Standard Fork Upgrade Service Guide

[Diabolus]

yes, hes masking off prior to any work carried out. hes done forks before and has bikes of his own.

[Diabolus]

the forks are giving me hassle again, I got them back together and in the bike but cant torque the hex bolt's up the whole lots spining round, any ideas ???

[lloydie]

Yep add max preload

[lloydie]

I've had to use a ratchet strap before . I fitted it round the top yoke and round the front brake caliper (with wheel removed ) to compress the spring to add tension to stop it spinning

[tony.mon]

Insert broom handle, push down while doing up the bolt.

Or, slightly easier,remove and invert the fork, push the fork down on a broom handle while doing the bolt up.

Do this BEFORE filling with fork oil.......

[Diabolus]

whats the part nos for the replacement bolts or do you just use some s/s type?

Any decent quality graded fastener M8x27mm (id go with known quality 10.9) will do, or PN 90116-383-721 "BOLT, SOCKET

If I were you Id replace the 8mm copper washer as well, as you have been beating on that screw.
90544-283-000 WASHER

at a loss now I've tried 3 different ways I cannot tighten or remove the bolts, thinking that the above bolts are wrong type thread ! Help

[VTRDark]

Did you get the bolts from David Silvers. Strange that you can't go in either direction now. Did you remember to put the Ally foot/cap back on the bottom of the cartridge. Somehow you need to stop the cartridge inside from spinning. This can either be done by gripping it from the inside which has limited access as the Stanchion is in the way or by applying pressure/preload to it.

(:-})

[Diabolus]

yes bolts from d/s I tried the ratchet strap first with no result.
Then I cut a metal tube that rested on top of the damper and sticks a few inches longer than the stanchion and tightened with the rachet strap and still spins .
also tried a socket with a few extensions and ratchet strap on the damper tube.

I have now removed the forks from bike drained the oil and will try my tube method with some sort of rubber gromet on the end.

I only did the bolts up hand tight with a mini ratchet prior to filling with oil as per your guide not tight at all ????
Cant even be drilled or milled as there just spining in either direction,if I cant get them out and investigate what the problem is I will need new forks !

[Diabolus]

same problem on vfr forum:
What happens when the bolt "spins" is really that the valve body spins within the
cartridge. Many people suggest that compressing the forks is one way to stop the bolt
spinning, but it is quite clear to me that all that does is jam the cartridge into the bottom
of the fork bottom, leaving the valve body to do exactly what it was doing before!
Instead, what you should do is put tension (pull up) on the fork, which compresses the
little top-out spring on the cartridge (see photo below), which then causes the cartridge to
exert force on the compression valve body (transmitted though that little snap ring), which
FINALLY you can work against with your 6mm hex key on the bolt head.

[Diabolus]

with the help of my bike breaker mate and his misses we got the bolts out

The only method that worked was PULLING, one fork was fairly easy just me pulling the stachion down whist the fork was inverted and the lower clamped in a vice and mate removed bolt with air impact wrench.
The other one need a rubber inner tube wrapped around the stanchion and me and mate both pulling down whist his misses got the bolt out.

This would all have been avoided if I had'nt neglected the basics of checking that the threads in the valve were free of any old thread lock and the new bolts did up properly.

we did the above and now the bolts are tightened properly.
Got to go to Halfrauds today for more fork oil !

[lloydie]

Great well done and I'll remember to pull on it next time not push

[Diabolus]

halfrauds only got sae 10 I need 7.5. so its on order from the bay of e should be here later this week. I've managed to torque up the hex bolt with the forks off the bike so it should not be any problems now.

[AMCQ46]

if you are in a hurry and don't have time to wait for oil order you can make your own 7.5wt by mixing equal quantities of 5 and 10 wt

[VTRDark]

Sorry to hear all the grief you have had with these bolts, and thanks for your info on pulling instead of pushing down on the stanchion. I can see the logic behind it and it makes sense though I suspect the air impact wrench played a part in the removal. Right tool for the job and all that It turns the job into assistance required so having a helping hand on-board is a good idea. It just goes to show how something that should be relatively simple can turn into a total nightmare. Well done on getting it sorted

I have now updated part 3 in the guide and credited you.

You deserve a well earned now.

(:-})

[Diabolus]

good idea carl.