[CCooter]

So I just got a 2003 VTX 1800C. The guy I bought it from said that progressive springs were installed in the front and I noticed it bottoms out and is very jarring when going over anything but the smallest of bumps. When resting, the forks are compressed to the point where there is only about 2 inches of travel space left before they would bottom out. When we took the cap off the forks, the fluid level was just below the threading for the cap. Trying to get this sorted out before any damage is caused by bottoming out, if we lift the front tire off the ground, they decompress about 4-5 inches. Thoughts? In a week, we plan to take them off, drain them, and take a look. Do we think these springs are shot and I should try to find a new set of springs before then?

 

[Vinish]

There is probably no way to tell if the springs in the bike are the correct ones. Do they have any sort of identifying number on them? If so, perhaps you could use that to determine if they are correct. Is there any kind of spacer at the top of the spring? There is on a VTX1300. Is the length of this spacer correct? Each bike takes a specific length spacer so maybe this is wrong. Get the service manual and see what the fluid level is supposed to be. You can download the service manual for free here on the VTX Cafe.

 

[PaXman11]

Were the springs replaced correctly? The 1800 has one fork inverted. I'd bet it was installed incorrectly.

 

[darrenbashby]

So I just got a 2003 VTX 1800C. The guy I bought it from said that progressive springs were installed in the front and I noticed it bottoms out and is very jarring when going over anything but the smallest of bumps. When resting, the forks are compressed to the point where there is only about 2 inches of travel space left before they would bottom out. When we took the cap off the forks, the fluid level was just below the threading for the cap. Trying to get this sorted out before any damage is caused by bottoming out, if we lift the front tire off the ground, they decompress about 4-5 inches. Thoughts? In a week, we plan to take them off, drain them, and take a look. Do we think these springs are shot and I should try to find a new set of springs before then?

Since the 1800 has inverted forks, it takes special tools to work on them. If you are unfamiliar I would recommend doing some looking around for tips and tricks. You will definitely need the special tools though.

 

[mrbaumann1]

If I remember correctly, when I installed Progressive springs in my VTX 1300C there were PVC preload spacers. Don't know if the 1800 uses them but it sound like you lack preload.
Cheers, Caveman

 

[rxbert605]

So I just got a 2003 VTX 1800C. The guy I bought it from said that progressive springs were installed in the front and I noticed it bottoms out and is very jarring when going over anything but the smallest of bumps. When resting, the forks are compressed to the point where there is only about 2 inches of travel space left before they would bottom out. When we took the cap off the forks, the fluid level was just below the threading for the cap. Trying to get this sorted out before any damage is caused by bottoming out, if we lift the front tire off the ground, they decompress about 4-5 inches. Thoughts? In a week, we plan to take them off, drain them, and take a look. Do we think these springs are shot and I should try to find a new set of springs before then?

Replaced my 1800 seals and springs on my 2006 go to bareasschoppers.. 1300 forks are different, don't go with their suggestions

Honda VTX 1800 Front Fork Spring Replacement | Bareass Choppers Motorcycle Tech Pages

This is a walk-through for choosing and changing the fork springs on the VTX 1800. When I noticed that most stealers wanted well over $100 to install these, I thought it was crazy. Why would I pay more than twice the price of the item to get it installed? This is a great mod for

tech.bareasschoppers.com

also check out the compression tool

Handy Motorcycle Tools | Bareass Choppers Motorcycle Tech Pages

This is a collection of tools that make working on motorcycles a little easier. Thanks to those who were innovative enough to have conceived these ideas.

tech.bareasschoppers.com

I used these springs

Fork Spring Kit | Progressive Suspension

www.progressivesuspension.com

 

[Tomhvac667]

Replaced my 1800 seals and springs on my 2006 go to bareasschoppers.. 1300 forks are different, don't go with their suggestions

Honda VTX 1800 Front Fork Spring Replacement | Bareass Choppers Motorcycle Tech Pages

This is a walk-through for choosing and changing the fork springs on the VTX 1800. When I noticed that most stealers wanted well over $100 to install these, I thought it was crazy. Why would I pay more than twice the price of the item to get it installed? This is a great mod for

tech.bareasschoppers.com

also check out the compression tool

Handy Motorcycle Tools | Bareass Choppers Motorcycle Tech Pages

This is a collection of tools that make working on motorcycles a little easier. Thanks to those who were innovative enough to have conceived these ideas.

tech.bareasschoppers.com

I used these springs

Fork Spring Kit | Progressive Suspension

www.progressivesuspension.com

There is something wrong there, I put progressive springs in my 2002 VTX1800C and got much better front tire wear, better suspension and better ride.