CA77 front fork spring length

[the-chauffeur]

At the risk of sounding very stupid, I'm hoping someone out there can give me some clarification on the values given in the shop manual in relation to the CA77 front springs.

Under the heading B: front cushion the shop manual lists the free length of the standard spring on a C72 (I assume the same value applies to both C77s and the CAs) as 278.8mm.

I've just pulled mine apart, and the springs both measure around 255mm. I realise springs under compression will lose some of their elasticity over time, but that's more than 2cm, which seems to be a fair old drop.

Anyone had to deal with new springs and know whether they are indeed that much longer than mine?

Thanks in advance.