Marzocchi 48 advice

Diggs345

Diggs345

Gold Level Site Supporter
Hi all

I got my forks serviced late last year with new seals and bushes , also go the springs swapped out for the next size up .
I was really happy with the way they performed before apart from when landing from big jumps , hence the spring change .
After installing them I raced a time card event and my hands were in pain like iv never felt before , I put it down to the track as it is very rutty I since backed off the settings and the preload is fully out , was half a turn before .
Then I did another event , same thing .. Lots of pain in wrists , I thought maybe my wrists hadn't had time to heal and a combination of the renthal twin wall bars , done a few more events and same pain in wrists .
I fitted my carbon flex bars at the weekend thinking that will be the magic cure , how wrong I was , I think I was in denial over the forks from the start .
So I thinking just a spring change will not do this right , so what can of gone wrong when the guy serviced the forks , he did say he put Showa seals in as they were a better fit than the kayaba ones , there also seems to be a lot of play in the bushes , even more than when I took them in to be serviced .
I'm thinking he didn't put new ones in but charged me anyway .
The guy assured me he could do these forks even though I had explained they were not easy to bleed from what iv read on here , I wish I'd done them myself now .
So what do you think went wrong .

Regards
Chris
 
What Showa components did he use specifically. Lets hope it wasn't the 47mm TCs.

Have a look at the seal dimensions here - http://www.jwtimports.com.au/downloads/SKF-Fork-Seal-Measuring-Guide.pdf

The wrong sized bushings will cause all sorts of issues. I personally didn't find bleeding these any harder than my Ohlins TTX carts/KYB SSS. Just a matter of taking your time and then getting a good purge at the end. The Marzocchi manual is pretty much spot on.

Another consideration is that the springs he put in may be heavier than what he thought (especially if not tested), or even more likely is that they are a different length and he's preloaded them too much.

How much fluid did he put in the outers? What brand/weight/viscosity? So many things it could be.
 
He did say he had put preload on the springs , can't remember how much though , I'll see if he will give me the specs , did message him this morning as he didn't give me my old springs back either , if I don't get a reply I'll call him
 
Yeah I'd be probing for more questions. Even what brand of spring.. If he's a decent tuner he should be able to (and have no issues) sharing this with you.

Short of that, I'd personally be pulling them down for inspection, but that would depend on how comfortable you are working with suspension, and if you have the tools and time to get the job done.

Have you tried realigning the forks in the triples? Haven't over torqued a clamp?
 
Use the KYB 48 SSS bushings, they fit perfectly .

As for the seals, I'm using the SKF Sachs 48 kit . It has the same measures as the original NOK seal 48x58x9 . KYB should also work without a problem 48x58x8,5
 
What specific tools do I need apart from seal drivers , I have a lathe so could make some tools if need be .
He said he put kayaba bushes and Showa seals , never thought about it at the time but what bikes have 48mm Showa
 
It depends how deep you want to go. You'll need a KYB outer fork tool to open the cap. From there you can drain the outer fluid easily, remove the inner cart and check the springs and spring preload.

If you want to split the upper and lower legs you'll need a seal driver/improvised tool. I have tried both and having a driver makes everything much quicker/easier.

To get into the inner cart you need a KYB compression adjuster tool with a recess to clear the PFP.

http://moto.marzocchi.com/System/12002/manual 48.pdf

Remember the preload section with the numbers are only in relation to the stock/genuine springs. Its likely the new springs will be a different length.
 
He said he uses eibach springs , he did say he had to shim the spring up as mine didn't have the grooves machined in like in the manual , just called him and he said he is going to look back through his notes .
I have a seal driver , maybe it's time I learned the art of working on these , just don't get much free time .
 
The spring perch needs to be moved down to allow access to the circlip/preload grooves. They can be on quite firmly.

Did they do any valving or just up the springs? Its always possible that you didn't need any more spring too.

I run .46 rates in my TTX carts, but am enjoying the .42 rates in these Marzocchis. I did find I bottomed quite hard off a vertical drop the last ride though, but I'm running the clickers out quite a bit too, and have also revalved so not comparing stock anymore.
 
You might find out how much oil he put in the outer chamber. If he put too much oil in, it would definitely give you a overall harsh feeling.
 
I don't mind the balance of the bike with the 5.2/.42 rates. I also tried a 5.4 rate shock spring (needs to be tested though - cannon RC), and it felt horribly harsh and deflected everywhere, went back to 5.2 and saw an improvement immediately. In saying that I have bottomed the back horribly hard once, and I have done the same to the front as well. I also ran the Sachs equipped TTX forks with .46 rate springs with the 5.2 rate shock and it didn't feel too bad. Geometry felt it needed the forks raise through the triples some more, but compliance was good.

In comparison I'm running a 5.6 rate spring on the Ohlins TTX shock in my 2010 chasis. Remember, the linkage has been changed between the models too which has an effect on ramp up.

I just weighed in at 78kgs in boardies. Probably just over 100kg when geared up with tools and fluids in reality.
 
Just got the 48mm Zokes and Ohlins 888 back from the tuner... http://motolabdirtbikes.com/

He did two main things to correct the problem.

First was to replace the cartridge spring with a lighter 1.4 spring. It is noticeably thinner than the stocker and compresses about twice was much (by hand as a ballpark). ;)

Second was to do a KYB-like compression stack. More open and more progressive. He said the stock compression stack was something he'd give to a pro rider. Super stiff. He also closed up the rebound stack with a double dose of smaller diameter shim.

He said it would rebound quicker in the first few inches and go progressively slower when up in the stroke. Previously I'd go over softball and larger rocks with little problem, but have issues with smaller trail trash.

The shock was more of the same KYB-esque treatment. Less compression. Slower rebound.

Next weekend I will test it by working our club's Camp Wood race www.amraracing.com -- It is famous for rocks.
 
AZRickD said:
Just got the 48mm Zokes and Ohlins 888 back from the tuner... http://motolabdirtbikes.com/

He did two main things to correct the problem.

First was to replace the cartridge spring with a lighter 1.4 spring. It is noticeably thinner than the stocker and compresses about twice was much (by hand as a ballpark). ;)

Second was to do a KYB-like compression stack. More open and more progressive. He said the stock compression stack was something he'd give to a pro rider. Super stiff. He also closed up the rebound stack with a double dose of smaller diameter shim.

He said it would rebound quicker in the first few inches and go progressively slower when up in the stroke. Previously I'd go over softball and larger rocks with little problem, but have issues with smaller trail trash.

The shock was more of the same KYB-esque treatment. Less compression. Slower rebound.

Next weekend I will test it by working our club's Camp Wood race www.amraracing.com -- It is famous for rocks.
Click to expand...

What happened to Bob?

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk
 
Does anybody know what the free length of the standard spring is , the tuner said he didn't know which set would be mine and I'd have to take my forks back for a spring swap .
I'm going to drop the forks out today and see what oil is in them .
 
I did measure mine when they were pulled down, but I don't know if I wrote it down.. I was comparing them to the ones in my TTX as I had both pulled down together..
 
I can check tomorrow if you like as I have the stock ones out in the shed.
Cheers Mark
 
Dropped the oil out , there was about 275ml in each leg , the springs feel very heavy to me , no markings on them either
 

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