Freshly built Boxxers vs Unserviced, well used 66 RV's

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Freshly built Boxxers vs Unserviced, well used 66 RV's
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flag haroman666
Posted: Dec 3, 2016 at 12:13 Quote
Hi Lads and Ladies.

Earlier this year I bought a bike that has 2012 Boxxers.

I had previously ridden a Stinky with 66 RV's for about 8 years (The RV's were fitted for 6 of those)

I changed the oil and regreased the seals in the Boxxers maybe 5 or six days worth of riding ago. When they were fresh, they were lovely and supple. But now they're starting to get a stiff in compression (Yes, i've played with all the settings, chamber pressures etc).
Is this the grease on the seals splooshing away and I need to be dabbing some stanchion oil on?


The reason why I ask such an easily solved question is that the 66's on the Stinky were serviced back in 2009 when I bought them. And I literally haven't touched them since. Not serviced, not lubed, not even checked the air pressure. But they have been ridden a quite a lot over the 6 years since then, even in Les Gets and Leogang.

Why, does a fairly old, under-maintained budget level fork still have sexy plush travel after 6 years and my Boxxers don't make it through 6 weekends before they start to stiffen up?

Coating on the Stanchions? Bushing composition? Oil choice? Seal material/design?

I don't get it.
flag Ploutre
Posted: Dec 5, 2016 at 0:21 Quote
Construction of the forks mostly.

The 66 is an open bath design, meaning in the right stanchion (or left ? can't remember) you have oil sloshing around, including going back up to the bushings and keeping them well lubricated. Add to that the fact Marzocchis bushings are pretty loose, which brings less friction. That said, the fact you haven't touched it in years probably mean the oil is as liquid as water and just doesn't do much compared to the oil 8 years ago Smile

On the other hand, the Boxxer is a "closed" damper. Not closed like a Charger damper, but all the oil is retained in the stanchion, and you only have like 10 or 15mL at the bottom of the legs. Enough for some basic lubrication, but far from the one on the 66. It requires more maintenance, and seals are quite important when dealing with frictions (I'd recommend the racing bros seals, about the same price as the stock Rockshox ones, but a lot less friction), and the grease used aswell. I've seen too many forks with basic mechanical grease on the seals that acts like glue ...

Oil doesn't play a very big part, a lot less than manufacturers would like you to think when buying their oil Smile

If you want to keep the Boxxer, service it with some good seal grease (I use the RSP slick kick, because I can buy it in "big" pots), eventually change the seals if they are a bit old, and you should be good. But the 66 isn't a bad choice either, I'd still change the oil though Smile
flag haroman666
Posted: Dec 5, 2016 at 14:19 Quote
Yeah I don't get much in the way of damping on the 66's! It's on my to do list - service them. But only when I can be arsed.

I appreciate the difference in construction. And I suppose i'll just have to keep on top of rebuilding the boxxers regularly. I was rather hoping I could get away with not touching them for at least a year!

I used Weldtite TF2 grease on the rebuild last time. It's what I used to use when I worked in a bike shop, so it's generally my "go to" assembly grease.

Even though the seals look perfectly fine, I think i'll swap them out, and hope it makes some sort of difference.
Might rebuild the damper too.
flag Ploutre
Posted: Dec 6, 2016 at 2:25 Quote
I usually do a basic service (lubrication oil and greasing the wiper seals) every 4-6 months on my Boxxers, or before a big session or a week of holidays, and the complete thing every year. It's pretty easy to do, and I'm done in less than 30min, and a good opportunity to check bearings, headset, ... Smile

Definitely not a "service and forget" fork Big Grin
flag shami
Posted: Dec 7, 2016 at 6:42 Quote
Put SKF seals in your boxxer and turn your bike (regardless of what fork you have) upside down for a few minutes before you ride to lubricate the seals.
flag shami
Posted: Dec 7, 2016 at 12:16 Quote
What type of oil did you use in the lowers?

haroman666 wrote:
Hi Lads and Ladies.

Earlier this year I bought a bike that has 2012 Boxxers.

I had previously ridden a Stinky with 66 RV's for about 8 years (The RV's were fitted for 6 of those)

I changed the oil and regreased the seals in the Boxxers maybe 5 or six days worth of riding ago. When they were fresh, they were lovely and supple. But now they're starting to get a stiff in compression (Yes, i've played with all the settings, chamber pressures etc).
Is this the grease on the seals splooshing away and I need to be dabbing some stanchion oil on?


The reason why I ask such an easily solved question is that the 66's on the Stinky were serviced back in 2009 when I bought them. And I literally haven't touched them since. Not serviced, not lubed, not even checked the air pressure. But they have been ridden a quite a lot over the 6 years since then, even in Les Gets and Leogang.

Why, does a fairly old, under-maintained budget level fork still have sexy plush travel after 6 years and my Boxxers don't make it through 6 weekends before they start to stiffen up?

Coating on the Stanchions? Bushing composition? Oil choice? Seal material/design?

I don't get it.
flag haroman666
Posted: Dec 7, 2016 at 13:32 Quote
5wt Rock Oil "High Performance Suspension Fluid"

And I rebuilt them 2 nights ago, and changed the damper oil while I was at it. It's much better. Also discovered that the 70 - 85psi recommended for my weight (73kg) is a bit too much for my liking. Set it down to 60psi and is a much plusher feeling fork.
Though, despite a fresh rebuild, they still have a tiny bit of stiction to overcome when comparably the 66's begin to squish with minimal force.
shami wrote:
What type of oil did you use in the lowers?

haroman666 wrote:
SNIP
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