Marzocchi fork spring

michipons

michipons

Hero member
Location
Palma de Mallorca
Hi all,

Today I drove another few km for the second time with the Laverda 1200. Still very happy!
However I have the feeling that the front fork is very soft. Probably I am used to my 3C that I changed the springs because when I was braking hard the mudguard was contacting the downpipes!
Since I changed them it rides super nice… they are quite stiffer
Maybe now I am used to them and the factory ones feel to soft, or maybe they are worn after ao many years…
The question is, any experience on where to buy reliable spring forks for the Marzocchi fork? I remember I bought the springs for the 3C fork in a german dealer, but I can’t recall the name and that was a Ceriani fork not a Marzocchi…

Thanks for the help,
Regards,
Miguel
 
Michi,
you may also increase the preload of the springs by inserting some bushes above them. General rule is 30% of the travel by preload at stand still.
 
andre g said:
Michi,
you may also increase the preload of the springs by inserting some bushes above them. General rule is 30% of the travel by preload at stand still.
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I though about it… but I think I will go for modern springs first, and if they are still too soft I will go for the bushes. I will take advantage that I am opening it to renew them. They are too soft to be fixed by pre-loading I woukd say…🤔
 
Preloading won’t change the rate of a spring, only raise the pressure needed to start them compressing. The more preload, the greater the impact to get the suspension to move and absorb the bump. If you have 20kg of preload and a 19kg bump the suspension is a strut.
 
Define too soft, are they bottoming out harshly, especially under hard braking? Have you measured the sag? Mostly Laverdas are way too hard standard, odd yours is soft. Try standing next to the bike and pushing down with your foot on the peg, do both ends move similarly. Race Tech has a spring calculator and sells various rated springs suitable. I am a fan of using as much travel as the bike has so your tyre stays in contact with the road, bumps and all.
racetech.com

Product Search - Race Tech

racetech.com racetech.com
 
Vince said:
Define too soft, are they bottoming out harshly, especially under hard braking? Have you measured the sag? Mostly Laverdas are way too hard standard, odd yours is soft. Try standing next to the bike and pushing down with your foot on the peg, do both ends move similarly. Race Tech has a spring calculator and sells various rated springs suitable. I am a fan of using as much travel as the bike has so your tyre stays in contact with the road, bumps and all.
racetech.com

Product Search - Race Tech

racetech.com racetech.com
Click to expand...
Let's start by saying I am not a racer or suspension adjustment expert. I just enjoy riding at a very normal speed. When driving on a road that is quite decent and flat, I have the feeling I am driving my boat. Every little bump feels like a series of balancings up and down until the next bump comes. So, the front of the bike feels like driving through a choppy sea. When braking, the front of the bike dips down way too much, at least more than I think is comfortable. I think it is too soft. The rear feels okay, even a bit hard, as I put the Marzocchi Stradas in its strongest position.
I had a similar feeling with the 3C and those springs from Wirth fixed all the problems...

Regards,
Miguel
 
Or the best oil weight, if it lacks enough damping it will be more spring effect than needed and it will bounce. BTW if you are outside more usual body weight and are under 70kg or over 90kg you definitely need a spring change. It's fun to play around with this and surprisingly easy to get basic improvements. Have a fiddle with that Race Tech spring calculator, it doesn't list 1200s only Maz 38mm on Jotas but it will give you a quick guide on spring weight, pump out the oil when you decide to do the springs and try either 10wt or 15 wt set to 150mm from the top of the fork with the springs out and the fork fully compressed. That only takes you to pull the caps off. Easy job
 
New springs are for sure a good idea, but as said it is easy to check if they are the actual problem. Don't just look at progressive springs, many suspension experts only use single rate, if the weight is correct they take up progressively anyway. Old shit Marzo rear units will also affect the front in a big way so keep that in mind, and stiffening them up exacerbates it, so if you are keeping the bike do both ends with quality gear.
 
Andy said:
🤔 would stiction cause it to bounce?
Might have to ask Liam 😁

Easy to check the oil height and weight, as per Vince
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I got the impression the wheel follows bumps up and down, giving the impression of 'bouncing'. If that's what Miguel means, I know exactly what he's talking about. The stiction causes the forks to resist movement and the front end jars over every bump in the road. You really know it when a bike doesn't suffer from it, because the ride feels 'supple'.
 
piranha-bro2 said:
I got the impression the wheel follows bumps up and down, giving the impression of 'bouncing'. If that's what Miguel means, I know exactly what he's talking about. The stiction causes the forks to resist movement and the front end jars over every bump in the road. You really know it when a bike doesn't suffer from it, because the ride feels 'supple'.
Click to expand...
You could be right. Stiction is certainly more familiar in a Lav than the floaty bobby sensation more common on "yank tanks"
 
I have been chasing a more compliant rear suspension for ages. I finally got a one-stage firmer rear spring, I know one spring on a dual shock bike sounds nuts but it's complicated, but that took a lot less preload to set right and with some hand pushing on the seat feels great. And if it ever stops raining I might get a test ride in. The point is it's amassing how much the right spring set with the right preload can change the feel. BTW telling the difference between too hard and too soft can be tricky, especially in the 90mm of rear travel Laverdas have.
 
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