Tech Tips

Insider technical information and tips straight from Lightning designer Tim Brummer and his engineering staff.

P-38 Suspension Fork

Q: I have a P-38 that is a little over a year old. Ever since I have had the bike, the front suspension has not ever seemed to have any travel. Is there anything I can do to have more suspension movement to smooth the bumps (i.e. changing springs)? Thanks!

A: First, check the washers under the pivot bolt heads to make sure they rotate. It might be difficult to turn them, but if the washers do not rotate, it means the pivot bolts are too tight. If the washers do not rotate, loosen the bolts slightly until they do.

If the washers are OK, it might be that the headset race is causing the fork to lock up. It should compress when, with the front brakes on, you push down on the handlebars. If it doesn’t, remove the fork, remove the crown race, then push down with your hands. If it still doesn’t go down, there is an internal problem, and you will need to send the fork back to us. If it goes down with the head race removed, you will need to grind the inside of the head race so it is not such a tight fit.

If all the above is OK and you still want a lighter spring, we can do that also.