RE: Changing Seals and fork oil

[lbzrider]

Can anyone give me a simple walkthrough of the procedures for taking apart my front forks and changing out the seals and replacing the fork oil that has leaked out over the past couple months of being idle in my garage? Any help or links to a site that can help would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has experience doing this, how did it go? was it easy/hard? Or did it just take alot of time? Anything anyone has to add would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone,
Travis

[ossagp1]

All I am going to tell you is to get a manual and don't be too surprised at how much force it takes to get the slider and legs apart. Most tell you to use a plastic bag to protect the seals upon reassembly. Unless you see another way to do it, pay close attention to that. You can also make reasonable seal drivers out of pvc pipe or pvc pipe fittings. Use some hose clamps etc on them and they work well. Make sure you have a plastic, rubber, or leather mallet to work with.

Now, get the manual.

[allstardrafter]

I just replaced my seals, for the first time, a couple weeks ago. I thought it was very easy. Some of the things that I think you'll need for sure, a vice to hold the lower tube in, an impact wrench to take to compression stack off out of the bottom of the fork, a big allen socket (my kx125 was 14mm), and a fork oil level tool.

Oh, and of course a service manual for your bike. Don't even start this job without having a manual.

I suggest getting a pivot works complete bushing and seal kit. It will be around $70, but it will have bushings, seals, and o-rings. I would say replace everything that is included in the kit. Especially if this is the first time you've had the forks apart.

BTW, my thread that I started a couple weeks ago, is titled "fork seal replacement???, it was on page 11 today. It covers this exact subject and has serveral responses and tips in it.

Good Luck

[taekid]

It's probably best that you have some kind of mechanical capabilities before attempting this kind of task, if not I suggest taking your suspension to a professional.

The first thing you'll want to do is wash your bike. Next put it on a sturdy center stand (one that's not going to tip over when the forks are off).

You'll need to remove the front wheel (for obvious reasons!!!). When you get the wheel off, its best to take the brake caliper and fork guards off at the same time for convenience sake. The forks should slide out pretty easy if the bike is fairly new, if they don't you can GENTLY pry the triple clamps apart with a small flat screwdriver and they should slip out (be sure to hold the bottom of the fork so it doesn't smash the ground).

With your forks off, make sure they are clean and dry then we can get down to business. Its a good idea to use a soft jaw vice so you don't mark up the bottom of the forks and use some kind of bucket or tray to drain the fork oil into.

Step One: Undo the cap from the outer tube, slide the tube down and turn the fork upside down to drain for a while.

Step Two: Remove the fork cap from the piston rod. You'll need a 17mm wrench to hold the lock nut under the cap. Then pull the spring and rebound adjuster rod out and wipe with a CLEAN RAG.

Step Three: With the bottom of the fork tube securely fastened in the vice, pull the piston rod out of the fork and keep pulling. With a 14mm allen socket and an air impact gun, undo the bottom adjuster bolt and the cartridge should slide out of the fork tube. Be careful when removing the cartridge, there is a lot of oil inside and it'll spill everywhere. Then dump the remaining oil from the tube into the pan. The easiest way to get the compression adjuster out of the tube is to use a CLEAN wooden dowel and gently tap it.

Step Four: The next step is probably one of the most important. I can't stress enough how important cleanliness is when dealing with suspension components. You can use either contact cleaner or a solvent tank depending on your resources to clean the inner tubes and cartridge of old oil and debris. The best way to do a final clean up is with compressed air. Blow off all internals and set to dry for a bit.

Step Five: Re-assembly. When the parts are clean and dry, place the outer tube back into the vice. Insert the cartridge into the tube and gently hand tighten the compression adjuster into the fork. Keep in mind the threads are aluminum so be certain not to cross-thread or it could get expensive!! With the adjuster hand tight, torque it down to 40 ft.lbs.

Step Six: Stand the tube upright, insert the rebound adjuster rod and fill with fork oil. Generally 5wt oil is required but check your owner's manual for specifics. Once the fork is filled, bleed the cartridge by stroking the piston rod up and down until it is filled with oil. You'll need to add oil as the level drops so keep the bottle handy. The best thing to do is leave the forks sit for a while to let the rest of the air bleed out.

Step Seven: It's important to leave the spring out until after the oil level has been set. Depending on the application and rider preference the oil height will vary. I would suggest setting it between 90mm and 115mm depending upon how stiff or soft you like your forks (90mm being stiffer and 115mm softer). After setting the height pull up and down on the outer tube and then reset level. With that done, pull up on the rod and install the spring. Before installing the cap, back off the rebound adjuster screw so it doesn't crush the rod. Torque the cap to 15ft.lbs. and tighten the cap onto the outer tube.

Step Eight: Reset the rebound adjuster to its original setting and install the forks back onto your bike. Make sure that the air bleed screws are facing forward so you can get at them later without removing the handlebars. Torque the pinch bolts to 14 and 12 ft.lbs. (top and bottom). Also be sure to center the axle before tightening the right side pinch bolts or the forks will bind and feel harsh


Good luck!!!!