Hi,
Has anyone who has fitted the Eddie Dow type damper rods changed the amount of oil from standard?
I assume that the damper has to reach the oil for it to work.
Dave.
There are two lengths of Dow type dampers, current production ones to fit standard yokes and standard length top bush. If you use 200mls of oil per leg the valve should be submerged and work as they should. You can test this by filling the leg with oil and with bike on its wheels test the level by lowering the damper assembly to gauge the level (you don't need to screw the top nut right down to get the idea).
The original Dow ones are brass and to be used with the longer top bushes and the aluminium Superleggera yoke. These are a little shorter and if used in 'normal' forks you need 20-25mls extra per leg.
Hi,
Thanks. Very helpful. Do you know what the lengths are? I have std. forks and have put 213 mls of oil in and it looks like the dampers do not quite reach the oil when screwed in.
Dave.
Hi,
All the dampers are pretty much the same length as the ones I have and they do not reach the 213mls of oil. Currently the bike is on the lift so the forks are fully extended.
Classic Bike Shop could not shed any light on this so a road test is probably what in needed.
Adding more oil may work but is there capacity in the forks to do this without causing a problem on full compression, such as over loading the oil seals and causing a leak?
Dave.
Hi,
After a road test on a known local bumpy, rough road there is a definite improvement reported by the usual pilot of the bike.
Although the damper is not sitting in the oil it all seems to work. No clangs on the rebound and much smoother action. The progressive springs will also be helping to improve things.
Dave.
I must admit they made a big difference to the ride quality on my ZB32. I might even treat the Star Twin to a pair...