Front shock noise

Racenut · Post by **Racenut** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:15 am

I've noticed that my front shocks are kinda noisy.

If I grab the front brake and bounce the front suspension a bit, I can hear and feel and clunk at one particular spot in the travel. I can also hear the fluid in the shocks. Louder and more "squishy" sounding than the PSHH PSHH I've heard from other types of shocks.

It has been this way since new, but I'm wondering if someone can tell me if this seems normal?

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:30 am

Mine doesn't make any unusual sounds but that clunk you hear may not be the shocks. It might be a loose steering head bearing. The only way I know of to verify is to put the scoot up on a stand of some sort to get the front wheel off the ground, then try to wiggle/life up the front suspension. There should be no play in that head bearing. If there is, it can be tightened up. I'm guessing here, but it may be very simular to that of a bicycle head bearing - it is on a couple of motorcycles I've worked on.

Or, if it makes that clunk only on the up-stroke, it could be the shock topping out against it's stops.

Or, your front shocks could have a low oil level - factory mistakes are known to happen. A low oil level (or too thin oil) could also cause a shock to have poor rebound dampening which could cause it to top out hard.

Racenut · Post by **Racenut** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:21 am

The clunk isn't at the top or bottom of the stroke. If I were to estimate, I'd say it's about 1/3 of the way down. it does it on the down and up but in the same spot in the stroke.

I'm fairly sure it's not a loose head tube bearing. I've been riding, racing and working on bicycles for a long time and I know that feeling. It's not in the bars or steering at all, its in the suspension. I'm trying to figure out if it's just something rubbing at a certain spot, but my wife isn't heavy enough to make it do it reliably so I can find it.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:37 am

You need to feed her more...

itcardoc · Post by **itcardoc** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:53 am

I have a squishy noise in the forks and it seems to get a slight knock sometimes. Also seems that the dampening of the forks has gotten weaker. 2006 Blur 6100 bdu s. -Kevin

Racenut · Post by **Racenut** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:18 am

I've tried several times to find the noise. One thing I can add is that it only does it with the front brake engaged.

Without the brake on, I can bounce it all I want and no clunk.

I had the front taken apart for the lightbulb swap the other day and could put my hand on the headset, it's not in there.

The more we mess with it, the more is seems to be in the wheel/brake caliper. Almost like the caliper or pads are shifting slightly back and forth.

Modern Buddy

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