I got 2k miles on my '84R80RT and she handles good in the fast sweepers and switchbacks 2-up in the Pa. mountains. But the front end bounces distractingly when ever I slow down entering towns on fairly smooth surfaces. Been through everything. I can move the front end up and down like a trombone, nary a bit of misalignment or drag with the springs out. So let's assume the springs are a bit stiff and there's insufficient energy coming up from the minimum road irregularities encountered when I slow down on those smooth roads. So there's not enough "umph" to move the sliders and they then stick in place shaking the front end and my hands on the bars. This has been reported before about the '84 R80RT forks. Does anyone know what other springs would reduce this stiction? Preload can always be increased to get the right sag. I don't need 80mph+ handling in the turns. I just want to cruise without needing to apply front brake lightly every time I slow down for a town or a gaggle of geese. I've done the searches and found no answer to my question.
Thanks for the Beemer Shop info, 8166. I must object to your statement about stiction though. I didn't have 400+ lbs less the horizontal resultant of 400+lbs of force pushing down when I tromboned the front end with the bike on the stand. And don't forget that tubes bend under load which means the slider and the damper tube, which are free of that bending force, for the most part, have to move over and through respectively, a bent stanchion tube. Now I'm waiting for you or somebody to convince me I'm wrong. I hope I am cause it's more fun to be completely wrong and then get a shot of reality.
I got 2k miles on my '84R80RT and she handles good in the fast sweepers and switchbacks 2-up in the Pa. mountains. But the front end bounces distractingly when ever I slow down entering towns on fairly smooth surfaces.
Although people like to get highly technical about front ends, in my humble experience I've never repaired a street bike front end issue that didn't come back to the simple basics.
• Are you sure the brake rotors aren't warped ?
• Does your front tire show signs of "cupping" ?
• Does the center groove or rib run absolutely true when you spin the front wheel ?
• In my experience, "stiction" is a thing of the past with name brand synthetic fork oils. Obviously your front end has been apart for the "trombone test", but what fluid did you put back in ? Try some BelRay 7.5W or 10W.
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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