Suspension suggestions needed and CC issues

[Aladinbama]

I've got a 2000 with about 35K on the clock. I need to replace the front fork seals. I went ahead and ordered the seals and the bushings etc (I figured I might as well). Should I go ahead and change to Progressive springs while I'm at it? I don't have a lot of time in the saddle of this one, but if I'm going "that" far I'm wondering if I shouldn't just go ahead and upgrade the suspension too!
I finally got the cruise to work as well. I'm not sure which level needed to be held out, but I got it to work. I thought it was the clutch, but it is most likely the front or rear brake levers. How would I adjust those?

Thanks!

[triton28]

I would definitely recommend the Progressive springs for the front suspension. I can't comment on the rear not having changed mine over from stock, nor having driven one with the Progressive rear shocks.
The levers are not adjustable being hydraulic actuators. What sometimes happens is if one hasn't been attentive to greasing the pivot bolts and brass bushings, the brass bushings wear and the lever flat face which operates the switch plungers moves away from it's intended position of keeping the switch plungers in to the switch housing.
I have seen layers of tape applied to the flat face to compensate for worn bushings and it does seem to work, albeit not the design intended by the engineers.
Dave

[Mr Jensee]

Al before you go pay and go through the trouble of replacing the fork seals on a bike with only 35 thousand miles on it. Look at this video for a product called Sealmate. I used it on my seals that were leaking with about the same amount of mileage on my bike. It has worked and so far saved me a ton of money and time.

[ghostler]

Regarding Progressive front fork replacement springs, since you're going to take apart the forks, go for it. It made a huge difference in the comfort of my ride when compared to the stock suspension.

[Aladinbama]

Took Mr. Jensee's advice and bought a Seal Mate ...... and of course shortly after decided to make one. It seems to have worked for now. Shocks seem to be riding a bit low, but .... no more leaking. Of course the brake pads on the left side are toast :(
Oh, and I have lots of front fork rebuild parts if anyone needs them!
On to the CC!

[cranky]

... I'd like to tag along on this post, I'm about to have my forks removed,
new seals/dust covers and Progressive springs installed, I'll ask my wrench to lube the
speedo cable while at it... Oh, using Amsoil 10w synthetic oil in forks...

Is there anything else I should take care of while apart? My scoot has
almost 70K on an '03.... TIA

[triton28]

I would definitely check the clearances of the 2 internal slider bushings in each fork leg.
Firmly clamp the flat faced area, where the axle passes through, of the aluminium lower leg in a vice and try to rock the fork tube in the lower leg. Check for excessive clearance in the front to back and side to side directions, at various heights of the fork tube's travel.
Once you have disassembled the tube from the leg you can check that the dark grey coloured teflon coating is relatively complete in it's coverage and the bronze on the other sides should not be scored. Naturally some wear is bound to be evident but if the tube is still relatively zero clearance in the lower leg then common sense would prevail.
As for myself, I temporarily reassemble the bushings into the fork lower leg and check the clearance without the seals in place. It takes a little longer but I find I get a more accurate idea of the bushing clearances without the seals installed.
Just my suggestion and approach, YMMV.
Dave
ps; do not use excessive thread locking agent on the bottom, socket drive bolt as the next time one attempts disassembly it will be a nightmare to undo the bolt without an air driven impact tool. Also check the condition of the aluminium crush/sealing washer that this bolt seats against.

[Mr Jensee]

Aladin, if you aren't going to do a shock rebuild hang on to the parts. In another 20,000 miles you might decide to go the rebuild route. If you go with Progressive springs which I would recommend, you don't need to disassemble the forks to do that. Change the oil by draining out through the Philips screw at the bottom after you take the top off the forks. Be aware that the parts are under tension but once you remove the parts the springs, just insert the new ones and compress the springs back down after you have refilled the fork tubes with oil. There are tons of videos on YouTube on how to do this. We used a piece of flat board with a string drilled through one end that we could tie to the handlebar to create leverage to compress the spring. Good luck.

[ghostler]

Of course the brake pads on the left side are toast :(

Amazon has brake pads for all three calipers, $13.50 per set with free shipping. I bought these and they work fine.

https://smile.amazon.com/Caltric-KAWASA ... 00LIT5EN0/

[Aladinbama]

Mr. Jensee, I'll keep them until I either use them or sell the bike. I tend to buy things I think I need without a real need. The front seems to be sitting a bit low (with @7 lbs of air in), so I'm wondering if the oil level is too low anyway. I guess we'll see.
Ghostler, Thanks for the tip, though I did find them for .50 less on fleapay. I usually go with EBC's, but hey, I can try something new once in a while. Have you gotten many miles off of them?

[ghostler]

I installed them about 14,000 miles ago. Last I checked a few weeks ago, still had easily over half their life left, although I didn't mike them. But then, I don't brake hard. These aren't quite as abrasive as the OEM's. OEM's were tearing up the rotors something fierce. Previous owner(s) seem to be back braking folk, rear rotor shows severe wear compared with the fronts that had hardly any wear.

I gather the pad technology has improved over the past decade. But to answer your question, they work fine. I figure they are being cleared out as there aren't as many XII's on the road as previous years.

[Mr Jensee]

Thanks for the tip George. I just ordered a set for when I will need them. Great buy.