Fork bottoms out at about 50% of its travel

[Craig Armstrong]

Sounds like to much oil in the damping system and causing hydraulic lockout. It could theoretically also be what Splat said, on the rebound right leg side, If the oil drained from the damper and is sitting in the bottom of the lowers, when the stanchions. comes down into the oil there's nowhere for it to go but up the fork leg..with big hits this might push through the dust wipers onto the exposed part of the stanchions.

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. I hope, whatever the cause is, that I haven't caused any damage.

 

 

Have you checked to see if there are any tokens in the air chamber?

Let all the air out.

Use a 24mm socket, remove the air cap and see what is inside.

 

I have been wondering if there are any air tokens, but that surely shouldn't be reducing my travel like this, would it? My understanding is that air tokens change the pressure ramp, but not the travel. I will admit that I've never used them though.

 

 

I had that just a week ago and it was as you say that the oil had drained out of the rebound into the 'lower' ... a quick service and it's working a treat again!

 

Great news. I'm glad it sounds like this isn't a catastrophe. I thought my fork was a goner.

[Headshot]

Well thanks for clearing that up :-)

[Tankman]

 

I have been wondering if there are any air tokens, but that surely shouldn't be reducing my travel like this, would it? My understanding is that air tokens change the pressure ramp, but not the travel. I will admit that I've never used them though.

 

You have never used them or you have never opened it up to see what is inside?

 

I have opened forks where there were 3 tokens inside.  The riders normally ask "how did that get in there?"

 

If you have one or two tokens inside, it will ramp up the pressure and not affect travel.

If you add say 5 tokens like this knobhead, to a 100mm fork, the air piston will bump into the tokens before it can bottom out, reducing travel, a lot.  (to his defense, that is not a 100mm fork)

 

 

 

Most of the RS-1's I have worked on, come standard with 2 tokens fitted.

After removing one for the lightweights and both for the heavies, the riders reported a much more enjoyable plush fork. 

The RS-1 has an already small air chamber compared to the stanchions of a normal fork, not sure why you would want to compress it even further.