jrhendryx Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 I have collected all of the necessary gaskets, seals, etc needed to do the following restore and line the gas tank refurbish the front forks (they are leaking oil, and are quite spongy) so, before i tear into either of these, i have a few questions....... 1) do i need to remove the head assembly from the bike to do this properly? my haynes and yamaha books both say i dont, but then dont explain how to do it without removing the whole head assembly. it seems like i should just be able to loosen the pinch bolts and pull them out of there..... 2) while i am replacing the front fork seals, are there any other problem areas that i should be looking for? anything that the manuals dont tell me that might create a hang-up for me? 3) does anyone know of a DIY way to knock some front fork dents out of a gas tank? i was thinking i might be able to do it with a rounded dowel and a mallet. it doesnt have to be perfect, i just think it doesnt have to be as bad as it is. thanks! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted September 15, 2007 Moderator Share Posted September 15, 2007 I have collected all of the necessary gaskets, seals, etc needed to do the following restore and line the gas tank refurbish the front forks (they are leaking oil, and are quite spongy) so, before i tear into either of these, i have a few questions....... 1) do i need to remove the head assembly from the bike to do this properly? my haynes and yamaha books both say i dont, but then dont explain how to do it without removing the whole head assembly. it seems like i should just be able to loosen the pinch bolts and pull them out of there..... 2) while i am replacing the front fork seals, are there any other problem areas that i should be looking for? anything that the manuals dont tell me that might create a hang-up for me? 3) does anyone know of a DIY way to knock some front fork dents out of a gas tank? i was thinking i might be able to do it with a rounded dowel and a mallet. it doesnt have to be perfect, i just think it doesnt have to be as bad as it is. thanks! 1) If you have screw caps or a circlips for the top of the stantions to hold in the springs, take these off first as its easier to do when on the bike. take off front wheel, loosen the pinch bolts and the stantions should just twist down. I would suggest raising the bike further off the ground to prevent them bottoming out on the ground. 2) to take off the stantions from the sliders, there usually is a capscrew socket underneatth. If you don't "snap" it on first attempt, the insides just start turning and you need to make up a lonnnnggg tool out of tubing. I also put the spring back in and with my back to the wall, pushed the spring in via slider, and turned the capscrew off that way. clean everything out and heat up the old seal and prise out with a tyre lever (taking off clip first). to knock back in, use a plastic water pipe of the right diameter for the seal (ie outer, not soft inner) 3) No idea!!! Drewpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 You would need special sheet metal tools to knock the dents out. Go to a sheet metal working establishment and offer someone a little money. The work must be done from an internal anvil and planninshing hammers on the outside. The alternative is to rub down the tank and fill. Finish off with a total repaint in your colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmiracle2 Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 does anyone know ball park figure for how much it would cost for a shop to replace the fork seals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted April 28, 2008 Moderator Share Posted April 28, 2008 does anyone know ball park figure for how much it would cost for a shop to replace the fork seals? do it yourself! fork seals are £8 and new oil £15 for 1 litre of 20w. I recon it will take you day to do, the hardest part would be prising out the seals themselves, but using heat and tyre lever/something similar and protecting the alloy leg with cloth, there should be no problem. if you do get stuck post on here and we'll help you! for a dealer to do, he won't want to do it, so will charge you big time to put you off. maybe 3 hours work @ £30 an hour plus parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted April 28, 2008 Author Share Posted April 28, 2008 do it yourself! fork seals are £8 and new oil £15 for 1 litre of 20w. I recon it will take you day to do, the hardest part would be prising out the seals themselves, but using heat and tyre lever/something similar and protecting the alloy leg with cloth, there should be no problem. if you do get stuck post on here and we'll help you! for a dealer to do, he won't want to do it, so will charge you big time to put you off. maybe 3 hours work @ £30 an hour plus parts I was quoted by a small shop that does the stuff i dont know how to do (and that i trust a great deal), at 1.5 hours labor at 62.50 per hour, plus parts/oil. I did it myself in one day. It took me a while because i kept having to run to the store and get the right tools, and had to go to that same shop to get a used stanchion when i cracked mine. I really think that you should give it a shot yourself. The most difficult part of my work was putting the seal back in place without damaging it. You will learn a lot, and I felt pretty proud of myself (im slowly learning this stuff). plus, once youve done one thing on the bike yourself, you will be more confident that you can fix other things, and will end up saving yourself a bunch of money. let us know if we can help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepurz Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 i cut an allen so it was straight, then found correct socket to fit it, (the allen wrench) put fork leg in vice, hit impact wrench, itll come right out, I made a tool to pop the seal it was easy , but DO Not pry on cast leg put a rag wood shim under it before you pry, If you dont have an impact cut a peice of pvc 1 inch thickness bout 3 feet long, cut a 45 angle tap it into fork gently 45 angle down after youve removed cap and springs, then try to use the allen on a socket wrench, I believe the allens on your bike are recessed in the legs bottom which is why i cut the allen wrench. Christ this prob doesnt make sense!! new seal I put in frig overnight, heat slightly the leg , remove seal from frig , push it in, and go drink beer. hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajdoyle77 Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 As for removing the old seals, i saw an interesting shortcut. seal replacement link Summarized: You pull the forks out of the triple tree (remove wheel, brakes, etc..) Remove the dust seal, and the oil seal retaining clip, etc. Remove the spring cap and fill the fork to the top with oil. Recap it. Lay the fork in a wide doorway, and use a jack to compress the tube. The seal will press right out. Their method makes a mess with the oil, I stood it up in a doorway. I used this method for my ninja, worked beautifully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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