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I have some Marzocchi 350r forks on my hardtail, I am not getting the full amount of travel from them I've put the correct amount of preload air in and have been using them for just over 2 months ridng most weeks 20-40 miles.
I have read that Marzocchi forks do take a while to bed in, so am i just being impatient? I would say I'm only getting 80-100mm of travel from a 140mm fork. I cant compress them fully while standing over the bike, but perhaps I'm being a bit careful/pathetic!
Any advice welcome.
correct amount of preload air
Doesn't preload just affect the amount of initial resistance required to get them moving? It's a coil spring so maybe you're just not heavy enough to get the full travel. Can you get a softer spring?
correct amount of preload air
correct according to a chart somewhere, or according to how much sag you're getting? If it's the former, bin the chart and adjust until you get the right sag. If you can't get enough sag then time for a spring change
I used the chart on the user manual, I'm 168lbs.so just 1.5bar required if I let most of that small amount out will it kill the forks, when using them?
Chart is to be seen as a guide like tbh.
As different frames with different headtube angles etc will affect the weight on the fork.
its a coil fork so its likely that the spring may be too stiff for your body weight
switching to a softer spring should help you get full travel
my 55cr took about 6 rides to fully bed in
one trick is to leave the bike upside down overnight so the oil can lubricate the fork seals to reduce stiction
there was a case of a few of the forks having really tight seals...check the coating on the stanchions around the seals for any evidence of premature wear or marks such as vertical streaks...if you have this send them back for a repair under warranty
I used the chart on the user manual, I'm 168lbs.so just 1.5bar required if I let most of that small amount out will it kill the forks, when using them?
No, will be fine. Pre load only affects the initial stroke and will have no influence on how much travel you go through.
So I could run with pretty much zero pre-load and as/if the fork becomes more plush I could add some pre-load to get the correct sag while still keeping things plush?
Great thanks for the advice.
I don't know if it's different for the 350 but the air preload absolutely ruins the performance of my 55RC3 Ti forks. I don't even use the mechanical preload and have the minimum preload set on my coil shock as I found they made it less responsive at the start of the stroke. quite a lot of forks look like they don't use all the travel because often the stantons ions are longer than the travel. I believe Mojo often do this with Fox forks to improve the geometry and frame position. The GF's old Fox 34s and my old 36s had 170mm stantions but only 160mm travel.
I have just sent my NCR 350 Ti forks back to Merlin/Windwave for a warranty check/repair based on the same symptoms as the OP, plus bushing marks appearing on the stanchions. About 20 hours use...
I was using no air preload - and in fact tried negative preload by pushing the fork into its travel with the air valve pressed open and then closing it before letting the forks back up.
If you want plusher travel I would try letting out any preload air pressure and/or neg preload and see what difference that makes. And keep an eye on the stanchions for marks from the bushes.