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Assembly
- Lubricate fork seal lips and inside of fork slider with fork oil. Insert the seal by hand, then
use the proper size seal driver or a large socket (shown) to drive seal gently into housing. See photo III-
59. Note that the seal goes in just past the snap ring groove, do not attempt to drive seal too far. Install
wavy snap ring making sure it is fully seated in groove. Wipe any excess oil from top of slider housing
and press dust seal into place by hand. Do not lubricate dust seal or it will attract dirt.
Assembly damper rod to fork tube next. Lubricate damper rod sealing ring and inside of fork tube
with fork oil, then insert damper rod carefully into fork tube. Insert spring and retaining ring with sharp
edge facing inward. Install white plastic bushing as shown followed by the bottoming bushing and snap
ring. Install snap ring with sharp edge facing outward. Install the bottoming cone onto the damper rod
and push cone into tube until flush.
Lubricate inner fork seal lips and inside of fork slider lightly with fork oil . Hold fork tube horizontal-
ly, and gently ease fork tube through dust seal and fork seal. Do not use excessive force or you will
damage the seals. Slide the fork slider fully onto fork tube. Holding the fork vertically, insert the bottom
bolt with sealing washer by hand and turn it until it engages the threads in the damper rod. Thread it in
fully by hand, then torque to 20 ft/lbs. Do not over-tighten bolt. Pour in the desired amount of fork oil
into each fork. The amount of oil and oil weight can be varied to adjust the action of the fork in addi-
tion to using spring preload spacers under the fork cap. Insert the fork spring. Install and snug fork caps.
The fork cap can easily be torqued to 48 in./lbs. once the fork has been installed on the motorcycle and
the pinch bolts tightened. Check the forks for for proper action and any binding before
installing them on motorcycle. Clean fork tubes carefully, making sure to remove any oil
that could attract dirt.
Rear suspension - X1
The X1 uses a gas charged shock absorber with separately adjustable compression &
rebound dampening and spring preload. The preload of the rear shock can be adjusted for
riders of different weights and abilities.
Adjusting spring preload
- Use a spanner wrench to adjust the slotted adjusting nut. Use
of a screwdriver and hammer to turn nut may damage nut and shock threads. Loosen the
upper lock nut before adjusting the spring preload. Turning the spring adjusting nut clock-
wise will preload the spring which will tend to raise the rear of the bike. Make sure to
tighten lock nut after adjusting spring preload. See photo III-60.
Suspension sag
- Too much spring preload will make the rear of the bike stiff and unbal-
anced compared to the front. Too little preload will allow the bike to sag alot under the
rider’s weight and leave little suspension travel for bumps. If increasing preload does not
seem to be enough to raise the rear of the bike for heavier riders, install the optional stiffer
spring that came with the bike. Spring preload should be adjusted to
obtain the proper “sag,” which is the amount the rear suspension moves
when the rider’s weight is placed on the bike. Adjust the suspension sag
from 1-1
1
⁄
2
˝ initially, then fine tune for best results. If the bike seems to be
riding low, increase the preload or change to a heavier spring to reduce the
sag. If the bike seems stiff and the rear of the bike high, reduce the pre-
load to increase the sag. Most importantly, the bike should be balanced
from front to rear. Pushing hard on the footpegs should compress both the
front and rear suspension as equally as possible.
To measure the sag, put the bike on a stand with the rear wheel off the
ground. Measure from the center of the rear axle to the side panel bolt
near the rear of the seat. Take the bike off the stand, and have the fully
geared up rider sit on the bike with their feet on the pegs. Bounce the bike
once or twice and then take the measurement again. The difference
between the measurements is the sag.
Dampening adjustments
- Compression dampening is adjusted by turn-
ing the knob at the bottom of the oil reservoir on the right rear frame rail.
Turning the knob counter-clockwise as viewed from the top will increase
the compression valving of the shock. The compression knob has 22
“click” positions total and the standard setting is 8-10 clicks out from
softer
harder
Compression
adjustment
Turn knob as shown to make compression stroke
stiffer or softer
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Turn knob as shown to make rebound
stroke firmer or softer.
softer
harder
adjusting nut
lock nut
spacer
Turn adjusting nut to
increase or decrease
ride height.
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