Manitou Axel forks notchy

[The Baz]

I have a set of Manitou Axel super lockout forks and they are becoming even more motchy than when they were new. They have done 500km now so they should be run in. Any suggestions as to getting them smoother? (without the obvious "replace them with ?????")
Baz

[Regan]

Allot of Manitou fork have tight bushings. When they were new they would have had lots of grease in them. Over time the grease has probably moved away from the bushings, causing added friction.

I'd recommend that you take them back to the shop were you bought them and get them to check them out/service them. Or if you are confident in servicing them yourself (there really very easy) I would have a go. You only need to remove the outer castings. While there apart, you can take out the seals, slide the inner legs back in and feel how tight the bushings are. If the bushings are tight then I would recommend that you have your local bike shop return them to Manitou and have the bushings resized to there proper tolerances.

On the other hand, you could have a go at resizing the bushings yourself although I take no responsibility if you stuff them up... I have on one occasion, with a set of Manitou forks, VERY carefully and evenly sanded the bushings with wet and dry sand paper wrapped around a piece of broom handle. It worked a treat and made the forks perform much better.

I’ve attached a copy of the service manual below if you decide to service them yourself

[The Baz]

Thanks for the info Regan, I'll give that a try.
Regards
Baz