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Kingpin upgrade kit problem

Hans

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
196
0
Copenhagen, Denmark
I just had the replacement spring preload kit installed (by my bike shop), by it still feels crappy, i got the firm kit from manitou, and it feels impossibly stiff, I weigh 170lbs (77,5kgs), plus it builds up air pressure, is this b/c the o ring in the bottom left fork leg!? On a final note the rebound is really slow, and I've been told that the damper is some kind of press fit, meaning that it cant be re shimmed. Has anyone tried 2,5 wt oil in these forks!? I'm no mechanic so I'm basically just relaying the info i got from my shop and the danish manitou guys, so if there's anything I've got dead wrong, this is why!
Thanks.
 

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
noe thing i hade to do it to replace the oil in the fork it rock shox oil and it feels great now. i have still have the air preload thing give me **** but the quality of travel is incredible. it seem like to me that they got a bad batch of oil or something me just me and a friend of mine had problems wth temp change until we changed the oil. also remember that you can adj the compression dampaning internally in the fork
 

vitox

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
2,936
1
Santiago du Chili
hope this is not the case but i have noticed that the stance line and that other tw manitou line are sticky because of tolerance or material issues i dont know, they just are, thats what i have been able to notice from some customers bikes.
 

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
vitox at fisrt i though that might have been the problem but with the kingpin it seem ti just be a lubrication problem. i took mine apart and lube the **** out of it and it felt a 1000 times better. but i still am having a air seal problem that i just can't seem to solve (i'm using the new x seal)
 

MisterMental

Monkey
Jul 26, 2002
385
0
UK
type properly and people may take the time to read your posts and reply, it doesnt take 10 seconds to check it over before you press post reply. its not really hard and it stops you looking like a 12 year old kid with his fingers ducktaped together.
 

vitox

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
2,936
1
Santiago du Chili
Sir_Crackien said:
vitox at fisrt i though that might have been the problem but with the kingpin it seem ti just be a lubrication problem. i took mine apart and lube the **** out of it and it felt a 1000 times better. but i still am having a air seal problem that i just can't seem to solve (i'm using the new x seal)

wonderful what a good lube can do eh!

have you been able to figure out where the air is leaking from?
 

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
vitox i have had manituo replace teh lowers i have replaced the seal and then rechecked for nicks in the seal after a problem, but to no pervail i still can figure out the problem with the air seal. it might be just because i'm a big guy (240) ridding it hard. the last time i gave out on me i have check it since, i have been at college but when i go home for fall break i will look into the problem. also considering it has been a cronic problem for me i'm going to try to warrenty it and up grade to a travis.

the travis will be sweet for the fr hardtail i'm starting to biuld also lang as they have a stiff enough spring for me. i'm crossing me fingers on that one
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
The only upgrade for the Kingpin is to throw it away and buy another fork. I had a Kingpin for 1 day that that was 24 hours too long. Sorry to say but the fork is just a piece. You can do a lot to it to make it feel better but in the end you will still have a piece. Go and search MTBR. There was a thread awhile back on how to make the Kingpin feel better. Your better off just getting a different fork. Im sorry if I offended anyone. There is a reason they are selling brand new for $250....... they started off around $500. What does that tell ya?
 

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
well Kanter bug off.

some of us are stuck with a bad decision for a while. we are just contiplaning fixes for the problem for a problem plagde fork. actually i'm thinking about putting the slider spring in mine and i will not longer have problems.
 

vitox

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
2,936
1
Santiago du Chili
Sir_Crackien said:
vitox i have had manituo replace teh lowers i have replaced the seal and then rechecked for nicks in the seal after a problem, but to no pervail i still can figure out the problem with the air seal. it might be just because i'm a big guy (240) ridding it hard. the last time i gave out on me i have check it since, i have been at college but when i go home for fall break i will look into the problem. also considering it has been a cronic problem for me i'm going to try to warrenty it and up grade to a travis.

the travis will be sweet for the fr hardtail i'm starting to biuld also lang as they have a stiff enough spring for me. i'm crossing me fingers on that one


well you know theres only so many places the air can leak from, maybe you can put the fork (sans lowers) in a tub or similar and pump it up way stiff and see if you can see any bubbles, that works sometimes for air shocks cant see why it would hurt here.
i once handled a case where the stanchions had cracked at the crown and the fork was leaking a tiny bit of air thru there, might be worth a shot investigating that, if not for the air leak, for safety.
 

wood-dog

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,008
0
the mid-west armpit!
I think that I must be one of the lucky few, and I do mean few! My kingpin has been rocking for almost a year now with ZERO problems! I have raced the $hit out of it, jumped, dropped (only 10 or so feet), and I have wrecked hard on it more then once and it is still going super strong. Seals are solid, air holds like a crack whore taking a hit, and I haven't lubed it once! It will be a year old in Oct. The only downside to this fork is it's awful reputation which is understandable and which is why i consider myself lucky. I have tried to sell it several times so I can upgrade but due to its rep, no one wants to take the chance and buy it. When this fork first came out I was so excited because I thought "now I can finally get a long travel fork" due to the price, but I guess that the price revealed the quality put into it. Too bad too! Alot of people got screwed on this one.
 

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
wood-dog i love the fork when it is working sans the bad steering raduis.

vitox i know where the air leak is coming from. it is the main air seal in the fork. i just keep blowing it up for some reason. i don't know why, i'm one on the best people i know at fork maintance (not in a self glorifying why). its the same seal everytime.

to be honest i just want a new fork so i don't have to deal with it any more. like i said i'm going to getting a warrenty upgrade for a travis.