rice-pudding Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 Changing the fork seals, the time has come and it must be done as it's affecting the handling now as one fork is full and the other is near empty. I'm fairly mechanically minded and have worked on all my cars, but I'm still quite new to bikes. I thought 2 minds are better than 1 and was going to ask my dad to help. He has the knowledge and I have the practical abilities. Even if it takes a whole day I'd rather do it than fork (no pun intended) out the £180 quoted by the garage!Buy a Haynes Bible and try it, or 'fork' out the cash ? Quote
eastanglianbiker Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 Just make sure you use genuine parts not cheap pattern parts as they don't last on forks Quote
Mr Fro Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 Nice one!Forks aren't that bad really - there's only a few parts involved. Some forks can be a bit fiddly getting the tops off and on but time and a bit of enginuity will see you right. You'll definitely notice with fresh (or some) fluid in them! Quote
oldie59 Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 Changing the fork seals, the time has come and it must be done as it's affecting the handling now as one fork is full and the other is near empty. I'm fairly mechanically minded and have worked on all my cars, but I'm still quite new to bikes. I thought 2 minds are better than 1 and was going to ask my dad to help. He has the knowledge and I have the practical abilities. Even if it takes a whole day I'd rather do it than fork (no pun intended) out the £180 quoted by the garage!Buy a Haynes Bible and try it, or 'fork' out the cash ? Watch Delboy(moonfleet41) video on youtube he shows (you) how to change fork seals, amongst many other bike related things Quote
fq-craigus Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 If you have the right tools then go for it. Have you got conventional forks or upside down ones? There is plenty of tuition on youtube showing step by step how to do it, delboys garage demonstrates on conventional forks. Quote
rice-pudding Posted May 12, 2015 Author Posted May 12, 2015 Yeah conventional forks. Is there special tools I need, I have a rather large array of tools collected over the years. I priced it up today from Robinsons Foundry £30 for seals and dust caps and £15 for oil. It's a no brainer, beats £180 from the garage Quote
Mr Fro Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Is there special tools I needDepends on what you've got inside your forks!If you've got traditional style you may need a spring compressor - or do what everyone else does and wedge a small spanner on the rod. Cartridges often "need" a special tool that locates in the holes either side to compress them - again, it's pretty easy to fish about the garage and find something that will work. It must be said that although something else can do the job of the special tools, they often aren't as easy to use and take more time/effort. If the tool is cheap and readily available, you might as well get it. Quote
Phooey Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 Just make sure you use genuine parts not cheap pattern parts as they don't last on forks Couldn't agree more. I used cheap seals last time I did mine and doing them again ... 6 months later Quote
rice-pudding Posted May 13, 2015 Author Posted May 13, 2015 Am I correct in saying that Robinsons Foundry sell genuine parts? Quote
rice-pudding Posted May 17, 2015 Author Posted May 17, 2015 Might be a silly question, but if I'm removing the forks how am I going to get the front end up? Quote
Mr Fro Posted May 17, 2015 Posted May 17, 2015 Might be a silly question, but if I'm removing the forks how am I going to get the front end up?A-frame ladder and ratchet straps! Or if you're feeling flush you can get an Abba stand. Quote
eastanglianbiker Posted May 17, 2015 Posted May 17, 2015 You can put bike onto centre stand and then use a jack under the downpipes to prevent bike tipping forward when front wheel is removed Quote
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