Clunky Forks on early Strada

[FatherB]

Does anyone know the length of the standard preload spacers on Marzocchi 35mm forks as fitted to a 1975 Strada?
I've mislaid mine and need to make up some new ones. From memory they're about 60mm but I can't be sure. The length is not given in the parts book. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[norbert]

If your damper rods have a ball valve on top I'm quite sure that they are Paiolis not Marzocchis.. There is another thread with Fotos talking about these diferentes.

[FatherB]

My dampers do have ball valves on the top but I'm certain they're Marzocchi's. The yokes say Marzocchi and the top one doesn't have the rubber mounts for the bars as Paoli's do. My friend has a Strada with Paoli's and his are different. My forks have spring guides and preload spacers which the parts book shows are not in Paoli's. The dampers shown on the Paoli forks part's diagram are quite different from mine. I recently came across info which said there were two versions of 35mm Marzocchi's used. Early ones like mine have much longer internal bushes in the bottom of the stanchion and a longer damper rod. I've owned the bike since 1985 and bought it from the original owner with only about 8,000 miles on it and it was in totally original condition though somewhat neglected.

[FatherB]

I've seen your photos of the dampers with the 'drum' on top containing a ball valve and a single plastic seal ring on the piston. Mine are identical to that. My yokes are definitely Marzocchi and I'm pretty sure the fork legs were never changed.

[norbert]

I have the fork of a 1974 Strada in Dulcinea and dampers are like you describe: longer buches in the bottom, ball valve, only one plastic piston ring, diferent thread of the top plugs in the stachions ... People toll me that the First drum brake models had Paioli leggs in the forks ( maybe with Marzocchi yokes?)

[FatherB]

My top nuts are coarse 1.5mm thread. That's the same pitch as the top nuts in my 250 Benelli which is a drum brake model with Marzocchi's. The Paoli dampers in the parts book look quite different and don't have the 'drum' on top.

[FatherB]

Hi Norbert, according to the Harglo (British importers) blue workshop manual the Paoli stanchions were 62 cms long and there were 2 versions of the Marzocchi stanchions, both 65 cms long. The earlier Marzocchi's had lower internal bushes 5 cms long and the later Marzocchi's bushes were 2 cms long. Mine are the longer 5 cms bushes. I hope this information is useful.
Do you know the length of the standard preload spacers that sit above the springs in Marzocchi forks?