I have 2011 Sprint GT with 40k miles. I just had a service tech tell me that I should fully rebuild the forks, including replacing the springs for a whopping price of $560! The front fork oil change is $382. Since the front forks have never been serviced, they are probably overdue for an oil change. Is there any need to replace springs?? I think that this tech is just mining my bike for extra money, but I may be wrong. What other work on the front forks is appropriate at this time? New bushings? I see no evidence of leaks on the forks, but the bike is 12 years old... Any thoughts to share?
Springs will only need replacing if shorter than the service limit. Bushes will only need replacing if showing wear. It will be worth changing the oil seals though as they don't like being reused and will probably leak after the rebuild. I recommend using genuine fork seal as pattern can suffer with stiction.
Thanks Linx! Can you help me to understand what you mean when you said that the "Springs will only need replacing if shorter than the service limit"? What symptom should I be looking for to decide? Fork degradation happens slowly, so I'm probably used to the current behavior. My forks do have an oil film on them, so the seals need to be replaced along with the oil. I am hoping for someone to comment on the recommendation that I got from the Technician about bushings and springs. Thanks for any further input!
Hi Rob, I don't know the specs for your bike but the springs are made to a certain length. As they age they get shorter. Triumph will state that once the free length of the springs gets down to a certain length, they need replacing. You'll have to look in a workshop manual to find the service limit for your model's fork springs. If you haven't got a workshop manual, search the web or ask a friend. Good luck.
I would not expect fork springs to need changing at 40k miles. I would ask your tech why he thinks they do and see if you get an informed answer. Is he perhaps considering a spring upgrade to improve the standard suspension? The only way to know if they have gone beyond their service life is to remove them and compare the measured length against the service limit in a bike specific service manual. If the fork oil has never been changed then it is overdue.
My experience with this service location is that they tend to recommend additional work that may not be required. I agree that the fork oil is overdue for a change, and a film on the fork extension suggests that the seals are also overdue for replacement. When I have this work done (by another place), I'll ask them to confirm that the springs have not compressed beyond specs. Thanks for the input!
You could just change oil & seal's add a spacer to bring spring sag heights back to acceptable reading...
I hadn't considered that option. Thanks! Frankly, I will be surprised if the springs have fatigued below specs. This isn't an offroad bike with lots of abuse to the front end, so the 40k miles generally represents time with rider(s) on the seat on smooth roads. I'll see what the tech has to say when they check them out.
