Problem with Pike 409

chopperHarris

Hi All

I am going out this weekend on the bike and my front forks are less than perfect! they refuse to lock out and are bouncing about all over the place, ideally i need to send them off to be serviced but is there anything i can check to see if I can get them useable?

sanchez89

someone feel free to correct me if im wrong but usually if the lockout wont work is due to oil problems, i.e too much oil in that part of the system preventing the lockout mechanism fully closing.

as with the bouncing all over the place are they coil spring or air? the damping system could also be faulty, again an oil related problem unless valves are damaged.

i take it these are old forks?

chopperHarris

bike is a couple of years old but not used much (married with 2 kids!) and spent a year in the loft until a month or so ago, have since been out 3 times and they are not locking out at all any more .

They are coil spring, the bouncing is probably the damping as i was adjusting them every way i could to see if i could get any lockout on them, if i wind them all the way in to 95mm travel they still just bounce, no lockout, its as if the lockout lever is not connected (it is, i have checked!)

I have taken the lockout off and pulled the damping unit out and everything looks ok but then i dont know what im looking at!

As far as i know dont leak oil (no tell tale signs etc) and they used to lock out fine, not great but alot better than they are now.

sanchez89

have you messed with the rebound adjuster on the bottom of the left hand fork leg? to either extreme. if that doesnt affect the forks rebound stroke its defo an internal problem that will need a strip down and inspection.

on your lockout lever is there a small (2.5mm) grub screw in the middle? on my Revelations i have 1 under a small silver cap and its the floodgate adjustment. that can change the severity of the lockout. turned fully 1 way it will lock out virtually solid, turned fully the other it will feel like not locked at all.

i suggest you have a look and try that, if you have 1, turn it fully one way, set the lockout lever to locked, then try to compress the fork, if it doesnt feel locked then turn the screw fully the other way and repeat.

again if this makes no difference to the forks performance id book it in for strip and inspection at your LBS.

mkf

you have the classic failed inner o ring on the rebound shaft.all the damping oil is leaking into the lower leg from the compression side so not enough oil for the lockout to work. swap the o ring replace oil 1/2 huor job.the'll be like new again

chopperHarris

mkf wrote:

you have the classic failed inner o ring on the rebound shaft.all the damping oil is leaking into the lower leg from the compression side so not enough oil for the lockout to work. swap the o ring replace oil 1/2 huor job.the'll be like new again

that sounds nice and easy, shot in the dark but any idea on the size of the O ring so i can stop somewhere on the way home and grab some, and the wait of the oil is 5w i take it ,will any 5w fork oil work? i have some motorcycle 5w already

thanks for the help its appreciated

mkf

5w in the compression side and 15w in lower leg sram say.
not sure on the size sorry, but another forum member was able to match it up in a motorbike shop so good luck.

chopperHarris

great thanks will pull them apart tonight