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So, Yesterday I installed my K&L fork seals, and first off, let me just say how much of a difference some new 15W makes!
I'm adding my findings to the mix so that hopefully someone can learn from what I went through.
First off, getting the front tire was a chore, had to take off both brakes (of course) and had to take one of the caliper mounting arms off too. (Anyone else run into that?) Got the air balancers off without too much trouble, and slid the forks out. Cool. So, I flip them upside down, and look at the allen bolt. Turns out the allen bolts had been turned into a allen RIVETS :whip:by a previous dissasembly attempt. Nothing to sink my rattle gun's teeth into. :X
Ok, there's more than one way to skin a cat! I started by unscrewing the top cap. I had heard people saying that they were under some tension, but I had rebuilt some forks before, and thought I knew what I was doing. Anyhow, after I got the cap off, I had to grab a ladder and retreve the top spring from it's perch on the garage door opener.
I pried the sweeper caps off, pulled out the sponge and plastic washers, and threw them away (Per Clymer's). I poped out the circlip, and then was faced with quite a chore. How to get the seal out of the fork without the possibility of a full dissasembly. Well, enter my new best friend, the seal puller! :jumper:It came from the store with a rubberized coating over the hooks, and I knew that wouldn't help out, so I went over to my bench grinder, and took the longer hook down to a very sharp point. Then I bent it a little to match the curve of the fork tube. I took my deadblow mallet, and drove that thing right into the seal. Next, I just levered up on the puller's handle, and POP came the seal.
The other fork went much the same way. Getting them back together was something else! What I ended up doing was using my air ratchet. I put the fork between my feet, then stacked everything up how it was supposed to be. I put the ratchet on top, and using my knees to hold the top tube in place, pressed down with all my strength. :weightlifter:Once the cap was into the tube, I pulled the trigger on the ratchet, and kept pushing until the cap had seated. Don't know how I would have done it without the air ratchet!
Anyhow, the bright light at the end of the tunnel is that I found out there are progressives in the tubes already, and the bike rides much better now. (I also tightened all 3 steering stem bolts)
So, Yesterday I installed my K&L fork seals, and first off, let me just say how much of a difference some new 15W makes!
I'm adding my findings to the mix so that hopefully someone can learn from what I went through.
First off, getting the front tire was a chore, had to take off both brakes (of course) and had to take one of the caliper mounting arms off too. (Anyone else run into that?) Got the air balancers off without too much trouble, and slid the forks out. Cool. So, I flip them upside down, and look at the allen bolt. Turns out the allen bolts had been turned into a allen RIVETS :whip:by a previous dissasembly attempt. Nothing to sink my rattle gun's teeth into. :X
Ok, there's more than one way to skin a cat! I started by unscrewing the top cap. I had heard people saying that they were under some tension, but I had rebuilt some forks before, and thought I knew what I was doing. Anyhow, after I got the cap off, I had to grab a ladder and retreve the top spring from it's perch on the garage door opener.
I pried the sweeper caps off, pulled out the sponge and plastic washers, and threw them away (Per Clymer's). I poped out the circlip, and then was faced with quite a chore. How to get the seal out of the fork without the possibility of a full dissasembly. Well, enter my new best friend, the seal puller! :jumper:It came from the store with a rubberized coating over the hooks, and I knew that wouldn't help out, so I went over to my bench grinder, and took the longer hook down to a very sharp point. Then I bent it a little to match the curve of the fork tube. I took my deadblow mallet, and drove that thing right into the seal. Next, I just levered up on the puller's handle, and POP came the seal.
The other fork went much the same way. Getting them back together was something else! What I ended up doing was using my air ratchet. I put the fork between my feet, then stacked everything up how it was supposed to be. I put the ratchet on top, and using my knees to hold the top tube in place, pressed down with all my strength. :weightlifter:Once the cap was into the tube, I pulled the trigger on the ratchet, and kept pushing until the cap had seated. Don't know how I would have done it without the air ratchet!Anyhow, the bright light at the end of the tunnel is that I found out there are progressives in the tubes already, and the bike rides much better now. (I also tightened all 3 steering stem bolts)
