Fork oil/seal replacement

Message

Dalemac · #16 Post by **Dalemac** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 11:56 am

floakey wrote:Blimey for the price of the spring compressor I'd get somepme to do them , they usualy charge £100 to do them and I think its normally just the oil they change and obviously a clean plus any pther parts fork oil seals for example .

70 is less than 100.

Plus, when i need to do them again in a couple of years time I won't have to buy it again....

If anyone close needs to do theirs, they can then borrow the tool..

etc etc..

Dalemac · #17 Post by **Dalemac** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 1:25 pm

I don't often get angry, but this job is making me angry.

I cannot, for the life of me, get the red anodized cap to undo. I've made up several wooden jigs to hod the fork in place in a vice, the forks just spin. If i tighten the vice, the jig snaps and i have to start again all over.

D-Rider · #18 Post by **D-Rider** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:25 pm

Just a thought that might work for you (or then again, it might not)

Stick them back in the yokes, nip the yokes up properly and just crack the cap undone a tad.
Remove from yoke and finish undoing.
Some things are easier to undo when attached to a dirty great bike.

#19 Post by **mangocrazy** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:29 pm

The only real way to do it is to put the fork leg back in the yoke and clamp it up. Then you will be able to apply some real torque to the top nut.

However, a word of warning. Apparently the anodised fork tops on my red Falco were an absolute b'stard to remove, and needed large amounts of heat and a bloody big extension bar on the socket to remove. The marks on the aluminium top nut bears testament to how much of a fight they put up. But then that was the first time they had ever been disturbed. They should normally come undone easily; tightening torque on the fork caps is very low.

<edit> - Hah! Andy beat me to it...

Dalemac · #20 Post by **Dalemac** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 6:02 pm

I already tried putting the forks back in the yokes and tightening the bolts but it then seemed to twist the yokes so i gave up on that.

In the end a bigger bench vise and a lump hammer to the wrench undid it. It did mark the caps though. No way those covers were 35nm as they are supposed to be...

I have a second set of forks now, i wanted to disassemble one of my buggered ones to practice. Confident to do it on the new ones too now.

Dale

Dalemac · #21 Post by **Dalemac** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:13 pm

Does anyone know if the stantions seperate from the lowers (where the calipers are mounted) or are they pressed in?

Thanks,

Dale

blinkey501 · #22 Post by **blinkey501** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 12:29 pm

What weight fork oil did you use Dale?

Standard is 5W and around 455ml of oil.

A question for our other technical guys is spring rates?

I am converting a falco to a track bike and the seals are leaking in the front legs.

I am wondering if linear or progressive springs would be best for the track application.

When I had my forks serviced by Revs is was established that with riding gear I would be 100kg's?

Can anyone tell me what spring rate I would need, and what is standard. Would the cartridges need changing also?

Would 7.5 w or 10 w improve the handling of the bike?

Thanks.

Dalemac · #23 Post by **Dalemac** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 12:26 pm

Hi Blinky,

I used 5w as standard.

Annoyingly it need something like 1060ml....had to buy 2 x l litres of oil :(

I can't answer any of your other questions I'm afraid.

blinkey501 · #24 Post by **blinkey501** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 6:17 pm

Dalemac wrote:Hi Blinky,

I used 5w as standard.

Annoyingly it need something like 1060ml....had to buy 2 x l litres of oil :(

I can't answer any of your other questions I'm afraid.

5 w would suit your weight?

Ahem..... 7.5 will suit mine.

ginge · #25 Post by **ginge** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:18 pm

Dalemac wrote:Does anyone know if the stantions seperate from the lowers (where the calipers are mounted) or are they pressed in?

Thanks,

Dale

Yep, pressed in. Can be replaced if need be though, have to look up places that do it though.

#26 Post by **mangocrazy** » Tue Jul 05, 2016 7:44 pm

Standard spring rate is already quite high, Jay, so doubt you'd need to go up on the spring rate. Standard is 1.05 kg/mm, I believe.

blinkey501 · #27 Post by **blinkey501** » Wed Jul 06, 2016 7:46 pm

mangocrazy wrote:Standard spring rate is already quite high, Jay, so doubt you'd need to go up on the spring rate. Standard is 1.05 kg/mm, I believe.

Thanks for posting up Graham, it was the answer I wanted ta....