Opening up my Judy XC after 15 years...

[pedalhead]

I'm a bit of a suspension dummy but thought I'd dust off my old 1996 Judy XC in readiness for a mid-90's Lava Dome coming my way soon. I was expecting to see a hideous mess in there, but actually it wasn't too bad at all. Predictably, the elastomers are history (I've ordered some Kronos springs), but the damping cartridge appears to be working fine without any leaks. I do recall the original plastic cartridge being replaced under warranty when the forks were still quite new.

The bushings look fine and there's no play at all. The only issue is the wear on the right lower stanchion. Does anyone think this'll be a problem? I suspect not, but then I don't know much about this stuff! Cheers!

There are a few more pics on my blog here... http://pedalhead.net/2012/03/23/gallery/?album=3&gallery=4

 

[ishaw]

The wear on the leg could be ok. In the past I have cleaned this up as much as possible using either a scouring pad or fine wet and dry. It really does depend on how bad it is once you've got the crud off, but judging by your pics, it isn't too bad.

 

[pedalhead]

Thanks, I'll attack it (gently) with a scouring pad & see how it goes...

 

[FluffyChicken]

I just polished mine up, it means they are not as smooth they should be in the part of it's travel, which is generally off the bike.

It's the typical side (damper) and typical place that it happens. For some reason water seem to like that bit more than anywhere else. Possibly the damper keeps the stanchion against the bushing very slightly more.

Give the bushing down there a good clean to, it's probably worse than the rest and you cannot see them.

 

[adastra]

You are right about the dampers being replaced under warranty Mine were placed too

 

[pedalhead]

I'm thinking I'll put some fork oil in the lowers to slosh around a bit too. Any reason that might be a bad idea?

 

[VTFoco2001]

Those forks look in great condition after all those years.

Just some Judy Butter should be ok to preserve.

 

[Retro Spud]

I've taken 3 lots of Judys from this era apart recently and every one has looked the same as yours (one good leg, one duff).

I must admit I made one good set out of two, however after cleaning up both corroded legs with a light scouring pad and then polishing with T-cut before putting back together with plenty of grease, end result was almost as good as the "good set" and perfectly acceptable.

Personally I wouldn't worry to much as most Judys probably look like yours and mine under the bonnet (hood if your from the USA). . . . some just have better paint work and decals than others

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

Clean it up. Fill any pitting with araldite and rub it down to leave you with a nice smooth working surface.

 

[sic_nick]

As the rough bit doesn't travel through the top seal it should be fine as long as you smooth it out so as not to wear the bushing. The main problem is when this occurs further up the shaft as it means there is a gap in the seal and the action of the fork moving in less than ideal conditions will actually draw contaminants in and water will be able to get in then it wears everything excessively but you should be good if you follow the advice above and make it as smooth as possible before putting it all back together and a little bit of oil in the lowers shouldn't affect anything adversely.