Forks feel like a pogo stick?

Lately the forks feel like a pogo stick. Kinda bouncy and not absorbing the road as much.
Front forks are on the second ring and the rear is stock setting of 2 and rebound is on the dot.

Any ideas where to start?

 

Being an 07 you shouldn't be having any serious issues. Have you set the suspension (sag) to your weight yet? How much do you weigh? Mine felt that way kinda, not "bouncy" but kinda like a Cadillac before I set the sag. "Bouncy" is not good, especially in the front since preload is about all you can adjust without taking something apart.

 

I don't know much about forks but if air got into the system somehow would that make it bouncy?

 

I weigh 140 lbs. It might be breaking in. What do others have theirs set at and weight? I can see if I'm in the ballpark.

 

I weigh probably 230 with all my gear on. My fronts are set towards 'soft' (the way it was when I got it), seems to have been fine so far so I haven't tried adjusting it.

 

Like jasonsmith said, check your sag. If it is about where it should be, usually about 32-35mm for street (I like 35), it might be time for a fluid change. When you say "pogo stick", it sounds like your rebound damping is going away. Typically old fluid gets a bit thin, and little bits of metal from the new parts wearing in can wedge themselves in the shim stacks.

How many miles are on it? My '07 forks felt stiff for about the first 1K, decent up until now at 5K, and I figure it will be time to service at about 10K, unless I get really enthusiastic at tire change time.

 

140lbs is ok for this bike. Anything over 175lbs ish will require aftermarket parts to make it perfect.

Lgn covered it....:thumbsup:

 

700 miles.
It should be 35 mm difference from (no load on the forks) to (me geared up on it) right?

 

Right, keep in mind that if you are a large or XL guy (like me) you may not be able to get the sag right. I have one ring showing on the front. On the back shock I have it one notch from fully compressed and 1/2 turn out from full hard on the rebound. New springs are on my list of things to do.

Action

 

I would adjust it if I was you. Seriously the 6th Gen suspension wasn't designed to handle people our weight (I'm 220 no gear). The best sag I can get out of stock parts is 40mm on the front. That's ok until I can afford a full upgrade. Right now I bet your around 48-50mm which is close to if not off-road numbers.

You really should set your sag, you will notice a heck of an improvement and also increase the bikes stability therefor increasing your safety.

I also went a 1/4 turn hard on the shock rebound as well. I was getting an extra up/down motion in the rear, the rebound adjustment fixed that.

Oh and mmcinnis1 check your tire pressure for the heck of it to.

 

Ah yes tire pressure good point. When I checked mine right from the dealer front and rear were nearly 10psi low. Thanks for the pointer jasonsmith I'll check out my settings, now that I know what to aim for.

 

Didnt see anyone mention this and its very important when it comes to setting your preload so I thought Id post it up. Springs are weight specific, if you weigh the tradional 160-175 pound "average" rider weight that the manufacture's go by, well the bike should be close to dialed in for you as is. The springs effectiveness is DRASTICLY reduced when you compress it to accomidate more weight. To make it stiffer you are shortening its travel. If your preload is set all the way hard or 1-2 lines showing you are not getting very much use out of it. If your not planning on tracking the bike or ridding aggressivly this probably will not effect your ridding too much and you should adjust to your comfort level using dampening also. I highly reccomend buying a suspension setting DVD if your an aggresive rider! There is nothing more important than understanding tires and suspension first on any bike. It can change your opinion of the bike you ride, it can become an entirely different machine. :smile:
PS: Thicker oil means slower response from your forks also, its a trade off. If money is no problem then look into sending your forks out to be revalved and resprung! Only way to do it right, not as expensive as you might think also.