Monster maintenence

[Master Stacker]

I have a set of '01 Monsters that I just bought used. The first rides on it are great, but not knowing the conditions of the fork internally, I'd like to change the oil, get it set to the right height, etc, and I thought I'd ask you guys what is a good kind of oil (I've heard motul mentioned here), what height to set the oil at (I weigh 185, and do drops up to about eight feet, all transitions in my area suck, and I would like my forks to be a little more plush than they are right now.
Another thing, a couple of days ago, I did a small drop (maybe 5 feet), didn't pull up enough, landed about 60% on my front wheel, and heard a loud "clink" at the height of the travel. Would this possibly be caused by not enough oil or old crappy oil, or anything off the tops of any of your heads. If I change the oil and it still makes the sound on the drop I guess I'll bite the bullit and take it to the nearest shop (about 3 hours away), but I was hoping some of you might be familiar enough with the internals to maybe give me some tips.
Thanks.
Ben

[corey@nsmb.com]

The "clink" is the sound of a Marzocchi fork bottoming. No sweat, that's just how they sound.

Their website has an excellent tuning section, all the oil heights are listed for various rider weights.

I use Golden Spectro when I overhaul Marz. forks. I've been very happy with it.

[corey@nsmb.com]

sorry, it's Golden Spectro 125/150, which is a 7.5 wt fork oil.

[Bryce]

i think the oil weight range goes up to 15w in marzocchis, but if your rebound damping is effective then there's really no need for it - 7.5 will work well. The 2001 Shivers had some problems

Any motorcycle fork oil will do (just make sure its FORK oil), the Finish Line stuff is way too expensive, especially when you figure that it can sometimes take more than 2 bottles for a big fork. Bike shops ought to stock moto fork oil instead.

[yellowdogx]

Originally posted by Bryce
i think the oil weight range goes up to 15w in marzocchis, but if your rebound damping is effective then there's really no need for it - 7.5 will work well. The 2001 Shivers had some problems

Any motorcycle fork oil will do (just make sure its FORK oil), the Finish Line stuff is way too expensive, especially when you figure that it can sometimes take more than 2 bottles for a big fork. Bike shops ought to stock moto fork oil instead.

I thought all the shiver internals were the same? No matter what year?

[dirty deeds]

If it's still got the original prowind springs in it, I think you'll find it a little undersprung. I swapped one side for an extra heavy, so I've got stock prowind one side and extra heavy on the other. I use a 10/15 wt mixture to give me ~12.5 wt. filled to the maximum recommended (see manual on web).

This works perfect for me at 195lb.

And find the thread in here from last week on burping your fork. You'll have to do that every 3 - 4 months.

[M13]

Originally posted by yellowdogx
I thought all the shiver internals were the same? No matter what year?
i dont think they had the HSCV in the 01, but still its beast of a fork!

for replacing oil on a monster, make sure you take all the old crap out and put new in to directed oil height, too much and you wont get proper travel use, too little and you wont get dampening at full capacity. also, you would see cartridge rods, after filling oil in, make sure you "pump" these rods up and down till you see no bubble rising up, you woudlnt want air trapped inside those valves and make the ride not as good as it can be and many peopel forget this procedure.

good luck, as long as you dont overtighten or strip any bolts, you can always pick at it again and agin if you do make a mistake, but replacing oil isnt hard so it'd be fairly smooth.

[M13]

Originally posted by dirty deeds
If it's still got the original prowind springs in it, I think you'll find it a little undersprung. I swapped one side for an extra heavy, so I've got stock prowind one side and extra heavy on the other. I use a 10/15 wt mixture to give me ~12.5 wt. filled to the maximum recommended (see manual on web).

This works perfect for me at 195lb.

And find the thread in here from last week on burping your fork. You'll have to do that every 3 - 4 months.

i get bored from time to time and used to burp my monster 1-2 times a week, still alot of air wanting to come out:o

[fr33k]

I ride my monster t with about 10 mil's extra oil. Changing the oil is dead easy on a monster. Also you should burp your fork quite regularly, after every ride or if your running Whistler a few times a day will do wonders to the way the fork reacts

[DaveM]

Originally posted by M13
i dont think they had the HSCV in the 01, but still its beast of a fork!


The only thing different in '01 was the terminology. The cartridges are identical from 01-04. Info straight from Marz.

[some dude]

Motul is good stuff too. I'm 225 and am able to get away with the stock prowind springs. I use 10w oil and fill it 90 mm from the top. I sometimes bottom out on a big drop when I'm not smooth, but I'd rather this than give up the plushness on small bumps.

Try burping your forks after every 2 or 3 rides - you'll be amazed how much air gets built up and what a difference burping makes. 3 or 4 months is too long in my experience.

[M13]

Originally posted by davet
The only thing different in '01 was the terminology. The cartridges are identical from 01-04. Info straight from Marz.

thanks for correcting me, i checked their site and you are right indeed.

this new shiver i m picking up should be sweet:)

[synchro]

here is the absolute best advice for setting up your monsters, trust me.

use the stock springs. use motul or golden spectro oil, 7.5wt.

fill the fork up to stock height and cycle it, yada yada. see how it feels. if it's soft keep adding oil till it feels right.

i'm 200-205lbs and run my oil height at 80mm. the moster cartridge is simple and bombproof and can handle the extra oil height. by staying with the stock springs, 7.5wt oil and only adjusting the oil height you get to keep that initial plushness you lose with heavier springs and the fork ramps up nice and won't bottom.

oil weight has NOTHING to do with compression on a monster, it will only affect rebound. just increase the oil height if the fork is too soft. you will love the way it feels.

[Universe]

Good advice. Stock springs for sure and between 90-80 mm. Thats how I run mine as well (2002). Clean the lip seals after each dirty ride with synthetic oil to pull dirt away, and burp the forks of air every once in a while to keep them plush.

[Loopie]

I had a blend of 7.5 and 10w oil in my '02 Monsters and '03 Shivers. Both 10mm more than stock spec The Monster
's were self bleeding and the Shivers I burped every other run pretty much. Don't forget to burp for elevation changes:)

[the flying moose]

should you burp all forks???

ive got a 01 super t.

[bmxr]

Never mind, I fixed it.

[Universe]

Originally posted by Loopie
I had a blend of 7.5 and 10w oil in my '02 Monsters and '03 Shivers. Both 10mm more than stock spec The Monster
's were self bleeding and the Shivers I burped every other run pretty much. Don't forget to burp for elevation changes:)

O2 monsters aren't self bleeding, you must undo the screws in the top caps.

[Master Stacker]

You guys are all so awesome. Awww.... I'm gonna cry!
Thanks so much for the advice. Yeah, I saw the manual online, but I wanted some pointers from the real world, because I'll take experience over a tech manual everyday. I think I'm going to try 7.5 wt and just try some different heights. Also, the "burping" thing sounds helpful. I can't wait to get into my fork when I get home from work! Also, I'm going to strip the super thick vinyl stickers off. I started to do it, really carefully, and they started separating all over the place. Do you guys know of any solvent or something that would help but won't give me or my descendents cancer?
Thanks--
Ben

[corey@nsmb.com]

There is no such thing as a "self burping" or "bleeding" fork in the Marzocchi line up.

[Universe]

Those stickers provide the fork a lot of protection. I advise leaving them on.

[corey@nsmb.com]

Originally posted by Demo9
Those stickers provide the fork a lot of protection. I advise leaving them on.

Roger that, I completely agree.

You could use a bit of high qualty contact cement to fix the peeling corners, or order a new set from Marzocchi.

Any solvent will remove the sticky layer when you pull off the old ones.

[dirty deeds]

Originally posted by Master Stacker
I'm going to strip the super thick vinyl stickers off.

ask synchro to post a pic of his. He's got some old cut down gazzalodi's zap strapped to his lowers. fuuugly... looks like something out of mad max.

[synchro]

Originally posted by dirty deeds
ask synchro to post a pic of his. He's got some old cut down gazzalodi's zap strapped to his lowers. fuuugly... looks like something out of mad max.

it looks hard core to the max dude!

[Master Stacker]

I wanna see! I wanna see! Can you post a pic?
Thanks

[synchro]

sure, but not till about 9:30pm this evening, PST

[corey@nsmb.com]

Synchro,

I am curious about the bike in your avatar. Please discuss.

[yellowdogx]

Originally posted by Master Stacker
Also, I'm going to strip the super thick vinyl stickers off. I started to do it, really carefully, and they started separating all over the place. Do you guys know of any solvent or something that would help but won't give me or my descendents cancer?
Thanks--
Ben

Try using a hair dryer to let the adhesive go, then us wome WD40 or some Gu gone to get ride of what you have left.