After quite an arduous process of getting my fork internals disassembled, I was graced with the next challenge when upgrading my compression valves: Racetech's cryptic/generic instructions, their kit with more parts than you need, and no information to be found on VFRD concerning the different 6th gen fork internals. So I thought I'd post my pictures for the archives. Once I called Racetech (not open on weekends, hooray for me!) it was actually quite simple. You simply reuse almost everything from the stock compression assembly minus the valve itself and shim stack.
The first difference is that the compression stack is held onto a machined stud rather than an allen bolt like the 5th gen. The stud has a small bypass through the center and out the other side of the stack. Not sure what it's for but it's not on the 5th gen.
The second challenge is that the nut is held on by a deformed thread after torquing from the factory, probably by peening the last exposed threads. So removing the nut removed about a 1/4 turn of thread with it. If I had known this beforehand I could have payed closer attention and probably ground down the thread a bit, but as it was I needed to clean up the stud with a file and an M6 threading die after everything was apart. Fixing threads isn't the easiest thing in the world to do, you can do it by hand with small files, but an M6 coarse threading die is the easiest way.
I then drilled the #55 bleed hole in the new compression valve on a mill, this is discussed elsewhere in the thread.
Now reassembly is quite simple. Racetech provides a new machined nut that also serves as a cup washer and sleeve; a new coil spring; a new check plate that is almost identical to the OEM; the valve and o ring; some 0.090" thick spacers, and a whole bunch of shim stack shims in various bags with no sort of arrangement specified. So you NEED a pair of calipers to figure this out. And all that you need out of this jumble is 2 thick spacers, shim stack, and gold valve. Race tech told me to reuse the stock check plate, stock wave washer (which is a spring)/cup washer/sleeve assembly, and stock nut.
On to the pictures:
The stock 6th gen compression assembly
The arrangement of the stock 6th gen (in case you forget)
New gold valve assembly. From left to right: two thick spacer washers, shim stack (C33 in this case), gold valve properly oriented, OEM check plate, OEM spring/sleeve/cup washer, OEM nut.
Assembled. Note the bleed hole on the hex on the left side.
Really pretty simple once I figured it out and ignored all of the extra parts Racetech sent in the kit. The rest of the reassembly is as previously noted.
