Fork clicking
  • User avatar
    fbr
    Posts: 108
    Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:52 pm

    Fork clicking

    by fbr » Wed May 29, 2019 8:02 am

    One of my son’s forks on a 2011 CRF250R is making a clicking sound during compression around mid stroke. I just replaced fork seals and serviced the dampers. What could I have done during reassembly to cause this?
    “Break in ride went pretty well. Felt good. Only problem is a clicking in the forks/front end when hitting bumps. I’ve never heard that before. You can kind of replicate it sitting still but much more audible while riding. It’s not a bottoming sound. It’s maybe midway through the travel.”
  • User avatar
    JimDirt
    Posts: 4406
    Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:31 pm

    Re: Fork clicking

    by JimDirt » Wed May 29, 2019 8:16 pm

    I am wondering if you inadvertently replaced a fork guard screw with a brake rotor cover bolt (which is longer) and now the spring is stuck in the bottom of the fork tube

    What I would do is remove the forks , and flip them and remove the rebound adjuster , pull up on the fork tube so the rebound rod is down a bit , then reinsert the rebound adjuster , now flip the fork and unscrew the fork cap , and (while holding the forks vertical) drop the outer tube down , and pull the cartridge straight out , and do not tilt it , lean it against the work bench as straight as possible to avoid oil from coming out the weep hole , now see if the spring is free , if its stuck and wont lift out , then that is the issue and the noise ...... :-k
    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
    Image
    Weiser , Idaho
  • User avatar
    fbr
    Posts: 108
    Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:52 pm

    Re: Fork clicking

    by fbr » Sat Jun 01, 2019 12:03 am

    I am wondering if you inadvertently replaced a fork guard screw with a brake rotor cover bolt (which is longer) and now the spring is stuck in the bottom of the fork tube

    What I would do is remove the forks , and flip them and remove the rebound adjuster , pull up on the fork tube so the rebound rod is down a bit , then reinsert the rebound adjuster , now flip the fork and unscrew the fork cap , and (while holding the forks vertical) drop the outer tube down , and pull the cartridge straight out , and do not tilt it , lean it against the work bench as straight as possible to avoid oil from coming out the weep hole , now see if the spring is free , if its stuck and wont lift out , then that is the issue and the noise ...... :-k
    Excellent idea, and thank you for taking the time to step by step it. I actually thought of that but found out quickly what happened. I reinstalled the seat stopper backwards so it popped the circlip out of the grove and that fork spring was just floating around in the fork making the clicking noise. Note to self... don’t do forks late at night!
    You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
  • User avatar
    JimDirt
    Posts: 4406
    Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:31 pm

    Re: Fork clicking

    by JimDirt » Sat Jun 01, 2019 6:12 am

    Glad you got it figured out ..... =DD

    And yes ...... If you are tired , don't try to slap things together just to get it done .... The time you "thought" you saved , just cost you time and frustration , and having to take it apart again

    As I mentioned ...when needing to do/redo things like that ... Removing the Rebound nut , then lifting , then replacing the Rebound nut , allows you to eliminate the need to drain/refill the oil , the oil that remains in the Cartridge , you can just pour back into the main tube from the 2 weep holes , so at the most you will not lose more than 1 or 2 cc's of oil , when reworking on the Cartridge components ...... I figured that out when redoing shim stacks after trying a setup and not liking it , so I was into the forks several times over a weekend till I got the stack setup I was happy with , doing that , saved me oil and time and mess ;)

    EDIT:
    Note that when doing as I mentioned above , make sure to remove the D tube from the Rebound Rod , that way it does not fall into the fork tube and then have to struggle to retrieve it , just remove the Rebound nut , pull the D tube , then lift the fork tube so the rebound rod is down inside a bit , then reinsert the Rebound nut , then tighten and flip the fork ......... just to be clear ....
    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
    Image
    Weiser , Idaho

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest