SERVICE: Marzocchi XC500, XC600 & XC700

This service procedure will cover the XC500 (24mm stanchions), XC600 (26mm stanchions) and XC700 (26mm stanchions)  models with the in-line damping adjuster.

XC 700

Tools Required: R5008BZ air cap puller

R5008BZ - TOOL NO LONGER AVAILABLE

General Tools: Cir-clip pliers, flat bladed screwdriver

Service Instructions
1/ Let all the air out of the fork
2/ Place air cap extractor tool on shreader valve
3/ Tap tool (thus tapping plug) 10mm into the stanchion
4/ Remove cir-clip from inside the stanchion
5/ Pull upper plug unit out of the stanchion
6/ Empty fork of oil
7/ Remove dust seal
8/ Remove Oil seal retaining cir-clip
9/ Replace upper plug
10/ Carefully place the stanchion in a vice (the plug will stop you crushing the stanchion)
11/ Pull lower leg away from the stanchion & the two parts will separate,
12/ The oil seal will come out with the stanchion
13/ Remove upper plug
14/ Clean fork components and check for wear & tear
15/ Place the new oil seal on the stanchion and replace stanchion
16/ Replace cir-clip
17/ Replace dust seal
18/ Re-fill with 20w oil (XC50/51 = 7.5w) 35mm from the top of the stanchion with the
stanchion fully compressed
19/ Replace upper plug & cir-clip
20/ Inflate to 30-45 psi

Conic seal ring replacement on the damper. The damper is retained by a grub screw located under the main XC700 decal on the front of the fork. Once the screw is removed you can push the adjuster up in to the leg and the damper will come out.

first image step 8 - second image step 11 - third image stanchion assembly 

Update: The genuine Marzocchi oil seal in no longer available and we are currently looking at aftermarket seals to match them up. The seal size is ID 26mm x OD 35mm x height 6mm. If anybody finds a seal of this size please let me know! 

Making adjustments: Internally adjustable SSV damping

Internally adjustable damping was common throughout the Marzocchi range from 2002-2007 and featured in many models including the Z4, MXC, Z1 Wedge, Z1 Drop Off, Drop Off Triple, EXR and many more.

The adjusting tool can either be a brass 3mm hex key, a white plasitc M8 hex key or the multi-size Marzocchi tool YR5162,

top, 3mm, middle 8mm, bottom Marzoochi tool

The adjustable damper can be located inside one or both legs and by adjusting the rebound phase you can alter (hydraulically) the speed the fork will extend.

To adjust the internal rebound damping you will firstly need to expel the air from both legs and remove both top caps using a 21mm socket.

Using the adjustable tool, place tool into the centre of the stanchion and locate in the adjuster valve at the bottom (this is quite tricky, once located you will be able to push the tool right in to the fork).

To increase the damping (slower) rotate tool anti-clockwise, to decrease damping (faster) rotate tool clockwise.

this is a rod removed from the fork so you can better see the valve

Service: Marzocchi 888RC3 2008-2013

The 2008-2013 888RC3 is a simple fork to service as it follows the same procedure as all open bath Marzocchi's, however it just has more parts!

Parts needed 
Y8501451, 38mm seal kit
Y5249, SAE 7.5w oil

Tools Required 
YR5214/C, 38mm seal press

General Tools 
1.5, 2mm allen wrench
17, 24mm socket
Torque wrench

Service Instructions

Disassembly 
1/ Remove all adjuster knobs, be careful when removing the pre-load knob not to loose spring (95) and ball bearing (96) that index’s the adjuster.
2/ Undo both top plugs using a 24mm socket.
3/ Remove spring guide (53) and main spring (51).
4/ Pour oil out of the top of the fork. Make sure you use a suitable container and recycle responsibly.
5/ Undo both foot nuts, RH (37) using a 5mm hex key, LH (88) using a 17mm socket.
6/ Remove RC3 cartridge unit (80).
7/ Separate the stanchions (21) from the lower legs (3) by simply pulling them apart.
8/ Prise the dust seal up (12) using a flat bladed screw driver.
9 /Remove foam ring (19).
10/ Remove oil seal retaining clip (13).
11/ Remove oil seal (14) using tool Y536064GG/C and a flat bladed screw driver.
12/ Inspect and clean all parts.

Assembly 
13/ Install new oil seal (14) using press tool YR5214/C
14/ Install oil seal retaining clip (13).
15/ Install dust seal (12) on to the stanchion (21).
16/ Install foam ring (19) on to stanchion (21). For best performance pre-soak rings in SAE 7.5w fork oil.
17/ Insert stanchions (21) in to the lower legs (3), making sure you do not snag the oil seal.
18/ Using your thumbs seat the dust seals in to the lower leg.
19/ Re-fit RC3 cartridge unit (80).
20/ Re-fit both foot nuts and torque to 10NM.
21/ Re-fill with SAE 7.5w synthetic motorcycle fork oil. For oil volumes please refer to the oil volume table is these differ on model years/ Damper design.
22/ Cycle RC3 damper (80) several times to ensure the cartridge fills completely.
23/ Re-fit the main spring (51) and spring guide (53).
24/ Re-fit both top plugs and torque to 10NM.
25/ Re fit adjusters.

Service: Shiver SC 2002-2005

The Shiver SC service is fairly straight forward , however there are some major relating to the bushing over a standard service, we have detailed the procedure here.

Parts needed
Y850690, 30mm seal kit
Y5249, SAE 7.5w oil

Tools Required
R5089AB, seal removal tool
R5107AC, seal insert tool

General Tools
1.5, 2mm allen wrench
15, 21mm socket
8, 10mm spanner
Flat bladed screwdriver
Electrical tape
Torque wrench

Service Instructions

1/ Remove ETA lever & Pre-load adjusters
2/ Remove cir-clip
3/ Using a 21mm socket remove both top plugs
4/ Remove internal pre-load adjusters, washers & springs
5/ Drain the fork of oil.
6/ Using a 15mm socket remove both foot nuts
7/ Remove damper assembles
8/ Carefully prise both dust seals up and slide along the stanchions
9/ Remove oil seal retaining cir-clip
10/ Place the steerer tube in a vice and sharply pull each stanchion away from the
upper assembly
11/ Remove stanchion bush and slide off seals, washers & the static bush

step 9                                                         step 10                                                    step 11

12/ Place electrical tape over the bush seat and apply oil to the tape
13/ Slide dust seal on, oil seal, washer & static bush
14/ Remove tape and refit stanchion bush

step 12                                                      step 13                                                     step 14

15/ Slide stanchion back in to upper assembly
16/ Using Shiver SC seal tool seat oil seal and refit cir-clip
17/ Re-fit dust seal
18/ Refit damper cartridges and torque foot nuts to 11 Nmm
19/ Re-fill with SAE 7.5w oil, 35mm from the top of the slider when fully compressed
20/ Re-fit springs, internal pre-load assembly
21/ Re-fir top plugs, cir-clips, pre-load adjusters and ETA lever


Tuning
Pre-load Stock spring HARD, options; soft 5141162, medium 5141163, x-hard 5141191
for x-hard use SAE 10w
Rebound 1-3 turns out from fully in, depending on pre-load

Roco Air piggy back shock service

Here is the video guide for the Roco Air piggy back shocks. The TST and the RC are the same shock units with the exception of the mechanical TST valve vs. the shimmed compression valve in the RC, they are interchangeable so you can convert between the two.

The service is complex so if you are in any doubt please send your shock to a specialist.

The seal kit is Y8501251/P and costs £59.95 

2005 66 travel change

Tools
15mm socket
10 & 26mm spanner
Torque wrench

1/ First off all make sure the adjusters are in the middle setting
2/ Unscrew the top cap using a 26mm spanner
3/ Compress the stanchion to expose the top cap assembly
4/ Holding the locknut (51) with a 10mm spanner, undo the top plug & remove
5/ Remove part 52 and remove the spring
6/ Using a 15mm socket, undo both foot nuts
7/ Remove both damper units & drain oil
8a/ if extending to 170mm; remove spacer 61 from damper shaft
8b/ turn part 52 upside down (o-ring on top) and place 61 over the o- ring seat
8c/ if reducing to 150mm; remove part 61 from part 52
8d/ turn part 52 upside down (o-ring underneath)
9/ place the part 61 over the damper shaft
10/ Re-fit damper units
11/ TORQUE foot nuts to 12Nmm
12/ Re-fill using SAE 7.5w oil with 210cc per leg
13/ Re-fit springs
14/ re-fit part 52 and lock nut 51
15/ Tighten lock nut and then top plug on to the damper shaft
16/ Tighten top plug in to the stanchion

Marzocchi set up guide: understanding the basics

Break-in Period
Some forks may require 5-10 hours of use before the fork fully breaks-in. After the bushings, seals, and other parts have matched to each other, the fork will move smoother. The tight tolerances make the fork last longer and work better.

Sag
Sag refers to how much the fork compresses when the rider is in the normal riding position. Marzocchi recommends 10-20% of XC travel and 20-30% of DH travel in sag to provide the best overall ride. The easiest way to measure sag is to put a zip tie around the stanchion and then measure how much the fork compresses when the rider is in the normal riding position. Keep in mind that the normal riding position on a DH bike may not be correct on level ground. Refer to the following charts for reference.

Spring Preload
Spring preload can be done with the external adjusters on top of the fork. Preloading the springs will compress them slightly and increase the initial force needed to compress the spring. Bomber forks can use the maximum amount of preload from the adjuster and the fork will still get full travel. Spring preload is used to fine tune the spring rate to adjust for the proper sag measurement. Minimal spring preload is recommended for better performance and longer working life of the springs, so it is better to change to a stiffer spring rate than to add significant preload (10+ turns.)

Coil Spring
The spring rate of a coil spring refers to the amount of force needed to compress the springs in the fork. Marzocchi offers several different spring kits to coordinate rider weight and riding conditions. All springs are made from the highest quality chromium silicon (CRSI) or Titanium. Marzocchi use linear wound springs. Some older models used Pro-Wind springs which are progressively wound (coil wind gets closer together at one end.) Dual Rate kits use two compression springs per side. Put the longer compression spring on the bottom and then put the short spring on top to later ease disassembly. 

Air Spring
Air spring rate is the amount of air pressure that is in the fork. Marzocchi forks come pressurized for the average rider at about 35psi/3.0bar. Air pressure can be infinitely adjusted using a shock pump to fit rider preference. Be sure to use a pump that can accurately gauge air pressure in the adjustment range. Full air pressure charts can be found via www.marzocchi.com these recommendations should be used as a starting point. Air pressure may need to be adjusted according to riding style, frame design, terrain, and/or personal preferences and may vary between pump brands.

Rebound Damping
Rebound damping controls the rate in which the fork is able to extend. Most models all feature some type of external adjustable rebound damping. Rebound damping should be set fairly fast, but without causing a sudden, harsh force back to the rider. This will allow the fork to comfortably extend to full travel as soon as possible after impact.It is a good idea to get a feel for how the different rebound adjustments affect the fork. On forks that have external adjusters, try turning the adjuster all the way counter-clockwise to the fastest rebound setting and then quickly compress and release the suspension several times. Next test the fork with the adjuster turned all the way clockwise and then somewhere in between. This will demonstrate the differences between damping settings.
Older models using the SSV Non-Adjustable System can change their rebound damping with oil viscosities. Stock oil is 7.5 weight, so changing to a lighter oil (Example: 5 wt.) will increase the rebound speed. Heavier riders using stiffer springs may want to adjust their rebound speed with heavier weight oil. Be sure only to use a high quality motorcycle fork oil like Marzocchi’s Factory Fork Oil.
 
Compression Damping
Compression damping is the oil flow resistance felt when compressing the fork. Compression damping is categorized in two ways: low speed compression and high speed compression. Low speed compression refers to when the fork is compressed slowly and gradually, for example during rolling impacts and rounded bumps. High-speed compression refers to the resistance felt during multiple, hard impacts and square-edged bumps. It is better to be conservative while setting the compression damping because the spring offers resistance to compression as well. Too much compression damping creates a harsh ride because the suspension cannot compress rapidly enough to absorb large impacts. Compression damping is not a substitute for proper spring rate and should not be adjusted until the fork has the proper spring setup for the rider.
RC3 models feature both high and low speed compression damping. Turning the adjuster to the '+' or hard will increase the low speed compression damping and turning to the '-' or soft increases the high speed compression damping with both damping curves crossing in the middle.
Forks that do not have an external compression adjuster can modify their compression damping by changing the oil viscosity. Although most riders will be happy with the stock compression settings, some riders may prefer a different weight oil to coordinate with rider weight and/or spring setup. Keep in mind that changing the oil viscosity will change the entire damping range and will affect rebound as well.