[whale]

i've been experiencing a noticeable clunk on my sherman breakout+ (riding a '04 IH SGS FR team that i bought from dw a few months back). has anyone had any issues with this fork or know what i'm talking about? basically, it sounds/feels like a top-out "clunk" that is really noticeable when you slowly compress the fork and immediately when it changes directions and starts to decompress. this happens anywhere in the travel. it also does this when you bounce the fork around quickly, just not as likely.

since i'm a ham-fisted, DßR helped me out with tearing the fork apart last night (while watching the red sox kill the yankees! ) and checking to make sure everything worked and looked ok on the inside. it all looked alright to us and the fork seemed to be fully functioning the way it's supposed to except for this damn clunk... the worst part is that i'm having a similar problem with my progressive 5th element in the rear... more clunking from the back and it's DEFINITELY not mechanical from the mounts, bushings, etc... (when it rains, it pours!)

anyone have any ideas/suggestions/"doh!"/experiences before i have to send back my shock and fork to the manufacturers? thanks in advance.

i was riding one hell of a clunking bike at mtncreek this past weekend!

 

[MikeD]

They all seem do that eventually. SPV just isn't lasting. You can ride it, but the clunk turns into a crunchy stickiness before the cart blows entirely. They'll probably upgrade you to SPV evolve and promise it won't break again. Let us know how it works. Since my SPV fork was 5", I just had them send me an TPC+ cart instead when mine went.

If the Stance Kingpin carts fit the Slider, you might see if they'll give you those.

MD

Edit: My "Doh!" experience...my fork finally lost all its damping on a 2-day DH weekend. On the 2nd day, I went off ledge (only a foot or two high to a downslope, mind you), and the fork was slightly compressed...when it went off the ledge, it shot downward, undamped, and just pulled the whole front end towards the ground. The bike augered in and I OTB'd pretty hard into the backside of a g-out. Off a 1.5' drop.

 

[Steven]

When my sherman flick did that, the lock out rod had snapped. does your lockout work? Manitou warrantied it no problem.

 

[DßR]

There's no lockout on the Breakout+; the clunk -seems- to be coming from the SPV side but I can't be quite sure....

It sounds and feels just like a top-out clunk, but it happens whenever the fork STARTS to rebound, no matter where in the stroke it happens; the clunk can appear in the middle of the stroke or at the end. It doesn't top out.

MikeD I was afraid that that's exactly what happens -- that it's "just the way they all feel". Will said it definitely didn't do that when he got it, but this is a real pisser, the thing is only a couple months old. What a dog.

If I were to hazard a guess as to what's happening, it's the SPV valve popping open when the fork starts to rebound? Hard to say.

 

[whale]

There's no lockout on the Breakout+; the clunk -seems- to be coming from the SPV side but I can't be quite sure....

It sounds and feels just like a top-out clunk, but it happens whenever the fork STARTS to rebound, no matter where in the stroke it happens; the clunk can appear in the middle of the stroke or at the end. It doesn't top out.

MikeD I was afraid that that's exactly what happens -- that it's "just the way they all feel". Will said it definitely didn't do that when he got it, but this is a real pisser, the thing is only a couple months old. What a dog.

If I were to hazard a guess as to what's happening, it's the SPV valve popping open when the fork starts to rebound? Hard to say.

yeah... what he said. "clunk clunk" i'm not a happy camper right now!

 

[Sir_Crackien]

wierd my minute 3:00 that i have(for about 6-8 months now) has had no problems at all. maybe the problem is limited to the fr forks for some reason

 

[MikeD]

There's no lockout on the Breakout+; the clunk -seems- to be coming from the SPV side but I can't be quite sure....

It sounds and feels just like a top-out clunk, but it happens whenever the fork STARTS to rebound, no matter where in the stroke it happens; the clunk can appear in the middle of the stroke or at the end. It doesn't top out.

That's it precisely. Same thing many of us have had, 100%.

 

[DßR]

That's it precisely. Same thing many of us have had, 100%.

Cool, thanks for the info Mike.

That's shady.

 

[HTFR]

i have the exact same problem. i ride a 2004 firefly. i rode it this year only, whe i frst bought the for i had that noise then i noticed i was 10psi below (crappy pump let out air) so i pumped it not
recently i noticed that its back but not a proper psi 40.

 

[iljicS]

Same problem here with 04 Breakout Plus, if I fill it more than 50 psi the "clunk" has dissapier, but the fork loose much sensitivity. With 30-40 psi it feels perfect, but it has the clunk again.

 

[AA_Freeze]

I have had this problem before,the SVP cart does not like dirty oil. If you havent done an oil change in awhile , try an oil change, flush the cartridge with clean oil...I just put in a little oil and pump the fork with no air, then drain, do this a few times, when you drain the oil it should be clean, then fill to the proper height and try that. I havent had one return or a complaint after that. Use 5 wt Golden Spectro or similar motorcycle fork oil. I know this wont fix everyones problem...if anything it is a preventative for future problems.

 

[Scurry]

For the rear clunk, it could be your derailer hitting your frame, thats what it was on my IH, I just elctrical taped a pad over and now no noise.

 

[AA_Freeze]

For the rear clunk, it could be your derailer hitting your frame, thats what it was on my IH, I just elctrical taped a pad over and now no noise.

Hey bro, we are talking about the Manitou cartridge on SPV optioned Manitou forks.

 

[Jm_]

Hey bro, we are talking about the Manitou cartridge on SPV optioned Manitou forks.

yeah, but my curnutt has a rebound clunk

I'm sending it in on monday.

 

[J_B]

Hey bro, we are talking about the Manitou cartridge on SPV optioned Manitou forks.

Yeah you are talking about the Manitou but Whale also mentioned that he is having probs with his 5th Element also.

 

[AA_Freeze]

HAHA, sorry bro, I didnt see that at all ! I havent heard of the Curnetts clunking. I have had several Avalanches clunk, it is caused by the nitrogen charge running out and the topout piston cant return fast enough so it makes a clunk on the rebound stroke.

 

[MikeD]

Same problem here with 04 Breakout Plus, if I fill it more than 50 psi the "clunk" has dissapier, but the fork loose much sensitivity. With 30-40 psi it feels perfect, but it has the clunk again.

More pressure worked for me for about a week, too...

MD

 

[DßR]

Yeah you are talking about the Manitou but Whale also mentioned that he is having probs with his 5th Element also.

the rear clunk is definitely not his derailluer, if you pick up the bike by the seat, the rear shock tops out with a nice, metal-on-metal "clank" sound. Shady. I seem to be repeating myself....

 

[mirage542]

my boxxer clunks when ever i compress it then lift the front end in the air (jumps, drops...) any tips???

 

[AA_Freeze]

my boxxer clunks when ever i compress it then lift the front end in the air (jumps, drops...) any tips???

sounds like your rebound is way fast, can you slow down your rebound at all? If not, do a complete oil change and flush then try it.

 

[Scurry]

the rear clunk is definitely not his derailluer, if you pick up the bike by the seat, the rear shock tops out with a nice, metal-on-metal "clank" sound. Shady. I seem to be repeating myself....

how much air is in it?

 

[SpasticJack]

Sounds like it's time to give Manitou a call. My Firefly clunks below 80psi. I am definitely sold on platform for my trail bike but I would certainly like more sensitivity to stutter bumps.

 

[whale]

thanks for all the info fellas. i'm going to give it one last go tonight and see what happens. we didn't have a reliable pump to fill the fork with (now, i have a better one) so i'm going to see if i can get rid of the clunk with more air... same goes to the 5th element.

 

[surfinguru]

Well, I'm gonna have to chime in here with mine as well. I'm riding a Slider+. It's been good since I got it in January. I just noticed the clunk starting last week. I've tried air pressure from 50lbs - 75lbs, rebound from full fast to full slow. I've even tried adjusting the dampning settings. It still makes the clunk anywhere in the travel when it begins to rebound.

Oh well, sounds like it's time for a rebuild anyway. Might send it back to Manituo since I won't be riding for a while anyway. (Wrist surgery)

 

[Kornphlake]

MikeD,

Do you care to give an update on your TPC+ified fork, did you get the parts, and then get them to work? How much trouble was it both in dealing with manitou to get the parts and installing them?

 

[MikeD]

KornP,

Works just fine, like TPC+ should. It's a little stiff as the seal around the compression damping rod breaks in, just like another brand-new TPC fork I've had.

Switching dampers is about a 20 minute job. I even left the fork on the bike. Take off the lowers. The compression cart (which includes the 'connecting rod' between the damper and the lowers) screws off the bottom of the stanchion. Catch the oil in a cup. Remove the SPV top cap. Install the new compression cart on the bottom of the stanchion, fill with damper oil per the manual, and reinstall the top cap. Clean/reinstall the lowers with new lube...viola. Easy-peasy.

Somehow I screwed up reassembling the travel adjust, though. I'll try and fix it tonight. It didn't work at all when I first put it together, and then I took it apart and put it back together following the manual's directions...and suddenly the fork didn't work at all. It just stopped with a metal-on-metal feel about 5mm into the travel. Took it apart again, rotated the spring plunger shaft until the travel adjust 'leaves' were retracted, and reassembled...and the travel adjust didn't work again. Just put it away at that point, because it was late. Rode the fork and it works fine, but without the adjust option.

Manitou was easy to deal with and helpful. I called customer service tech support and spoke to Tyler. He told me it was all covered on warranty and seemed happy enough to give me TPC+ instead (when I asked), and was extra-helpful in general. The only hitch was that he required a shop to do the actual warranty ordering...he gave me the parts #s I needed, I went to Performance and they did the order free of charge. Kind of a pain, but I'm not going to argue with the process when I'm getting free repairs.

MD