FJRiders.com

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 12:42 pm
One thing to remember however, the cartridge itself does require maintenance itself, as per email from Traxxion Dynamics to me, but nothing specific from them.

TraxxionDynamics wrote:They do required periodic maintenance to keep the damping at top performance, but otherwise they are hard coated and don’t wear out.

Jasen
Any idea what maintenance Traxxion does to the cartridges? I thought that flushing with new oil would be sufficient. I wonder if they are disassembled for cleaning and checking...

FJRoss wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 1:31 pm

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 12:42 pm
One thing to remember however, the cartridge itself does require maintenance itself, as per email from Traxxion Dynamics to me, but nothing specific from them.

TraxxionDynamics wrote:They do required periodic maintenance to keep the damping at top performance, but otherwise they are hard coated and don’t wear out.

Jasen
Any idea what maintenance Traxxion does to the cartridges? I thought that flushing with new oil would be sufficient. I wonder if they are disassembled for cleaning and checking...

I have no idea, it popped into my head so I emailed them. Was thinking of sending my forks in for preventative maintenance at some point in the near future.

The worst that can happen is accumulated aluminum sludge from the lower bushing running up and down inside the lower fork... causes a slurry that can build up in the bottom. The oil itself is fine, just turned gray.... a thorough rinsing should be all the cartridges need to ensure passages are clean and valving will work properly.

Rode it to work.

raYzerman wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 4:24 pm The worst that can happen is accumulated aluminum sludge from the lower bushing running up and down inside the lower fork... causes a slurry that can build up in the bottom. The oil itself is fine, just turned gray.... a thorough rinsing should be all the cartridges need to ensure passages are clean and valving will work properly.

I remember the first time I changed fork oil on the FJR. Looked like gray paint! Worse on one side than the other, for some reason. Residue from the metal in the bushings, the Teflon coating and very fine dust that makes it past the seals. It will be interesting to see if Jasen gets an answer on the Traxxion refurbish of the AK-20s. If they are doing anything significant to bring them back to new, it might be worth sending them to Traxxion from time-to-time...

FJRoss wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 4:46 pm It will be interesting to see if Jasen gets an answer on the Traxxion refurbish of the AK-20s. If they are doing anything significant to bring them back to new, it might be worth sending them to Traxxion from time-to-time...

I asked this several months ago and am quite a ways away from doing anything with it. I was just wondering at the time if there was anything needed to do to the cartridges since I got them secondhand. Might be better to follow up on your own.

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 5:40 pm Might be better to follow up on your own.

Will do but probably not until I am ready to do something with them. Maybe not until next year if it doesn't leak again.

Installed a Fenda Extenda.

Cartridges are just oil passages and a shim stack with a spring to control oil flow, it isn't rocket science complicated. Traxxion/RaceTech and others claim they are better than OEM due to their suggested shim stack and port sizes/overall body size. AK-20 = 20mm diameter. GP has 25mm. Save yer money on cleaning by doing it yourself.

I guess if cleaning/servicing means flushing with fresh oil or a mild solvent there would be no point in paying someone to do that. I don't know what is involved in taking one apart and doing a proper clean. Spring compressor, special tools, seals etc.? In the end, does it really matter? Not much to wear out as far as I can tell.

It is not advisable to take cartridges apart, if you don't have to, only when replacing/upgrading valving... flush with a solvent, it's a proper clean. There really isn't anything in a cartridge to wear out. Shoot solvent in, pump it, rinse repeat done. Typical valving photo, these are RaceTech Gold Valves, rebound and compression, these are inside the cartridge tube, generous passages for oil or your cleaning solvent. Ignore rectangular cartridge holding tool.

Rode it to work...first day back in the office

Rode to work! Beautiful day!

First day our campus allowed some "non-essential" personnel to return to the office. Safety has been ratcheted up another notch. =:-) I took the opportunity to take a longer ride to work this morning and still get in before a repatriated coworker tries to abscond with my primo assigned spot (oh! You forgot we had assigned spots? I forgot you needed Internet. Try rebooting .... again.

fontanaman wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 3:17 am Does your Klim Induction have a pant's connection zipper?

Every jacket (and every pair of pants) I've purchased has the zipper attached. Not just "the zipper" but both sides of the zipper. You unzip it from the jacket, and the half that comes off can be sewn onto your pants.

Irresponsible me has never actually done that, because I have a winter jacket and a summer jacket and they don't share compatible zippers. To hard to decide which one gets attached to the pants.

Washed it in preparation for a ride to NE Oregon tomorrow. The city of John Day has opened up. Yea! I will be riding some awesome roads over the next three days. Retirement is tough I tell ya.

Changed tires as the original B-stones were just awful feeling thanks to some highway riding last summer. Put on Pilot-4s and it's like a new lighter bike. Also checked and greased the spline. It wasn't too bad from the factory.

Wiped off a pile of bugs from an evening ride on Saturday. Got the wax out. Did the paint work. Don't hold it against me, but I'm positive I've never done it before. The 'geek understands, bikes are for riding.

fontanaman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 02, 2020 12:07 am Washed it in preparation for a ride to NE Oregon tomorrow. The city of John Day has opened up. Yea! I will be riding some awesome roads over the next three days. Retirement is tough I tell ya.

The weather is going g to be great. I was thinking about heading that way for a lunch run somewhere in the box. May see you on the road.

Noticed my helmet visor was a little sloppy and didn't seem to stay put like it used to so I did a little refurbishment. New visor and the hardware it connects to. Mucho gooder! Stopped by my local HD dealer and dropped off the old screws and plates- they always have a box of these things behind the counter as many of the HD branded helmets are also HJC modulars. I benefited once a long time ago from their freebie box, got a warm & fuzzy being able to finally pay it forward. And as always, whether buying something or not, the folks there are always coming out for a minute to shoot the breeze. Not like them Jap bike places......