[bizutch]

Twisted my lowers at Nationals and hung up the rig for winter in favor of trail rides.

Picked up a set of lowers and legs from a fellow rider. I now realize my lower crowns were twisted too.

So what do I have to work with:
One set of lowers that are straight.
One pair of working stanchions/cartridges (not attached to the straight lowers)
One set of unknown stanchions/cartridges (attached to the straight crowns)
Straight upper crown (I assume)
Twisted lower crown

Absolutely zero experience in pulling apart a Boxxer World Cup.

I'm thinking to be safe I should run my working legs on the lowers, but takes yanking them out and putting fluid of some sort in at specific levels for oil bath. I got no fork oil lying around.

This crap is getting expensive for what I thought was a simple swap. Why...oh why, must my threads be this way?

 

[Sugar_brad]

It's retarded easy, but if you don't want to mess with it you can send it to me and i will do it for you.

 

[bizutch]

It's retarded easy, but if you don't want to mess with it you can send it to me and i will do it for you.

The irony is that Suspension Experts is in town. But by the time I pay them to do it, I could buy a barely used 2011. I think I have your number. If I get time tomorrow, you're gonna get a ring. Thanks!

 

[bizutch]

Now...in search of a lower crown on the cluster that is the net.

 

[Freeridin']

Call SRAM and tell them about your twisted lower crown. In my experiences they will replace it free of charge (but I also have account with them). I recently got some new 2009 WC lowers and axle for a 2006 Race.

As far as service goes...buy some oil and watch their service videos on youtube. It's really no big deal.

 

[Freeridin']

If you're lower crown is twisted I'd be inclined to replace the upper as well. Also, the uppers are usually cheaper/ easier to find.

 

[kidwoo]

How do you twist a lower crown? Are you SURE???


Also....these things are about as complicated as a lego hot dog stand. Just start loosening things. It ain't rocket surgery. And I know there are moto shops in NC to get fork oil.

 

[Steve M]

How do you twist a lower crown? Are you SURE???


Also....these things are about as complicated as a lego hot dog stand. Just start loosening things. It ain't rocket surgery. And I know there are moto shops in NC to get fork oil.

What he said. There are service manuals available online, but basically it doesn't require any more than a 4mm and a 5mm allen key plus some oil and grease to fix your fork. Service manual HERE.

Also it's highly unlikely that you have twisted your crown - possible, but unlikely. More likely is that you've bent a stanchion, pull them out and roll them across something flat to check.

 

[bizutch]

Here in lies the rub. I twisted the lowers and a buddy sold me a set of lowers and stanchions all in one that he had lying around. I slid them into the crowns yesterday, lost my every loving mind and slung this thread up. Now, I'm thinking I need to go home and loosen the top crown from the steerer and try again b/c I forgot that possibility.

And now that I think about it, when I ran over my last Boxxer with my Blazer, it was the uppers that twisted.

 

[SinatorJ]

You guys have obviously never seen a wrench in the unskilled hands of Butch. Pretty sure he could screw up a wet dream. On that note, they are really easy to rebuild, just "Google" it.

 

[General Lee]

How do you twist a lower crown? Are you SURE???


Also....these things are about as complicated as a lego hot dog stand. Just start loosening things. It ain't rocket surgery. And I know there are moto shops in NC to get fork oil.

I twisted a lower crown on my Boxxer in 2001, but it involved a huck to flat front wheel first off the 'Waterfall' at the Mt. Snow national that year. easily one of the hardest impact I ever took. Other than the upper crown I bent everything, broke the lower casting, and cracked the headset. Couldn't soucrce a lower crwon anywhere and ended up bending it back, but that was quite a production and I wouldn't recommend it.

Seriously, Butch, what the eff did you do to damage your fork like that?


As for taking them apart it real simple with the old ones. Loosen both bolts on the bottom half way, tap them with a soft hammer to unseat the spring/damper shaft, unthread the bolts entirely, pull the legs apart. If you want to remove the damper/spring assembly just remove the c-clip at the base of each leg and pull everything out. Lube it all up and do all this in reverse to reassemble.

instructions are on the SRAM site under technical manuals

 

[bizutch]

Seriously, Butch, what the eff did you do to damage your fork like that?

Slow exit out of the last woods at Nationals. Side load off a 3 foot roller going super slow b/c of the gooey mud. Wheel popped and the fork lowers bottomed on the ground. It bottomed out the travel w/ my hands still on the bars. There were maybe a dozen witnesses, all scratching their heads. They said I nosed in, but nothing major. Pic you say? Why yes!:

 

[mattmatt86]

I want a pic .5 seconds after that one...

 

[kidwoo]

I still don't think you bent your lower crown.

The liklihood of bending stancions and lowers/arch are MUCH higher however.........even on your buddy's fork.

 

[William42]

just buy a new one, they're cheap, and more better

 

[General Lee]

I still don't think you bent your lower crown.
.

It's certainly doable. Done it.

Butch, here's how I made certain I had a bent lower crown:

RS gave me two new stanchions and new lowers, so everything was as straight. However when I put the fork in the crown the axle wouldn't line up. So I put the fork in my brother's crown and it was perfectly straight.

Just to make sure I took the stanchions out of the lowers and put them in just the lower crown and tightened the bolts. Then I tried to slide the lowers on. No bueno. So I swapped the stanchions to the opposite side to make sure one wasn' bent. Same deal.

Not sure how many friends' forks you might have access to but for sure see if you can find one that you know is straight and see what happens if you pull each fork out their respective crown and try them in the other. You may still be able to get fork to slide into your crown but it's going to flex the lower casting to the point that the axle won't insert.

Mine really wasn't visible to the eye just looking at the crown, maybe yours is, in which case just call it bent and save yourself the time of doing any of this.

Cheers

just buy a new one, they're cheap, and more better

What he said

 

[bizutch]

Well...apparently my upper crown had spun on the steerer tube. That's a first I'd never had happen before. As for twisted lowers getting swapped out by SRAM, I actually approached J Dawdon himself after it happened. He told me no way. Had a shop ask SRAM tech by phone & was told no. Its amazing how everybody else knows this magic Boxxer fairy at SRAM. Would love to meet this guy.

Thanks so much for all ur help. Would never guessedto check the crown alignment. Just assumed one more thing was trashed.

 

[kidwoo]

It's certainly doable. Done it.

And broke the rest of your fork you hit it so hard.

Butch is a pussy.

Well...apparently my upper crown had spun on the steerer tube. That's a first I'd never had happen before.

See? Told you.

 

[General Lee]

And broke the rest of your fork you hit it so hard.

Butch is a pussy.

I failed to take that last part into consideration. . . and assumed he'd checked the alignment before anything else. Double fail.

 

[bizutch]

I failed to take that last part into consideration. . . and assumed he'd checked the alignment before anything else. Double fail.

You're both pussies. I've twisted lowers on 2 Boxxers, one without even wrecking. I've ran over one that twisted the upper crown but bent nothing else.

Let's see either of you come close to being that retarded and not die.



Wait....what I meant was....