Front suspension

[jpbpe]

I have a "restored" 79 R65 with dual disc front end. Are these forks adjustable for preload or damping? Thanks

[montmil]

The R65 forks are rather crude by today's new scooter standards. No adjustments provided.

Some folks have swapped in Progressive fork springs and found them to be rather, shall we say, stout. Some folks add a short piece of heavy wall PVC pipe to achieve a stronger front spring action.

Spec'ed fork oil is 7.5wt. Experimentation with different weight oils may make a noticeable change. Good or bad results are up to owner opinion.

Don't recall anyone on the forum that has tried cartridge emulators -they might need to be custom fabbed for an R65 at big $$$.

If you have the OEM Boge rear shocks, dump 'em for a nice pair of Hagons. Much improved ride quality.

The R65 is classified as a "classic" motorcycle; too new to be a vintage and too old to be thrown wildly into a corner. So show some love for your classic by playing with fork oil, rear shocks, tires and pressures. And just wave and smile when Rossi passes you on a skateboard.

[Barry]

They are none adjustable except by changing viscosity and to some extent oil height.

The only way to change rebound damping independently of compression damping is to modify the internal damping components but that's hardly a quick or realistic adjustment unless you have a specific problem with the forks.

Pre-load can easily be done with a spacer but sag measurements do not usually indicate a need for pre-load unless the bike is heavily loaded.