Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 600 thru 1200 - AIR/OIL COOLED TECHNICAL => Topic started by: NarkolepticBandit600S on June 22, 2009, 10:51:48 PM
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Bike: G2 B6
What I know, 41mm forks no adjustments.
Here's the deal. 2 summers ago I got my Fork oil seals replaced, one blew so had both done at same time.
I didn't ride a whole lot other then to work which is 1 mile away. But since then I've had bad steering wobble. I know my front tire is going bad, but I recently found out that my front suspension is prob bad. The major symptom is that the rebound is shot. If you hold the front brake and push down with the bars and let the bike settle it bounces 3 to 3.5 times before coming to rest. And riding this around banked corners is better then a roller coaster, but pretty scary when the bike is bouncing up and down through the corner.
I took the bike into the shop and without taking the forks apart, said that either they put heavier fork oil in or do a tare down and basically do a rebuild....which could cost me upwards of $400 or more!!!!
Needless to say I want to avoid throwing that much cash at this. SO I'm wondering if there is a set of forks that are easy enough to come by that are a better fork that can be bolted straight up? or just settle for doing a rebuild...Any ideas??
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I would suggest you contact Rick at Cogent Dynamics (motocd.com) and get a quote on re-building what you have. I just checked the website and something wasn't loading right. P/M me if you'd like his number. He does great work and is very knowledgeable about suspension and Bandits.
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As a suggestion...If you really want to save money, why not try rebuilding them yourself? People are so freaked out about this stuff, but there's not much to it. The forks on your B6 aren't exactly the latest high-zoot Showa twin chambers, there's no magical fork pixies or huge nitrogen charge holding the front end up, they're pretty simple and as un-scary as any forks ever made, really.
The procedure will be in the service manual.
Here's a schematic http://www.bikebandit.com/suzuki-motorcycle-gsf600sy-bandit-2000-front-fork-damper/o/m6145sch271267 (http://www.bikebandit.com/suzuki-motorcycle-gsf600sy-bandit-2000-front-fork-damper/o/m6145sch271267)
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Before you do anything else, I would recommend you ensure you have the correct type and amount of fork oil in each fork leg. The best way to do this is to dump the old stuff out, and refill with correct amount of new stuff, which should be down every 2-3 years anyway, regardless of use.
As, r_outsider mentioned, these damper rod forks aren't very compicated, and there really isn't a lot to wear out. There are really only a couple of holes in the damper rod, and they really can't wear out. Mostly, things usually get plugged with crud over time, which tends to make them harsh.
Based on how you are describing the problem, I'd be concerned that you don't have the correct amount of oil.
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Different springs could be a big help too, especially if you weigh more (or less) than the 150-160 lb rider they designed them for.