Ohlins fork springs not fitting my generation 2 tubes

[jalingo]

Hi guys

i have a serious problem over here and i would like some help from you guys

i bought here in France 2 Ohlins fork springs reference : 08679-10 which is from year 01 to 12

technically they fit my generation , right ?

the Ohlins spring length 261 mm

and the original spring length is 262 mm if i remember good

i took the bike to the a dealer i know cause i dont have the tools at home to make it myself

the technician told me that the springs in my bike are longer maybe 280 mm or such ( i dont remember the measurement) but the different was huge

and he couldn't put the Ohlins spring cause they are too shot ??

after putting the washer and tightening the bolt , no preload of the spring , means spring too short , right ?

and then he told me that maybe the fork is not the original fork ?

can this be possible ?

thanks guys for the answers

 

[MCRIDER007]

There is a critical part in the forks that is adjusted in length when changing springs to compensate for differences in spring length and weight, it's called a "spacer". Your technician sounds like a ..........(fill in the blanks).

 

[TomInPA]

The aftermarket springs are usually shipped with a spacer and washer. This is the spacer I got with mine. It's not very difficult to change the springs and oil if you're not also changing the bushings. It's just a matter of dropping the forks from the upper and lower clamps, removing the top bolt and cartridge, draining the oil and reassembly.

 

[MCRIDER007]

^^^^^^ The picture appears to be of a spring guide rather than a spacer. A spring guide sits on top of the spring, under the spring washer, and most of it drops into the spring to keep the spring straight during compression. A spacer sits on top of the spring washer and creates space between the washer and the fork cap.

 

[TomInPA]

True! It fell inside the spring, so I just stuck it in the fork...easy. turns out that brass washer thingy just went down the fork, and the guide dropped in from the top. Took me half a day to figger it out. If you want a good laugh, here is the thread where I figured it out. https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/167024-changing-springs-gen-i-question/

 

[escapefjrtist]

As '007 points out, your aftermarket (Ohlins) spring preload will be adjusted via a different length spacer verses the OE springs. All things equal, for longer springs the OE spacer would be shortened.

Are you sure the bike has OE springs in the forks? If not, your shop will need to make a new spacer to get the proper assembled preload.

Good luck.

--G

 

[MCRIDER007]

As '007 points out, your aftermarket (Ohlins) spring preload will be adjusted via a different length spacer verses the OE springs. All things equal, for longer springs the OE spacer would be shortened.
Are you sure the bike has OE springs in the forks? If not, your shop will need to make a new spacer to get the proper assembled preload.

Good luck.

--G

In this case, it appears that the springs that were in the forks were longer than the replacement Ohlins springs. If so, the new spacer would have to be longer than the spacer it replaces.

 

[jalingo]

hi guys , thanks a lot for the answers

well , i'm waiting for the pics to show your what he's talking about , the technician will send me the 2 springs together next to a ruler to show the length difference

this make me think in a very near future , i'll make everything myself , buying the tools and learning how to repair my bike

i think in my life i will go further with the FJR cause is a very reliable machine , so this will justify buying all the tools and learn the hard way !!

i'll keep you updated as soon as i know something

thanks guys

 

[eflyguy]

Pictures won't make any difference - you just need the correct spacer, and the guy doing the work should know that.

You might contact Ohlins to see if there should have been a spacer provided.

 

[jalingo]

https://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/698513IMG7641.png

https://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/875168IMG7642.png

here the pics of the springs , maybe the plonger and the other parts been changed ?

 

[Fred W]

The spring on the right is at least 30mm longer at rest than the one on the left, which I take to be the stock spring. That means that you would need to cut down the top spacer by that amount if you want to maintain the normal stock preload on the spring. You may want to cut a little less that that and see how much sag you get first, then recut the spacers to get the desired amount of sag. It's much easier to cut more off than to put more spacer length on.

I'm a little surprised that those springs are Ohlins. I thought Ohlins only made straight weight springs and those appear to be progressive as the coils at the bottom are closer together. Maybe it's an artifact of the photo angle? Or maybe I was wrong about what Ohlins sells.

Edit - reading back it looks like I have them reversed and the stock spring is the longer one. You'll need to add spacer length to make up for the difference. Everything else is the same.