Front Fork Components?

[sandebud]

Hey all. I'm correcting some issues with the front forks on my '84 Nighthawk and I notice that the fork tubes are different lengths, as are the spacers and the pistons. I understand that they need to be different lengths to accommodate the TRAC mechanism on the left side.

So... I'm curious if someone here can help me and confirm the correct placement for each of these components that are different lengths. Which side do the short ones go on and which the long? The schematics aren't much help because they don't note the length/size of them.

The previous owner had done some work to the front end and I suspect he may have put it together incorrectly. In fact, when I disassembled the front end, I found that the spacers had been replaced by PVC irrigation pipes at some point.

Thank you in advance!

[mollusc]

Looking at https://www.hondaparts-direct.com/oempartfinder#/Honda_Powersports/CB700SCA_(84)_NIGHTHAWK_S%2c_JPN%2c_VIN%23_JH2RC200-EM000011_TO_JH2RC200-EM011128/FRONT_SHOCK_ABSORBER/b7b6782b-0c61-41ac-8d9f-1e6e7c12b402/b0105fd9-a911-4919-9ed4-c2cd48e10fe1/y
there are different part numbers for several pieces including the spring spacers, the seat pipes, and the upper fork pipes among others.  Some of these are listed as L or R, which should help a bit, although dimensions aren't given.  You might be able to get more info by searching using the part numbers (or deprecated part numbers) to see if you can find out which pieces are long and which are short.

[sandebud]

Thank you for sussing it out. I cannot find dimensions for the components, which makes it challenging to determine if the forks had been assembled correctly in the first place.

Based on your experience, how far does the spacer protrude from the end of the fork tube when fully extended just prior to putting the cap on? I may just have to mix and match the tubes and spacers until they look even.

And I'll put this request out to anyone currently disassembling their stock forks for the first time to take note of lengths and let me know what they find out.

Thank you again.

[mollusc]

It's been a few years since I had my forks apart, and I don't remember clearly how things looked in there.  I vaguely recall that the tops of the springs were maybe a couple of inches above the tops of the fork tubes when the tubes were fully lifted, after you've added the ATF.
Both sides should be the same height when fully assembled, so your approach should get you to the correct configuration after a bit of trial and error.  Maybe lay them out side by side, or stack them in the tubes before filling them.