Yesterday on kijiji.ca (Canadian craiglist) I bought a winter beat around bike for $15. The front forks action are more like a pogostick than suspension fork. The bike is a MAG mark II with Northland written on frame, it has 24 inch wheels.
Has a 7 speed cluster and triple at the front.
Now to the fork question. There seems to be no spring on one side where the dust cap was missing, the other side whenever I removed the black cap at the top appears to have a long spring inside. Does the Logan 760 fork normally have a spring on each side.? I know I have only spent $15 for the total package (the saddle is worth that I know)
Any tips or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Because I am an 83 year old superwimp and it is very cold I won't be tempted to try it 'til it warms up and I can do my usual fixerupper routine.
Regards
Jim
PS: The search function failed to show me any leads whatsoever on Logan 760 forks.

I'm not familiar with this fork but it's not uncommon to have 1 spring. Cheap forks will have just 1 spring, better forks will a spring on 1 side and a shock absorber on the other side.

I'm not specifically familiar with that fork but it is trash now, and probably always has been.

Suspension forks only have a spring on one side, on the other is the damper that controls the movement of the fork so that it does notact like a pogo stick. On decent forks this is accomlished by having a piston travel through oil with the flow of oil directionally restricted by ports in the piston seal.

On really cheap forks the "damper" is really just friction in the system. This tends to wear pretty fast resulting in a pogo stick fork.

It is probably not worth the time and effort to make that bike work well.

Thank you Bezalel for your prompt reply. I think my (new for me) winter wheels were not too expensive at the outset. The tires still have the nobbies on the tread so they have not seen too many miles. I will have a lot of fun getting educated with suspension fork innards. Jim.

Hello cpach,
Thank you for replying so quickly with your detailing the inner workings of a new adventure for me. My initial investment, will no doubt in the big scheme of things, more than pay for itself in my further education on all things bicycle. I will be having lots of fun as usual with my old tooth brushes and can of Varsol whenever the weather permits. Your last sentence ....."It is probably not worth the time and effort to make that bike work well".......This is indeed thought provoking for me. I have lots of time but not a lot of money so it is quite feasible that I will be spending some "time and effort" in bringing my new treasure up to my very exacting standards.
My kids and grand kids keep telling me "Time is money" but at my stage in life I tell them "Time is the interval between heartbeats."
Gigglegiggle.
Regards
Jim.

I'm all for taking the time for a project, but there are some reasons I personally would't choose the one you have.
-24 inch wheels are uncommon, and in particular getting a replacement fork used will be more difficult, though they are certainly available new.
-the quality of the bike is likely poor.
Suspension is modestly complicated and fairly maintenance heavy stuff. I'd recommend staying away from it unless its genuinely needed (which is less often than people think), and to avoid low end suspension, and even with good suspension know that it requires some maintenance that is messy and more involved than most home mechanic tasks (not that it is necessarily too hard or expensive for many home mechanics).

Also, is the bike more or less the right size? 24" tires are mostly common on kids bikes.

Hello cpach,
Thanks for your interest, I have been getting educated regarding front suspension systems. So much to learn...so little time.
Here is a link to my researching since my last post on the forum. I think I will also go to the mountain bike section.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvaPjoIA_tI
Once again cpach thank you for your advice, and interest in me. I certainly appreciate it. I have been a road bike enthusiast for so long that I am completely ignorant of the other bikes out there.
Regards
Jim.

It should be noted that the fork in that video--a suntour xcr, is actually worlds better than the forks on department store bikes and probably your bike in that it actually does have a oil damper, it just happens to be a sealed, nonserviceable cartridge that is intended to be replaced outright when worn or broken. It's not great, but not a pogo either. The're found on entry level bikes sold at independent biculycle dealers, not mass market merchants.

I missed that! 1931alloyboy - if you are not 5'2" or less, that bike will be too small and any effort you put into it will be mostly wasted.

Perhaps if you were to put up a picture of your bike it would be possible to advise you whether working on that bike is worth the effort. The majority of bikes with 24" wheels are for children, bought with the expectation that the bike will be outgrown in a year or two and not really designed to last any longer than that

I must be losing my eyesight !!
I apologize to everyone. The tires are 26x1.95 Kendas. I am so used to riding 700's that the tires on my new preloved fixer upper looked so small. I am sorry. Now where Did I put my spectacles before I make another spectacle of myself. HaHa. Jim

Hello Wilfred Laurier,
Thank you for the reply which got me curious about my initial statement regarding the tire size.
Regards
Jim

Hello alcjphil,
That is a good suggestion. I will do my searching at FAQ's and find out how to do so. Thanks for the new challenge. Please don't be checking back too quickly.
Regards
Jim
PS: I have just found a very informative video on youtube which helped with my education immensely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Okc1u5EF8

The bottom of the outer legs or sliders has been crimped or squeezed to form the drop outs so there is no adjustment or disassembly at the bottom. The only access available I think will be through the top opening of the crown down inside the stantion tubes or inner legs. I can't see down inside the stantion tube but I put a 1/8 inch wooden dowel down inside and it travels 9 inches before it hits something, it is the same on both tubes. Perhaps there is a 6mm screw down there with a 4mm allen type screw head. I will keep everyone informed as to my progress. If someone has already travelled this route before me and can enlighten me further I would be grateful for any information no matter how small or trivial.
Regards
Jim.
PS: Regarding the photos alcjphil, I have not forgotten. I am still working on them. It seems I have to have a storage area for my photos. Photobucket or flickr maybe. Lots for me to learn. Computer stuff is tuff.

Those forks may not be designed to be user serviceable. Use extreme caution trying to take them apart

Thank you alcjphil for the heads up regarding the disassembly. Somehow I think that the advice which I have received and talking to a young man who is a neighbour, that I will just clean up my new treasure and be content to ride it as is until I get familiar with this type of bike. It seems, in my ignorance, that I have bought the lowest level of MTB of the many models that are available on the market. Never the less my initial investment of $15 is a very small amount considering the education which I am getting from yourself and the other knowledgeable family members here on the forum in the last couple of days.
Regards
Jim.