Fork springs

[davidpdx]

I have had an odd front end bounce at 35mph for the last few years. I have had two different front tires but that didn't make any difference. I sent the front wheel to Woody's in Colorado to get it straightened which didn't help. Last winter I rebuilt the forks but that didn't make much difference either. This winter I am planning to replace the fork springs with progressive springs. Wondering if anyone has used a brand of springs that they have felt good about?   

[Bob_Roller]

I installed Progressive brand springs on my '81 R65 in 2007 .
Helped a lot .
I don't know about all brands available, but the Progressive brand springs are shorter than the OEM springs and a PVC spacer is put in on top of the spring during installation .
One unusual thing about these springs, I get a squeak from the forks when I leave my driveway and go down a curb, only time I hear it .
Also on rebuilding the forks, there is a difference in the amount of oil used whether you just drain and refill the fork oil, or completely disassemble them .
Can't remember what the difference was, don't know if it would make any real difference in the forks performance .
I used the BMW branded 7.5w fork oil up until a few years ago, no longer available from the dealer, so I'm using 10w oil now .
When I rebuilt the forks 15 years ago, I put gaiters on the forks, looked odd at first, but now it seems ' normal ' to me !!!!!

[Barry]

I would have thought a front end bounce was more to do with damping than the suitability of the spring.  R65's springs are in any case of considerably higher spring rate than previous airheads and there would generally be no need for anything stiffer unless the bike is to be heavily loaded.

The type of fork introduced on R65's were a new and to be frank, cruder design than the forks on previous airheads. There were initial problems with damping and the damper valve assembly went through several modifications in the earlier years. When you did the overhaul did you notice if the forks had the later valve assembly. That is the shorter spring loaded valve body rather than the longer solid valve body.