In the Shop with Ron

by Ron Johnson

S P r I n G S o U T

I hope everyone has been able to take advantage of the few riding days we’ve had so far this season. It seems spring is a bit reluctant to make a definitive appearance this year. The Michigan winters do wreak havoc on our roads; the constant freeze-and-thaw conditions intermixed with rain and snow makes a great environment for potholes. This month in the shop, in an effort to smooth out our riding season, we will be installing a mono-tube conversion kit in the front forks of a 2005 Road King Custom. With this upgrade, we will be removing the stock front fork springs and damper rod and replacing them with a gas charged monotube insert and a different spring set up.

The original forks used oil to dampen the ride. The new set up will use basically a gas-charged shock instead, but will require a small amount of oil to keep the moving parts lubricated. First, we need to get the bike positioned and secure so we can remove the brake calipers, front fender, and front wheel. For this, I like to have the bike on a lift, use two jacks (one front & one rear). Raise the bike high enough so you have room to remove the forks from the triple trees. Make sure to use tie down straps to secure. (pic#2) The next step is to loosen both cap screws and pinch bolts, but do not remove. Now

drain the oil from both fork legs. While the oil is draining, remove the 6mm dampener rod bolt from the very bottom of the fork lower. While holding the fork lower with one hand, remove cap screw and carefully slide the fork tube from the triple tree. Make sure the tube is as clean as possible where it slides through triple tree. Now with the fork lower resting on a padded surface, CAREFULLY remove the fork tube cap, keep a firm downward pressure on the cap while removing, there is a fair amount of pressure on this cap from the spring inside the tube. Now we can remove the old fork springs and dampener rod. If your forks are in good shape, you can remove old internal parts (left) and install new mono-tube (right) and reassemble.

On this project—due to age, mileage, etc.— we went ahead and replaced the bushings, seals, and retaining rings. Either way, make sure everything is surgically clean before reassembly. On this motorcycle, it originally required 11oz. of fork oil; the new set up requires only 5oz. Make sure you use the correct amount of oil as recommended by the mono-tube kit mfg. Too much oil will not allow suspension to fully compress, causing severe handling issues and possible loss of control. Reassemble and double/triple check everything. Hopefully, with the springs out, things will be a bit smoother.

RIDE SAFE RIDE OFTEN. WE SHARE YOUR PASSION Ron

Ride n ’ Win!Ride n ’ Win! Ride n’ Win!