[smilie]

I've been contemplating going to a progressive fork spring. Upon searching, it seems Progressive doesn't offer a spring for my '07 Spirit shaft drive, which leaves me with the Sonic Springs. According to their info, I need the .85kg/mm. Anyone here had any experience with these people and their product? Is the stock oil adequate or will I want to go heavier? Is the stock oil 7.5 or 10W?

 

[gat803]

I have SonicSprings in my Venture.
It's my opinion that the Sonic stuff is way better than Progressive. SS offers a true custom weight spring. Progressive....not so much.
I'd go with 10 weight oil in a street cruiser.

 

[h13man]

Well IMO Progressives with stock oil if you ride solo/lighter loads. Single coiled like Racetech for heavier loads/two up riding.

 

[Harryc]

smilie, I'd give progressive a call on your bike. I'd find it hard to believe there would be a difference in front fork springs between a chain drive vs shaft drive Spirit 750 of the same year.

 

[smilie]

smilie, I'd give progressive a call on your bike. I'd find it hard to believe there would be a difference in front fork springs between a chain drive vs shaft drive Spirit 750 of the same year.

Yeah, Harry. I'm gonna do just that. Progressive's site only listed 750 spirits through '06. I'm also gonna give the folks at Racetech a call and get the lowdown on their springs. Still researching as I only want to do the job once. Most of my riding is 2-up so I want to make sure I get a stiff enough spring and still not get beat to death when I'm solo.

 

[adlowe]

smilie, I'd give progressive a call on your bike. I'd find it hard to believe there would be a difference in front fork springs between a chain drive vs shaft drive Spirit 750 of the same year.

Ditto.

But Honda did use different fork spring part numbers:
o 51401-MFE-671 on shaft-drive 2007 Spirit 750 (VT750C2)
o 51401-MCR-A01on chain-drive 2007 Spirit 750 (VT750DC)

 

[h13man]

One thing I forgot to mention is with the Racetechs I added to the Valk they a lttle harsh at first but they "broke in" after awhile. Don't be discouraged as I got these really cheap because the person I bought them from thought they were to stiff.

 

[smilie]

Well, I spent some time on the phone today. I talked to the people at Progressive and they don't make front springs for my bike. Called Race Tech and they don't list a spring for my bike either. Talked to their tech dept and they said, "maybe they could cross something over if they had dimensions" and is researching it. Really? So, I guess that leaves me with Sonic Springs .85kg/mm springs. I'm thinking of just changing out the springs/spacers and leaving the stock oil to see how it rides. Then, if I'm not happy with the ride yet, then going with a bit thicker oil. Comments? Input? Also, I've still not determined what Honda used for stock oil in the forks. Anyone have any idea?

 

[Harryc]

I am pretty sure that the OEM fork oil in my ACE is Pro Honda Suspension Fluid SS-8 which is 10W. When I did some fork work recently I went with Belray 10W fork oil.
Amazon.com: Pro Honda Suspension Fluid SS-8 10W 16 oz.: Automotive

Amazon.com: Bel-Ray High Performance Fork Oil - 172-114-10W 10W: Automotive

Price wise with the free shipping the Honda oil is a better deal, at least from Amazon.
By the way, I found the fork oil specs in my Honda Tech manual.

 

[Harryc]

As long as Art is on this thread I have a question for him. Did you ever open the front forks on your ACE? I was wondering what type of springs you saw there. I recently opened the caps and the springs were progressive. I don't mean they were necessarily made by 'Progressive' (maybe they were), but they were wound like progressive springs, .e.g tightly wound on one end and looser on the other. Is that stock? The Honda parts pics show uniformly wound springs (not progressive). Bottom line is I am thinking somebody before me did a Progressive spring upgrade.

 

[adlowe]

As long as Art is on this thread I have a question for him. Did you ever open the front forks on your ACE?

Replaced my stock springs with Progressives seven years / about 40,000 miles ago. Best bang-for-the-buck upgrade I've made.

IIRC, stock springs are uniformly wound. Maybe I can come back and edit in a picture -- if I can find the old springs.

I'm thinking of just changing out the springs/spacers and leaving the stock oil to see how it rides. Then, if I'm not happy with the ride yet, then going with a bit thicker oil. Comments? Input? Also, I've still not determined what Honda used for stock oil in the forks. Anyone have any idea?

Stock oil was probably the 10W Honda SS-8 Harry mentioned. I'd recommend changing with the springs. It's not expensive and the old stuff is likely pretty crappy. Mine was grey at about the same age rather than the pink. Even if you decide to go to heavier weight oil in a year or two (as I did) you'll be glad to have fresh stuff in there if the old stuff is as bad as mine was.

 

[Harryc]

IIRC, stock springs are uniformly wound. Maybe I can come back and edit in a picture -- if I can find the old springs.

Thanks Art. If you can post a pic that would be great.

 

[Furball Zen]

Having replaced my 13 year old 35k mile seals last year, i contemplated at least using longer tubes to compress the springs. After about 30 mins of failed attempts at getting the nut on i gave up that idea. I also had thought about getting new springs. I didnt have the cash at the moment so i figured id wait.

So i only replaced the seals and put the Honda SS-8 in and could not have been happier. The bike was a LOT stiffer as it had gotten progressively worse with a blown seal and half of the fluid leaked out. I like a stiff suspension, but at stock they were a tad stiff, but liveable.

So, my advice is, leave it alone. If anything, change the fluid, but i doubt you would need to.

 

[smilie]

Well, I'm done slapping myself in the head now. Apparently I should have followed my own oft used advice. Look in the friggin' manual! Stock oil is SS-8 10w, 16.2 oz. Thanks for the advice/input. I'm thinking when I finally get around to changing the tires, the springs will be on the "to do" list while I have it on the lift.

 

[Da Skipper]

Here is a picture of the Sabre originals next to Progressives.

 

[skullcap]

That ought to stiffen it up...

 

[Harryc]

Here is a picture of the Sabre originals next to Progressives.

Thanks for the pic skip. I now see the OEM springs are wound like progressives, just not as gradual.

 

[adlowe]

Here is a picture of the Sabre originals next to Progressives.

That's not what I remember from changing mine -- the difference in length from stock to Progressive was not so great, especially for the spacer. Stock 2000 Sabre fork spring was part number 51401-MCK-A01 whereas stock 1999 ACE part number was 51401-MAH-A41 but it's hard to imagine there was much of a difference since they're basically the same bike with different wheels.

I'll look for my old stock springs later today.