Thehorseofcourse Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Hi everyone, When i picked my bike up last sunday from the bike shop, my father in law drove it home for me as i have no licence yet. On his way home he noticed one of the forks is leaking fluid quite badly and it was getting onto the front tyre and gave him a few arse clenching moments! he told me the oil seals and dust seals will need replacing. so i ordered the parts from wemoto and am waiting for them to arrive. I was wondering if any of you guys can give me any do and dont's about doing this work. I have the haynes manual for the bike and i'm quite handy with the tools but i have never done a job like this before so would appreciate any advice. Many thanks in advance. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild foamy Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 be carefull when you take the end caps off the forks, theres a big long spring behind it and if your not carefull you may end up looking like a pirate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Check why it is leaking, it may be scoring on the upper fork leg so check them BEFORE you fit the new seals as otherwise you will just tear the new ones as well, if you have pitting to the upper leg then use wire wool (fine) and some T-CUT to get it back as near to flat as possible, DO NOT use sand/emery paper on the chrome as you will have to get them rechromed if you do, as above beware that the spring is under pressure inside the stancion leg and it will take your eye out or your ear off, do exactly as it explains in the Haynes manual and you won't go far wrong but remember to lay out the parts as you take them out so you have a reference when you rebuild it,do one at a time other wise you will mix the bits up, grease every thing as you rebuild it and make sure that the fork seals are level as you push them home, a piece of pipe that fits just inside the fork leg is best so you can knock it home without twisting it. Other than that it's quite easy just remember to take your time, finally don't foget to put oil in the forks, sounds silly but if you rush it's the obvious things you forget. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qtws Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 +1 for what others have said - watch out for spring loaded fork top bolts. I support the bike on the main stand with a bit of 2x4" up to just underneath the headstock. Take the top cowling off - its a pita, but gives you the access you'll need, esp if bearings are suspect (order new well nuts from wemoto if necessary....) remove front brake caliper (and service it while you're in there - it will probably need it), then the wheel etc. Check head bearings while you have the front off the ground. Loosen the top yoke allen bolts before attempting fork top removal. For dismantling the forks and getting the seals out, you'll need to take out the damper rod bolt at the bottom of the fork leg. The internals of the fork will turn, making this awkward. An air impact wrench will probably do it, but if you can contrive to get a 14mm nut on the end of a rod, it will hold the damper rod inside the fork so you can turn the damper rod bolt to undo it. I ground 14mm hex on the end of an old honda VFR400 rear axle - works a treat. Then you use the fork like a slide hammer to get the seals out. A piece of plastic drain pipe of the right size makes a good seal drift for putting the seals back in. You may have to replace the seal circlips too - they rot when water gets past the dust seal. Silicon grease is your friend on these to make them last. Fork bushings will probably be fine. Check for pitting - autosol it off before pushing new seals down over it. Reinstall forks before trying to get top bolts back into them - socket, extension bar and ratchet, full body weight and try not to cross thread them - one person to turn the ratchet, the other provides weight against the springs works well. 10W fork oil should be fine. When you're done, you will have good forks, serviced front brake, and be practised at top cowl removal... HTH, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thehorseofcourse Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 Thanks Fella's!! That was exactly what i was looking for. I'll be sure to follow your advice! I've been putting it off a little because it's a bit beyond my experience but i won't get the experience unless i do it! I'll post my progress here for anyone who's interested. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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