Hi there, new to this forum and by no means an expert on suspension. Whilst the bike is off and on its stand ive noticed i can hear a very slight hissing sound, almost like air is slightly coming out from the top of each side of the suspension. when i compress the forks i can also hear a slight / quick "shhh" sound.

i have nothing to compare it to but the suspension does seem a bit soft whilst the pre-load setting seems clicked down to its near max setting (how i got the bike a few months back)

could anyone advise? is it normal to hear these sounds or could i have a leak of sorts? I'm leaving in three weeks for the start of a really long world trip and slightly worried i may have an issue here.

of course it being easter i cant get to mechanic garage etc - any advice would be very welcomes... thank-you very much

All sounds pretty normal to me, so no need to panic.

The fork gaiters have little holes round the back to let air out when the forks are compressed and air in when they extend. This makes a hissing sound.

The standard suspension on the Tenere is on the soft side even when brand new and gets softer as time marches on.

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thanks Pleiades for replying so quickly - upon closer inspection the noise is definitely coming from the top of the suspension, where you adjust the preload. Its coming from both sides, not just one.

If I pump the suspension with the bike at stand still (engine off) I can hear what sounds like air escaping the top, when i leave the bike to rest i can hear albeit very faint almost like air bubbles / crackling sound coming from the top, it continues even when the bike has been resting a short while...

it is very faint but definitely there...

any clues? Is it possible air is escaping from here? if so will this have a gradual worsening affect on the suspension?

Maybe im just being paranoid...but thanks again for any advice!

If you're absolutely sure it's coming from the fork tops it can only be one of the following:

-Top nuts not tight
-Top nut 'O' ring(s) perished, nipped/unseated or missing
-Faulty sealing on preload adjuster(s)
-Bottom part of preload adjuster has fallen off (which has happened to a few 2012> bikes with the raised adjusters)

However, if the fork tube is allowing air to escape the air gap (effective air spring) will be all wrong and you will notice poor handling. If it's letting air out, but not in the forks will pack down and become unresponsive. If it's letting air out and back in then the will be no air pressure created when the forks compress so there will be no progressive stiffening - it will dive more under braking and be considerably more prone to bottoming out.

Get the front of the ground, take off the fork top nuts (mind out for spring tension) and inspect everything: 'O' rings, adjuster mechanism, circlip etc. Put them back with some silicone lube on the 'O' rings and tighten to the correct torque and see if that makes a difference.

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thanks for the reply that was really helpful.
I took apart the top section of the suspension, upon inspection the o rings, circlip etc looked fine but what i found was that where you insert the allen key to adjust the preload there is a very small screw at the bottom which was slightly loose (on both sides of the forks), I tightened them up and its no longer "hissing" on compression or at stand-still. I was wondering what purpose these would serve at all (pressure release?)?

Forks still soft but thats just the stock spring i guess, probably best i replace them at some point...

thanks again for your help! legend.