Servicing KYB PSF-2 Air Forks

m21racing
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m21racing 1/15/2019 8:09pm
1/15/2019 8:09pm
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never had the time to work with them as other fork designs were preferred by my riders.
Jrewing
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Jrewing 1/15/2019 8:41pm
1/15/2019 8:41pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318331/s1200_00AEF5CA_05E0_4A7D_9DA1_7CCFB02C4EEA.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318329/s1200_D32CB770_EB57_48FA_A86D_E82F881D6819.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318330/s1200_BBEB7AE9_610D_495A_B9C2_A67507F9C5AA.jpg[/img]



DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
You mean cross hatching on the chrome sliders?
DaveJ
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DaveJ 1/16/2019 9:02am
1/16/2019 9:02am
hubbardmx50 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318331/s1200_00AEF5CA_05E0_4A7D_9DA1_7CCFB02C4EEA.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318329/s1200_D32CB770_EB57_48FA_A86D_E82F881D6819.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318330/s1200_BBEB7AE9_610D_495A_B9C2_A67507F9C5AA.jpg[/img]



DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
Jrewing wrote:
You mean cross hatching on the chrome sliders?
Yes sir!
DaveJ
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DaveJ 1/16/2019 9:26am
1/16/2019 9:26am
m21racing wrote:
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never...
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never had the time to work with them as other fork designs were preferred by my riders.
The future of air forks is still a bit up in the air. As you know, some manufactures have dropped them and returned to more conventional designs.

That said, I'm a fan of air forks for MX applications. They take more time to maintain and have a higher risk, but I love how tunable they are.

1

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hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 1/16/2019 10:16am
1/16/2019 10:16am
DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
Jrewing wrote:
You mean cross hatching on the chrome sliders?
DaveJ wrote:
Yes sir!
? We scotch brited over a few nicks on the leg and I’m sure that’s what was causing the leaks
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 1/16/2019 10:19am
1/16/2019 10:19am
m21racing wrote:
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never...
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never had the time to work with them as other fork designs were preferred by my riders.
This used to be my bike and honestly TooTech has them valved very well. I still prefer the feel of a spring fork though. I had these set up to where I wasn’t totally miserable but seemed like I was always chasing something. Really glad the air fork fad is almost over. I would like to try the current KTMs though.
Scrambled 7/16/2019 2:41pm
7/16/2019 2:41pm
Can anyone tell me if I have to remove the damper assembly to just change the oil?
Scrambled 7/18/2019 3:25am
7/18/2019 3:25am
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks before I was hoping (wrongly) that I could just unscrew the fork cap, drain the oil and then re-fill like I've always done with other forks. I'm well overdue an oil change and need to get a few new tools for the job ASAP.
m21racing
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m21racing 7/18/2019 8:15am
7/18/2019 8:15am
m21racing wrote:
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never...
These Forks did not have a long run. I wondered if they would be good on a 2-stroke, and for an Enduro application. I just never had the time to work with them as other fork designs were preferred by my riders.
hubbardmx50 wrote:
This used to be my bike and honestly TooTech has them valved very well. I still prefer the feel of a spring fork though. I had...
This used to be my bike and honestly TooTech has them valved very well. I still prefer the feel of a spring fork though. I had these set up to where I wasn’t totally miserable but seemed like I was always chasing something. Really glad the air fork fad is almost over. I would like to try the current KTMs though.
The aer forks by wp are very good. Much simpler design than psf 2, and much easier to service and tune. I have a spec on the psf 2, but i feel like it would be better for a 2 smoker retrofit. Most recently, i did a tac retro on a 03 kx 250. Its working well for the rider, and i just revalved the shock. He told me yesterday bike is on point, and had not checked air pressure in two weeks.
Scrambled 7/20/2019 3:26am
7/20/2019 3:26am
After re-reading the manual I'm, pleased to say that it is possible to change the fork oil by just removing the fork cap. Changing the fork oil on the PSF2 is a simple job after all. Just in case there are any other numpties like myself out there that were wondering, don't panic, it's an easy job.. Smile
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 7/22/2019 12:50am
7/22/2019 12:50am
Scrambled wrote:
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks...
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks before I was hoping (wrongly) that I could just unscrew the fork cap, drain the oil and then re-fill like I've always done with other forks. I'm well overdue an oil change and need to get a few new tools for the job ASAP.
Glad this thread helped you! I had a hard time finding info on servicing these in January so I just started this and users DaveJ and M21racing were awesome and gave good tips. We’re Still running the same seal we put in the forks in January and no issues!
1
Scrambled 7/22/2019 1:09am
7/22/2019 1:09am
Scrambled wrote:
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks...
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks before I was hoping (wrongly) that I could just unscrew the fork cap, drain the oil and then re-fill like I've always done with other forks. I'm well overdue an oil change and need to get a few new tools for the job ASAP.
hubbardmx50 wrote:
Glad this thread helped you! I had a hard time finding info on servicing these in January so I just started this and users DaveJ and...
Glad this thread helped you! I had a hard time finding info on servicing these in January so I just started this and users DaveJ and M21racing were awesome and gave good tips. We’re Still running the same seal we put in the forks in January and no issues!
I've been extremely lazy, my fork oil has be in for almost 70 hours and still on the original fork seals from new (2 years). I drop the dust seals every few rides, clean and apply a bit of grease. Bike is used for moto practice and hare Scrambles. Must try to get that oil changed by this weekend. Smile ) Does anyone know what the consequences of not changing the fork oil regularly would be? I can't say that I've noticed any drop in performance, but I'm only an intermediate level rider and don;t push the bike to anywhere near it's limit. (I know that's not a good excuse for being lazy with maintenance).
colvin227
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colvin227 7/22/2019 1:33am
7/22/2019 1:33am Edited Date/Time 7/22/2019 1:39am
Scrambled wrote:
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks...
Ok, so after a bit more research and the help of this useful thread I now realise how naive I've been. Having never serviced cartridge forks before I was hoping (wrongly) that I could just unscrew the fork cap, drain the oil and then re-fill like I've always done with other forks. I'm well overdue an oil change and need to get a few new tools for the job ASAP.
hubbardmx50 wrote:
Glad this thread helped you! I had a hard time finding info on servicing these in January so I just started this and users DaveJ and...
Glad this thread helped you! I had a hard time finding info on servicing these in January so I just started this and users DaveJ and M21racing were awesome and gave good tips. We’re Still running the same seal we put in the forks in January and no issues!
Scrambled wrote:
I've been extremely lazy, my fork oil has be in for almost 70 hours and still on the original fork seals from new (2 years). I...
I've been extremely lazy, my fork oil has be in for almost 70 hours and still on the original fork seals from new (2 years). I drop the dust seals every few rides, clean and apply a bit of grease. Bike is used for moto practice and hare Scrambles. Must try to get that oil changed by this weekend. Smile ) Does anyone know what the consequences of not changing the fork oil regularly would be? I can't say that I've noticed any drop in performance, but I'm only an intermediate level rider and don;t push the bike to anywhere near it's limit. (I know that's not a good excuse for being lazy with maintenance).
I guarantee you have had degraded performance. You many not be able to feel it since it goes away slowly as the fluid breaks down but its inevitable. Old broken down oil will have lost its viscosity by now so your not getting your true damping that your valving is set up for, and its causing exaggerated wear on your bushings because of the suspended particles in the fluid. Your ride is overdue for oil, bushings, and seals. Do it ALL AT THE SAME TIME and freshen that thing up. You'll be surprised the change it'll have, youll think your on a new bike no joke!

And......if your on the same time for your shock its WAAAAAAAYYYYY overdue as well. Give your suspension some love they are what's primarily keeping you off the ground in gnarly situations.
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Scrambled 7/22/2019 6:36am
7/22/2019 6:36am
Thanks, I'll do the forks before this weekend. Will have to drop the shock off somewhere though.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 7/22/2019 7:51am
7/22/2019 7:51am
Yeah at 70 hrs I’d do seals, bushings and maybe a few O-Rings and crush washer at the bottom. Good luck, they are super easy to work on.
Blucru315
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Blucru315 5/23/2020 4:57pm
5/23/2020 4:57pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318331/s1200_00AEF5CA_05E0_4A7D_9DA1_7CCFB02C4EEA.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318329/s1200_D32CB770_EB57_48FA_A86D_E82F881D6819.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318330/s1200_BBEB7AE9_610D_495A_B9C2_A67507F9C5AA.jpg[/img]



DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
Hey did you happen to have a black spacer between the fork and dust seal?
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 5/25/2020 4:00pm
5/25/2020 4:00pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318331/s1200_00AEF5CA_05E0_4A7D_9DA1_7CCFB02C4EEA.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318329/s1200_D32CB770_EB57_48FA_A86D_E82F881D6819.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318330/s1200_BBEB7AE9_610D_495A_B9C2_A67507F9C5AA.jpg[/img]



DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
Blucru315 wrote:
Hey did you happen to have a black spacer between the fork and dust seal?
Not sure, The oil seal itself is black. You have the dust seal, lock ring, oil seal, lock ring etc. everything that came out is in those pictures. What bike are you working on? the only thing in between the Dust and oil seal should be your lock ring.
DaveJ
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DaveJ 5/26/2020 11:18am
5/26/2020 11:18am
hubbardmx50 wrote:
Not sure, The oil seal itself is black. You have the dust seal, lock ring, oil seal, lock ring etc. everything that came out is in...
Not sure, The oil seal itself is black. You have the dust seal, lock ring, oil seal, lock ring etc. everything that came out is in those pictures. What bike are you working on? the only thing in between the Dust and oil seal should be your lock ring.
Just a heads up....KYB now has a three piece design that uses a plastic-ring scraper that sits between the seal and wiper.

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DaveJ
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DaveJ 5/26/2020 1:43pm
5/26/2020 1:43pm
hubbardmx50 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318331/s1200_00AEF5CA_05E0_4A7D_9DA1_7CCFB02C4EEA.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318329/s1200_D32CB770_EB57_48FA_A86D_E82F881D6819.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/01/15/318330/s1200_BBEB7AE9_610D_495A_B9C2_A67507F9C5AA.jpg[/img]



DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
Blucru315 wrote:
Hey did you happen to have a black spacer between the fork and dust seal?
Yes, it's a scraper ring. It's only used on the special KYB seals that have the groove for it. This was a new seal design that KYB started using with the PSF-2. Text me at 408-406-2089 if you need any help.
hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 5/28/2020 4:35pm
5/28/2020 4:35pm
DaveJ wrote:
OMG...did you buy the Brillo Pad treatment from Race Tech?
Blucru315 wrote:
Hey did you happen to have a black spacer between the fork and dust seal?
DaveJ wrote:
Yes, it's a scraper ring. It's only used on the special KYB seals that have the groove for it. This was a new seal design that...
Yes, it's a scraper ring. It's only used on the special KYB seals that have the groove for it. This was a new seal design that KYB started using with the PSF-2. Text me at 408-406-2089 if you need any help.
Interesting. What other bikes have these PSF2 forks? I know the RMZ250 had them.

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