All 2st 1999 45mm Zokes, springs

i just disassembled my forks on my 99 360 to replace the seals
found a spacer 1.20" under the spring, is this stock or modified?
never really been happy with the way the front wheel plants
so how do you tell what the spring rates are, they are not marked?
is the spacer an item someone used to set it up?
i am 6' 195# and ride single track, seems hard to plant the front for turns, like the forks are not compliant and really have to move my weight forward to get a turn

the spacer appears to be ABS plastic
the springs are unmarked

I have some of those forks and the spacer looks normal. I know spacer length was supposed to determine if the spacer went above or below the spring on those forks.

what is the common spacer length or were they custom?
how do you identify the spring rate?

the springs are 18 1/2" long .188 diameter and 30 coils

so I finally have the energy to get riding again, had a flu that had me sicker than i have been in at least 30 years
called UpTite and talked to George, he knows more about suspension than most forgot, so thank you George for your time

Springs: 101

spring wire diameter is the answer, but without a baseline number i had to go the backwards route to determine my spring load, so here we go

spring length is determined by the designed space of the actual fork, in this case the 45mm Zoke is the subject, plus 10-15mm standard required preload
if you look on the fische the spring comes with the spacer as a unit or separate (99 model in this case)
the part #21 is the spring that was OEM there are 2 numbers WR and CR, same with #25 the spacer
look at #74 and they come as a unit from 3.8 to 4.8N/mm
i measured my spring without the spacer in the sub-assembly, as in put the spring and cap in place and measured the space between, removed the cap and measured the depth the spring goes in and US .155in and cap is .453in spacer is 1.015 length, this left .427in or 10.846mm, so within the 10-15mm preload
4.0N/mm conversion to something i can measure using an inch and pound equivalent
set my fork on a weight scale and zeroed the scale, measured (pushed down) one inch and then again at 2 inches, had the wife read it, about 23 then 46
so look up a conversion

http://www.convertunits.com/from/N/mm/to/pound/inch

and 4.0 is 22.84058865108 or round to 23
i now have determined my spring is most likely a 4.0 which is the stock spring for a 99 WR360

again thank you George

now i feel like a complete idiot
in the owners manual, on the page that explains the suspension (a know it all as my self does not read it)
turns out the explanation also had a list of the springs complete with their dimensions, WOW, i looked for that and it was right in front of me
except my stubbornness does not allow me to see it
that's enough of me bagging on me now it's your turn

Thanks for all of that info, kind of cool you figured it out the hard way.

Those spacers are stock and can go above or below the springs, but originally Marzocchi installed them below. I like to set up open chamber forks like these with (whatever spacer is require to achieve) 3-5mm actual spring preload but, at 195 pounds before gear, a 4.0 spring is a little light for you. So, if you cut the spacer (or made a new one out of PVC) you might make the fork too soft. Better for your size would be 4.6 or even .48 springs if you're an aggressive rider, and at that point you'd want the lighter 3-5mm preload. That's the way to get the spring side of the equation to do what you want. Then there's the hydraulic side...

These 'zoke 45's are really nice forks that came with almost no R&D from the factory, so have horrible valving in stock trim. They "clean up nicely," though, with some shim changes. While they're apart this would be a good time! Wanna pull the shims out and post what you have?

Read this thread: http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/diy-tuning-the-sachs-shock.23893/
It started as a shock thread but now has some good fork info near the end.

a hard headed guy always does things the hard way

i will look at the thread, i probably will open a can of worms, but fishing comes next
i am not an aggressive rider anymore
not that i don't want to just don't bounce as well at 60

Yup, thats me

so if i pull these apart to access the "shims"
are they available from the dealer as in swap out certain ones and not all??????
looking at the fische for this bike which part number are they
will i need special tools??

You'll buy the shims from MX-Tech, Suspension Direct, Race-Tech, or similar. Roughly a dollar each. I don't use any special tools to do this. I'd consider it "mechanically easy" for a careful garage mechanic, with a few safety caveats that we can help you with. Go For It!!

Vacaville eh
get down there for work pretty regular
the places you mention are they local or do you just order from them

Order online.

i just finished reading it and have a headache
my head was spinning with numbers, by the way i am a math major

i would and will recommend reading that once i or anyone else have a shock or forks apart as it is quite technical

here is what i found when i pulled the compression valve and disassembled it
i read Kyle Tarry had a bunch of shims, i have 4 is this normal?

the large one is 23mm across and .1
#2 is 15mm and .1
#3 is 19mm and .1
#4 is 15mm and .1
i am listing as .1mm but my mic says .004 x 25.4 =.101
they vary a little but it could be burs