[OldMan]

I have finally got the suspension on my sled to be halfway decent off road. What I have had to do is open up the rear damping, open up the front fork damping and reduce the preload so me and my gear is now compressing by about 40% rather than the normal recommended 30%. There is obviously nowhere else to go with the rear unit other than buying a Maxton replacement. But with the front, since I have now opened the damping as far as it will go maybe I could change to thinner oil, just in the left hand fork which is the one with compression damping. ( Rebound seems fine at one and a half bounces to rest). So my question is 'Have any of you tried a thinner oil in the front forks?' Thanks for looking, Mark

 

[Max Kool]

You could always give it a shot with the front forks. If you don't like it you can simply reverse it. Changing fork oil viscosity makes the biggest difference on high speed damper movement (ruts, small bumps). It could just take the edge off. Stock advised fork oil is SHELL - Advance Fork 7.5 which has a cSt value of around 22.

Keep in mind Shell Advance 5W fork oil has nearly the same cSt viscosity as 7.5W, odd as it seems, so shop around. Look at the Centistoke value, not at the "W" rating. Öhlins 1311 for instance, or Bel-Ray High Performance Fork Oil 5 W. More info on this great page.

Advised oil volume per leg is 668ml on the Desert Sled.

I just went through the opposite process on my Husqvarna, the forks were on the 'too soft" for my liking and I could completely close the adjusters, especially the rebound. I changed the stock WP oil for thicker oil in both legs.

 

[OldMan]

Thanks Max for your help. The fact that there seems to be no agreed standard on the important characteristic of fork oil is a tad confusing!

 

[Max Kool]

It was to me too..

 

[JeffGyro]

Recently saw a Dave Moss video.
He recommended for a Scrambler, non adjustable forks - 20W left & 5W right.

 

[firstducati]

I have finally got the suspension on my sled to be halfway decent off road. What I have had to do is open up the rear damping, open up the front fork damping and reduce the preload so me and my gear is now compressing by about 40% rather than the normal recommended 30%. There is obviously nowhere else to go with the rear unit other than buying a Maxton replacement. But with the front, since I have now opened the damping as far as it will go maybe I could change to thinner oil, just in the left hand fork which is the one with compression damping. ( Rebound seems fine at one and a half bounces to rest). So my question is 'Have any of you tried a thinner oil in the front forks?' Thanks for looking, Mark

I have a 2018 Sled and found the rear suspension to be not too bad, but the front is harsh....HARSH. I weigh about 190# and have the preload, compression damping and rebound damping all backed out all the way. I changed the fork oil to 668cc of 5W. That helped but still harsh, so now I am running 2.5W (ultralight) oil. It all seems to be working together OK, but still not plush. Maybe I am spoiled expecting a 450 pound bike with 8 inches of travel to feel like a 250 pound bike with 12 inches of travel. What does bother me, though, is that I still am not using all my travel. No matter how hard I hit stuff, there is still about 1.5 inches that never gets used.

 

[Max Kool]

Softer springs could help in that case?

 

[firstducati]

Softer springs could help in that case?

I would like to try some linear rate springs, but I can't find any specs on the stockers, and what might be a suitable replacement. Any suggestions?

 

[OldMan]

Maxton in the UK have experience re springing Scramblers and I have a quote from them. Changing the oil is a lot cheaper though which is why I posted the original question. I would like strip down instructions though for the Desert Sled front forks. I have the service manual for the standard scrambler and the non adjustable forks but the Sled's are completely different.

 

[firstducati]

Haynes now makes a manual that includes the Desert Sled forks. I bought the online edition and had it instantly.

 

[OldMan]

Haynes now makes a manual that includes the Desert Sled forks. I bought the online edition and had it instantly.

Wow! Fabulous, thanks!

 

[firstducati]

Glad to help. The Desert Sled section is at the end of the chapter on forks. I almost missed it.

 

[ScramblerKen]

At first I thought I needed mine adjusted.
The rider I bought my sled from was taller and over my weight of 240lbs.

Since then I've ridden many miles mostly on road and yet even off road gravel and think I'll leave it where the other guy set it.

I like a plush ride on hard roads.




Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[firstducati]

Wow! Fabulous, thanks!

You might find this useful, too.

Desert Sled Fork Diagram