Not too long ago I was riding back in from Marble Falls, Texas when I hit a huge pothole that compressed my front shock practically all the way in. I heard no noises or anything for the duration of the ride back in to Austin, and really thought nothing else of it. Yesterday I was out doing some bondo repairs on my fairings and I decided to take the bike for a loop around the apartment complex. At some points (hitting bumps, etc...)I would hear some pretty loud squeaking coming from my front shock and I was wondering if this is at all something to be worried about... I wasn't wearing a helmet for my loop yesterday so I was able to hear everything a lot better too, as opposed to wearing a helmet like I normally do. I didn't feel any problems with the bike tracking crooked or riding really stiff either, just some squeaking. Is this normal?

 

check the fork oil level. any signs of leaking?

 

The squeek may be from the brake system. I also had a squeek one time from a loose front axle before.

 

Hold the front brake hard on and push down on the forks a few times. If the squeak is still there it's in the forks. For safety, I'd strip them and check the components for straightness, then rebuild and put in fresh oil. I'd also replace the seals and dust seals because they're very cheap and might save a job sometime in the next couple of years.

If the squeak isn't from the fork, then as suggested, investigate the brake, axle and wheelbearings.

Rob

 

Thanks Im gonna see if I cant figure some of this out today. I just had a full tune up done before the wreck and all the fluids were drained and replaced so Im kinda hoping its gonna end up bein a loose axel or something, it seems fairly tedious to try and get into the shocks. Atleast the manaul makes it seem that way