need doing, but fork seals as well so probably do it next weekend. I'm glad they are firmer, as my only criticism of the bike is the front forks are shit. When removing and fitting fork seals heat the local fork area with a heat gun until just touchable to get the fork to expand and allow much easier removal/fitting. Fill the V in the new seal lips with a silicone grease too. The forks are very basic so don't expect too much from simply changing the fluid. Link to post
neojynx 722 Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Thanks Graham NZ, I did them last weekend. I used 10w fork oil and found the suspension much stiffer, which suits me better The fork seals werent too difficult either. 1 Link to post
makman 975 Posted November 8, 2018 Author Share Posted November 8, 2018 Much better. Gone is the harshness. What airgap and oil quantity, I have no idea! But it works for me and I've managed to get it supple and comfortable under hard braking and can throw the bike into a corner hard and it tracks true. Helps that I have a new front tyre as well, so it is an accurate account. Link to post
trisaki 2,029 Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 1 hour ago, makman said: Much better. Gone is the harshness. What airgap and oil quantity, I have no idea! But it works for me and I've managed to get it supple and comfortable under hard braking and can throw the bike into a corner hard and it tracks true. Helps that I have a new front tyre as well, so it is an accurate account. Hi so did you start with an air gap of 140mm ? /so less oil than std / and now taken a small quantity out so you have now I guess approximately 400 cc of oil compared with std which was just over 500 Link to post
makman 975 Posted November 8, 2018 Author Share Posted November 8, 2018 I've got an airgap of around 120mm I think.... roughly.... So it seems to be the median spot for me at 18 stone. I'd have to remove the forks and measure up to be 100% certain though. Oil is 7.5W in weight. Link to post
neojynx 722 Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 I didnt measure airgap, I used the specified measurement of 514ml of oil (10w) for the forks. Well 500ml and an extra gloop of engine oil as I only had a 1l bottle of fork oil. Forks feel very good now. Link to post
Graham NZ 1,186 Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 (edited) Where did I go wrong? Was having my forks seriously reworked by a specialist firm a waste of time when all that was needed was to change the oil? Approximately! I don't think so. To believe that a change of oil is all they need is dreaming. Edited November 8, 2018 by Graham NZ 1 1 Link to post
Tex 36,817 Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 No one is saying you went wrong, Graham. You went the route you wanted, spent the amount you needed to and got the results you were looking for. Happy days. Can the performance of the stock forks be altered by changing the grade and amount of oil? Of course! Only a fool would deny it. And if the guys are happy with the results they’re getting, then where’s the problem? 2 Link to post
Tonyj 6,907 Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 Been sold some magic beans ? Call our pip lawyers :0) Link to post
Guest machinman Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 On the other side of the coin, ive done 65,000 miles between 2 NCs with the stock screen and suspension. It is what it is. Link to post
Tonyj 6,907 Posted November 8, 2018 Share Posted November 8, 2018 Probably 55k on x2 , got a Shad seat off of rocker that’s it . 1 Link to post
makman 975 Posted November 8, 2018 Author Share Posted November 8, 2018 £25 for the oil and my time experimenting and reading what other people have done. It works for me as I have low expectations! It is a commuter for me, if I was going to track day it then that is a totally different matter. I've also just gone for the basic Wilbers shock. It has preload adjustment and that is it. Simple tech, but it works. The bike is much more settled now. I am going to back the preload off a touch tomorrow and see how that feels for me, should get rid of a touch of bounce. 1 Link to post
Graham NZ 1,186 Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I envy those who are satisfied with the stock suspension. Clearly that must be the majority of owners but less satisfied ones appear frequently here. Some of those have gone to a little bit of trouble and expense and claim to be satisfied and others have gone to extreme lengths to get the ride that satisfies. The minimum that can be done is to explore any adjustments available. Next experiment with fork oil grade and volume. Grade will have more effect than volume except when braking strongly. Next, fitting single-rate fork springs of a suitable strength would be worthwhile. Beyond those things quite big money is needed to achieve much improvement. Even a basic shock costs hundreds. 1 Link to post
Tonyj 6,907 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Any comments on ride quality or there in the components that make up the said package will be slightly subjective to me. The fact that you can change it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a total loss or defective but it allows a more personal approach . The fact that some are more sensitive to the final ride then others and would like to alter it is great for people like me who are not that bothered and don’t have the time or knowledge to do anything about it. Me I feel the nc is like a land rover defender , does the job . I have another bike that has ohlins but @ 20st I couldn’t even compress the rear shock . This is supposed to be all an singing and dancing brand . So it may just have an ohlins sticker :0) . I feel more of an affront that this is passed off as a quality item then the nc range products . I have never felt the nc is that bad that it affects it handling and composure and if I had the chance to back to back it with another bike and that bike was better , I would buy that bike . All in all I am satisfied with the nc and how it comes out of the factory . For those who like to change stuff , carry on Link to post
Graham NZ 1,186 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 (edited) Tony, if you can't compress the shock then the spring is too firm for you, irrespective of the brand. When you sit on the bike the suspension should compress about 30 to 35% front and back. Suspension compliance is subjective but there are well tried procedures to get the best out of whatever components are on the bike. Edited November 12, 2018 by Graham NZ 2 Link to post
embee 7,288 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Either spring rate too high or just too much preload. Link to post
Tonyj 6,907 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 I backed the preload off to nothing now . It’s on a bike that’s notoriously stiff at the rear and basically wrong :0). It will have you out of the seat at speed . So I’m am not unsympathetic to your cause to fine tune the suspension but am not bothered by the nc 1 Link to post
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now