I've made the best buy on the World Wide Web...

[freddok]

Looking for a fork for my next build, a 95' Boulder Defiant, I let myself be tempted by a Judy a FSX on a website that some of you must know, where we find superb and RARE parts at a great price... Ebay !!

I'm sure some of you have seen this fork, a cool FSX, with a Risse Gem cartridge... Wahoo, really cool. An Risse aluminium cartridge instead of a crappy leaky plastic RS cartridge, that sound nice... Plus, the seller has accepted my offer.. I'am a winner...

Today the postman ring at the door and give me the precious package. I open it and try to compress the fork, look hard but not surprised with 25 years old elastomers. So, I take my tools and begin to disassemble the fork... Lowers OK, elastomers crumbled as expected. I remove the circlip ring and drawn the cartridge and tadaaa (drum rolls, I've never seen a Risse cartridge in real in my life...), look what I see..... A Crappy Leaky Plastic stock Rock Shox cartridge, the first generation one (replaced after with the aluminium ones...).. Looser mode

For sure, I've a really nice Risse Racing Gem cartridge STICKER on my fork, I'm an happy man today...

 

[FluffyChicken]

Nowt wrong with plastic cartridges, they help keep one leg lubricated, unfortunately it also helps the bushing corrode the lower leg there for some reason.

Glad you're super happy though. It is a nice sticker.

 

[Magpiegifts]

I seen this one,good buy that fred

 

[2manyoranges]

Freddok - I’ve done quite a few rebuilds on plastic cartridges - if the plunge shaft is OK then it’s quite simple to do a full rebuild and get a really good damper out of it. The O rings tend to harden and they are the culprits for the leaking. This guy has some great availability of very rare parts, at reasonable cost. I recently rebuilt one to original standard with two main shaft end seals.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rock-Sho...304704?hash=item446e1f0c80:g:EXUAAOSwkDFf3Jwt

 

[freddok]

Nowt wrong with plastic cartridges, they help keep one leg lubricated, unfortunately it also helps the bushing corrode the lower leg there for some reason.

Glad you're super happy though. It is a nice sticker.

Freddok - I’ve done quite a few rebuilds on plastic cartridges - if the plunge shaft is OK then it’s quite simple to do a full rebuild and get a really good damper out of it. The O rings tend to harden and they are the culprits for the leaking. This guy has some great availability of very rare parts, at reasonable cost. I recently rebuilt one to original standard with two main shaft end seals.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rock-Sho...304704?hash=item446e1f0c80:g:EXUAAOSwkDFf3Jwt

Thanks for the link !! At this time I didn't looked the cartridge health...

 

[2manyoranges]

And I am afraid that I have sold all my medium and hard SpeedSprings (after buying a box of them from Italy) but I do have a few ‘soft’ and ‘xsoft’ left. With a cartridge rebuild and SpeedSprings it’s a very presentable fork.

 

[freddok]

I seen this one,good buy that fred

Apart the cartridge story, she's in correct condition as expected. Some scratch in the varnish but shallow and fixable and HS elastomers that I'll change quickly with springs... And a nice Risse sticker...

 

[freddok]

And I am afraid that I have sold all my medium and hard SpeedSprings (after buying a box of them from Italy) but I do have a few ‘soft’ and ‘xsoft’ left. With a cartridge rebuild and SpeedSprings it’s a very presentable fork.

I agree and that I've planned...

 

[FluffyChicken]

I have some damper oil seals (you can probably buy them from seal shops to as importing them will be costly now
The grey wiper seals will not fit, you'll need the 96/97 ones, might have them too.

I'd look for a nice cartridge, fixed a few plastics up. They just go eventually on a good long ride, often lodge themselves in as they expand a bit.
But for gentle riding they'll be fine.

They're 1995 fork, that may be why they're shiny. (they have the Jack skewer)
I wonder if the 96's are matt, (shouldn't have the jack skewer and should have a metal cartridge)
This last bit is guess work as I've not had any FSX Judy

 

[pw_pw_la]

It's nice to see it with that arch Fred

Now I know what the "riding version" of my fork will look like!

I'm not mad at that champagne coloured Judy arch at all, honestly.

Shame about the false-promise sticker job, but at least you have a nice set of forks right there!

Curious to see how you get on with the clear coat spray...

Would you mind updating this thread with photos, as I'd be keen to see how you do it and what the carbon looks like after!