View Full Version : After a year of use, how are 03 Dorado's holding up to the shore?
'New' internals (IFP /evil genius seals / true oil bath) have been available for the dorado for a year now. After a year of abuse how are they holding up in the wet wet weather up in BC?
Did you have to replace the seals often? not yet?
Has weekly/monthly/yearly maintenance been required?
All in all how have they fared?
Dorado owners speak up :)
EaTDuRRRT
10-07-2003, 12:56 PM
I dont know about BC necessarily having wet weather this summer...I was riding whistler and shore and it was so dry on the trails...we definitely needed some rain
I'm not a dorado owner but I definitely wish I was
NS imposter
10-07-2003, 12:59 PM
My Junior T's held up just fine.
corey@nsmb.com
10-07-2003, 01:12 PM
I have several friends on them...Scottv off the board, his good friend Alex, and Kieth White.
They are holding up ok...but all have required frequent maintenance and initial complete overhauls to make them smooth and to keep them smooth. The one that came on Alex's Giant Team seized to a point where he was getting about 3 inches of travel after about 10 rides.
Seems like they need to dissasemble, clean and re-lube them every 1.5-2 months.
Thanks for the posts! keep them coming!
Mulletron, you are talking about the 03 dorado's right? (with updated internals and seals) I thought they required way less maintenance than the 02 dorados...
corey@nsmb.com
10-07-2003, 02:18 PM
03 Dorado.
Mine have been good. I have taken them apart once, more out of paranoia than anything else. There was some dirt under one of the wipers, but the internals were perfectly clean. The damper had become slightly pressurized as well, reducing my travel a small amount. I didn't really notice it until I took the springs out of the fork and couldn't get full stroke. The fork was smoother after the re-build, but that is to be expected. Overall, I can't complain, and I've done far less maintenance than anyone I know who's running boxxer. It's also very easy to take apart to clean, since you don't have to take apart the damper and deal with damper oil.
BAC5.2
10-07-2003, 04:08 PM
They changed them again for 04 :)
You're looking at SPV and 200mm travel. They are supposed to be less maintainence than 03, so that might mean it's got the reliability of a Shiver or a Slider.
Reggaeman
10-07-2003, 05:50 PM
Mine are rockin'! Had them overhauled twice by OGC Vancouver, James is the shit I might add! I haven't had any problems except two minor things that were easy fixes. The Bushings wore out super quick as a result of not enough lubrication but hell man what can ya do. :lol: And the other was my fork came with the old seals and when I sent them back to OGC James put the new ones in and overhauled my fork right away so not really a problem.
Yeah man, all I can say is they are the best forks that I have ridden to date and they are the only ones I will run now! I'm very excited about getting the new '04 SPV Dorados! Should be the sickest fork to date!
seand
10-07-2003, 05:54 PM
...my sliders have been golden. i took the thing in for an overhaul expecting that it was needed after a month of riding...nopers! but still it never hurts to be sure...
a friend of mine had the exact same issue mr mullet described above - locked down to about 3 inches of travel. maybe its an issue??
same here my Sherman has been completly flawless...
Manitou knows what they are doing...
:thepimp:
My monster has been flawless for 2 seasons. No overhauls, just a simple oil change to make my fork quicker. All metal inside. Weighs a pound more than your Dorado :D .
Im a 2hundo pound hack, too :D
Rosscofat
10-07-2003, 07:27 PM
my 2001 Jr T's are beating any fork IVe seen.. never had 1 prob with em the arch cracked but thats from ages of abuse.. :D still buttery smooth with 1 cleaning and 2 new SSV vavles :D (little plastic rings)
Rossco u wouldnt even knwo what a quality fork felt like...
your body has been destroyed by constant "HT pride" adn that crappy Jr-T....
your a right-off....
hahaahah.....
Rosscofat
10-07-2003, 07:31 PM
hahahah, but im still alive arent I that fork taken more abuse then it ever should and it still holding its own with the stander quick release hub :D
Rosscofat
10-07-2003, 07:32 PM
Ill never Ride a Manujew :D Monster T here I come :D
just cuz your a "right-off" doesnt mean your not the luckiest bastard i ever meet....
what i dont understand is how u ride so well with that lucky horseshoe up your ass...
ahhahahaha...
Rosscofat
10-07-2003, 07:52 PM
its because I dont have only 1 up my ass I have 2 :D once I get my monsters Its bye bye Street riding
NickS
10-07-2003, 08:30 PM
My freind had a dorado and it needs lots of mantianence to keep it good every few months. Id say buy a slider way better.
damian
10-07-2003, 08:55 PM
This is a good thread, I like this information. The info that Mullet gave scared me a little, but it is a race fork after all.
thanks for your posts
Yeah, Mulletron's post did scare me a little too...
Apparently they are really easy to take apart though and clean.
I dunno, still questionning replacing my 03 Super T with one. (Hate the tire clerance, and would like a real 20mm axle as well as adjustable crowns)... :rolleyes:
DO it.... its the best gift you'll ever give yourself...
ok maybe not the best, but its way up there....:D
esp. since the 04 DoradoDH model is coming with 200mm of travel adn SPV...
:thepimp:
actually, only alternative would be a 03 dorado. Plus i don't feel i'd want spv in a fork...
Anyway, yeah my super T been nice, a little choppy at high speed, but maintenance free.
i wonder if Mulletron's friend poured a little oil in the fork, when it started to feel sticky? That's supposed to be the 'regular' maintenance. Which wouldn't bother me at all.
When people mention service every 1.5-2 months do they mean completete overhaul, as in take apart the lowers etc?
Asking all this because I'll be moving to North Van late December 03, and i know the conditions up there are harsh on parts. Plus I ride watever the weather, rain or shine :)
FaSt_ComPanY_303
10-08-2003, 04:09 AM
I own an 03 Dorado (but i live in Australia...so this kinda half counts..lol) I'd say complete overhaul every 3months or more -like taking it all apart and everything- Mine had some stiction straight out of the box - but after applying the equivalent of RedRum to the stanchions, and removing the top caps of the fork and pouring around 10-15cc of oil in there, they've come sweet!
HRELP
10-08-2003, 11:03 AM
What weight fork oil would be ideal to use on a dorado with a 170 lb rider?
Smoke
10-08-2003, 11:25 AM
You have to replace the oil bath fluid every other month to keep them plush. You don't want to open up the damping cartridge if you don''t have to. There's this foam compensator that can't be re-installed once it's taken out (at least I haven't been able to do it). Luckily the cartridge usually only needs servicing every other year. The oil bath fluid can be changed in about five minutes, so it's not a big deal.
I've been on the '04 SPV Shermans for quite a while. They rule. The SPV in the forks is a bit different than the rear. It works a lot like the air caps on a DJ. The main criticism of the Manitou forks was that they were too linear for some people. With the air chamber you can adjust it to be as progressive as you want. I'm thinking that the '04 Dorado will be even better.
HRELP --- Don't dick around with oddball oil weight. Stay really light on the fluid. The Manitou is NOT a Marzocchi. Putting heavy oil in will only screw up your adjustment range and cause your fork to wear out faster and work like crap in cold weather. For the lubrication fluid I think you are supposed to use 20/50W but you can just check on the Manitou website for more info. If you are having bottom out issues, you need a heavier spring. Besides, you shouldn't have to change the fluid in the cartridge for over a year. Unlike Marz. forks, the damping fluid doesn't lubricate the bushings, so it lasts WAYYYYYY longer.
People have had completely different experiences with this fork, its weird
So, how do you change the oil? just pour out the old oil, clean internals, regrease, pour new oil in and that's it?
Every two months isn't bad then really. That's concidering someone that rides often (4-7 times a week)?
Are people having bottoming issues with the dorado?
thnx
B
buddylee
10-08-2003, 04:44 PM
the dorado has been standing up really well on the shore..the maintenance is higher than other forks out there but they also perform better than most....the recomended interval for the dorado is 40 hrs on the outers as well as 40 hours on the tpc plus assembly....this hasnt been the case ..it really depends on what you are using for lube in the outers .they come stock with prep m in the outers...a good combo to use is prep m and 6-10cc of 5/40 semi bath oil ....you could also use 20/50 but 5/40 is recomended..up to 16 cc in each leg just make sure it is synthetic...as far as the tpc plus assembly you need to pull that down at least every 4-6 months..it uses 5wt in the assembly and to do it correctly you need a bleed syringe to get all of the air out of the system...the foam compensator came in 02 forks and very early 03 forks it has been replaced by an ifp
hope this helps .....
Originally posted by Smoke
I've been on the '04 SPV Shermans for quite a while. They rule. The SPV in the forks is a bit different than the rear.
ok im offically jealous....
Smoke can u do me a favor... can u measure your Shermans axle to crown height ???
this is teh new 7" DC version right ????
im awaiting mine and im wondering how much taller then my 03 6" SliderDC it is ....
:???:
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