I'm Baaaccckkk! (Yeah.......Who cares!!)

[Bama Red]

After nine weeks without even throwing my leg over a bike, the doc has cleared me to ride! Well, what he really said was, "Don't blame me if the knee won't hold you and the bike up! " This was the fifth operation on this knee, including two total replacements, and I'm hoping it will do the job. The knee is still real painful and I don't have a lot of stamina with it, but I can ride.

Had the bike in the local bike shop to keep temptation away. Had fork seals and oil changed, headlight modulator and hi-intensity bulb put in, new LED taillight assembly installed, and new (working) locks on both hardbags.

The forks seem a mite stiff with the new seals and oil - is that normal? They said they put 10W oil in the forks instead of the 7.5W, because "most folks prefer it over the 7.5W". Any truth to this, or should I have them drain the forks and put in the 7.5W?

Anyway, I'm hoping to get in some good riding before the weather turns all cold and wet. Might have to actually spring for a set of Gerbing gloves this winter to extend the season a bit.

[DarkMeister]

No warranty on all those knees??? Welcome 'back'!
I had the seals done this summer while on a roadtrip. Shop suggested heavier oil; I forget the numbers, but there was a thread in tech about that. They put 10 in mine. I, too, find my forks very stiff since; but something tells me that 10-weight is the standard...?

[BigChris99]

Welcome back Bama. Enjoy all your rides.

[Chiefy]

Welcome back.  Hope your knee heals up right quick.  I'm back on the bike too, although I'm still wearing an orthopedic arm brace when I ride.  You should see the looks I get at stop lights.  It makes me look like the Borg on 2 wheels.






Resistance is futile.....

[BonS]

10 weight is the standard and is recommended by Progressive Suspension as well. Good luck with your new knee.

[Bama Red]

Well, that settles that - I stick with the 10W!

The wrench at the shop said to give it a few hundred miles and it should soften up some.

I'm tryin' to do everything the physical terrorists, errrrrr, ummmm, therapists tell me to and I'm doing the home exercises like crazy, but the knee has so much damage from previous surgeries and scar tissue, that it just will not go flat. Unless and until it is able to go to zero degrees, I'll always walk with a limp, and may need a cane as well. I personally think I look distinguished with a cane. That's me on the right!

Frankenstein Junior	powered by Aeva

[DarkMeister]

Careful - the play on words may be too complex for some. You may be accused of being a therapist synthesizer synchronizer simplifier uhm...sympathizer.
 

[Chiefy]

I'm tryin' to do everything the physical terrorists, errrrrr, ummmm, therapists tell me to and I'm doing the home exercises like crazy, but the knee has so much damage from previous surgeries and scar tissue, that it just will not go flat. Unless and until it is able to go to zero degrees, I'll always walk with a limp, and may need a cane as well. I personally think I look distinguished with a cane. That's me on the right!

I call mine Brunhilde the therapy Nazi, and her assistant, Grendel.

[Jess from VA]

Ten weight is the correct oil called for by Honda..... however, it is my experience that it is exactly how much oil is used that causes excess stiffness.  Oil may or may not ALL be removed in a fork teardown (just like an oil change in the motor), and you can measure quantities of fork oil by 1) total ounces added, or 2) by levels in the forks. 

When I had PS fork springs added to an interstate, the forks were terribly hard.  It was not the oil weight used (10 for me), it was how much put in on rebuild (too much IMHO).  It took about three years for those forks to feel right..... and I have the same progressive springs and oil in my other interstate and it has always been softer than the other.

If yours remain too stiff after a month or so of riding, have a small amount removed from each fork (equally).

[Spirited-6]

The knee is still real painful and I don't have a lot of stamina with it, but I can ride.

YA THINK ?
Boy Guy, I think you need to give it a little more rest. You are asking for more trouble I`ll bet.  When something hurts that is a warning that something is not right, but you know that. But you are not listing.  There will be other riding days. 

[Bama Red]

Appreciate your concern, Spirited-6, but the knee has been in constant pain since the original total knee replacement in 2003. This latest surgery was to replace all the upper components, as the existing one was loose as a goose. It had only been installed with a friction fit instead of glue and a friction fit (Thank you, Dr. Quack, of Baptist Hospital, in Knoxville). He also installed the bottom components 6⁰ off center, but that was replaced in 2009.

Now, the knee has a great deal of lateral stability that had been missing ever since the 2009 surgery. When i say I don't have a lot of stamina, I mean that I can't spend a lot of time on a concrete floor before the knee starts to hurt and I have to sit down. I just spent Sep 28-Oct 2 competing in the SASS Alabama State Championship for cowboy action shooting with no serious ill effects. I was on my feet an average of 6-8 hours/day and only have a slightly swollen knee to show for it.

By comparison, riding a bike, running the rear brake and holding the bike up at stops is a piece of cake!!

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Ten weight is the correct oil called for by Honda..... however, it is my experience that it is exactly how much oil is used that causes excess stiffness.  Oil may or may not ALL be removed in a fork teardown (just like an oil change in the motor), and you can measure quantities of fork oil by 1) total ounces added, or 2) by levels in the forks. 

When I had PS fork springs added to an interstate, the forks were terribly hard.  It was not the oil weight used (10 for me), it was how much put in on rebuild (too much IMHO).  It took about three years for those forks to feel right..... and I have the same progressive springs and oil in my other interstate and it has always been softer than the other.

If yours remain too stiff after a month or so of riding, have a small amount removed from each fork (equally).

I agree completely. More oil equals less air space, the air has to be compressed each time the fork compresses. Less space for it to do so stiffens the forks.

Glad you're back on the Valk. Hope you're knee problems are mostly behind you now, sounds like it's been a nightmare. I imagine the CAS is a ball. There will be a match down the road from me on the 27'th I may have to go see. So far I've only watched it on TV.

[Crazyhorse]

Glad to see things are getting better for you.

[vicrider]

Good luck on your latest knee work. I'm one of the lucky ones who had a replacement and was told I was done riding for the year. A month later I rode from MNPLS MN to Eureka Springs, then all over the Ozarks. It's funny but with the leg able to rest on the floorboards or move to the highway pegs I actually had less pain and discomfort on the bike on a trip then I did in the truck, and a car was pure torture.

Even before I went to AR I started riding to work after a couple of weeks and just took a cane with me on the bike. The knee is never going to be as good as the one nature gave us, but when the pain got so bad continuously that it kept me up and even made me cancel a plan to ride to Sturgis with a couple of friends, that's when I decided it had to be done.

I had a good doc and he did a good job. I was awake and could hear all the sawing and tugging and cussing they did putting it in so I know they were serious about getting it right.

[Dubsvalk]

Glad to hear you are on the mend and able to ride!  Just remember to take it easy for a while!
Dubs