How to change fork seals video.

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ballisticexchris

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Good job!! I too always use a baggie or saran wrap to get the seal over the tube without nicking it.

These days I just let suspension shops do the work. Working on suspension is such a dirty messy job. The last 10 years or so it has been really nice to just drop the forks and shock off and pick them up all done without the headaches doing it myself.
 

RCinNC

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Thanks, eemsreno. This is a timely posting, since I'm doing this next week when I get back from Arizona. I've changed the fork oil before, but this will be my first seal change, so I'll download this and add it to my maintenance videos.
 

gv550

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I’d like to add a couple of constructive suggestions, the fork oil level is more important than trying to measure the volume and pouring it in after the fork is assembled. Since you have the spring removed anyway, just measure the oil level down from the top of the fork tube before installing the spring. And I found 5w oil is too thick and makes the forks quite harsh on compression damping, Yamaha or KYB brand is recommended and works better in my experience.31272D88-80EF-4F8F-8CE8-722E0B93428B.jpeg
 

RCinNC

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I'll add one more suggestion. On my last fork oil change I found a really simple way to make the air gap measurement. I took a small brass tube (I think it was 1/8") I bought at a hardware store and marked the length of the air gap on the tube. I think it's 150 mm on the Super Tenere, but I'd have to look it up to be sure. Basically, you stick the brass tube down into the fork so the end of the tube is right at the measurement for the air gap. Then I hooked up the other end of the tube to a Mity Vac vacuum pump. I put the oil in, then pulled a vacuum on the pump. Whatever oil was above the level of the air gap got sucked into the brass tube, and as soon as the vacuum stopped pulling oil and starting pulling in air, you knew the air gap was now at the right level. It avoided trying to stick a ruler into the fork tube and the difficulties in reading it. It avoids the whole "add a little, remove a little" dance with the fork oil; you can just fill the fork up and, as long as the brass tube is inserted to the right distance, you just pull out the excess.

You don't need the vaccum pump; that just made it convenient. You could just get the brass tube and a long enough piece of vinyl tube so it would act as a siphon.
 

SilverBullet

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Classic quote by Steve

"...I've already removed the forks out of the bike.
And if you can't do that you don't need to be watching this video"

LOL LOL

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk
 

eemsreno

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I’d like to add a couple of constructive suggestions, the fork oil level is more important than trying to measure the volume and pouring it in after the fork is assembled. Since you have the spring removed anyway, just measure the oil level down from the top of the fork tube before installing the spring. And I found 5w oil is too thick and makes the forks quite harsh on compression damping, Yamaha or KYB brand is recommended and works better in my experience.

I agree totally here.
I wasn't going to get into it that detailed on my quick video though.
On a "street bike " it's probably not that critical but I always do oil height on my dirt bikes.
I also agree with 5 weight being on the heavy side.
 

Mak10

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Steve, thanks for taking the time to post this. Any way to pin this?
 

HeliMoto

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Thanks, eemsreno. This is a timely posting, since I'm doing this next week when I get back from Arizona. I've changed the fork oil before, but this will be my first seal change, so I'll download this and add it to my maintenance videos.
FYI there are much better and more detailed videos out there, this video is missing some critical steps and is showing some wrong techniques, like shoving a rubber hose on the damper rod ! don’t do this ! For about $15 You can buy or easily make a special tool to do this all out of clean metal ,This can introduce chunks of rubber into the valving and orifices, You don’t want any foreign matter inside your forks. He did not demonstrate using the damper rod to pump all the old oil out nor did he demonstrate pumping the damper rod to bleed all the air out once you put the new fork oil in, and last but not least, very important, he did not properly measure the fork oil height, This video was a hack job!
 

RCinNC

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Yes, thank you, Helimoto. I have other videos for reference, and I've taken the forks apart and changed the oil before. I've even made a special tool to compress the fork spring and measure the air gap last time I did it. There was still useful info in the video to refresh my memory, and I was thanking eemsreno for taking the time to post it.
 

eemsreno

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FYI there are much better and more detailed videos out there, this video is missing some critical steps and is showing some wrong techniques, like shoving a rubber hose on the damper rod ! don’t do this ! For about $15 You can buy or easily make a special tool to do this all out of clean metal ,This can introduce chunks of rubber into the valving and orifices, You don’t want any foreign matter inside your forks. He did not demonstrate using the damper rod to pump all the old oil out nor did he demonstrate pumping the damper rod to bleed all the air out once you put the new fork oil in, and last but not least, very important, he did not properly measure the fork oil height, This video was a hack job!

Since no one else is going to say anything here I’ll step up and speak.
If this post had been on any other thread I hope that I would have stepped up and said this.
This post is probably one of the rudest post I have seen in a while.
I have watched plenty of video’s on the internet and a lot of them just plain Suck.
But I have kept my mouth shut and my ID in my pocket and just moved on.
Did my video suck?, Yes I think so.
It was mostly an experiment to see if I could string together short clips into a video.
Then I seen it might help someone take the job on themselves.
I don’t live in the modern world and I never will so maybe I’ll give up on my video attempts.


Now to address your criticism of my video.


#1 Rubber hose chunking off into the forks, Really, When is the last time you seen a fine cut flexible rubber hose chunking off chunks If this had any merit to it then all carbureted bike using a rubber fuel line would have chunks of rubber clogging the needle and seats. Did my video say to use a rubber hose from the 1950s?

#2 I didn’t demonstrate pumping the damper rod to get all the oil out. True. When I stated that I drained all the oil out leaving them upside down with the cap loose I overlooked telling guys to pump the cartridge while upside down. But I also left out several steps that I just took for granite that it would be done. It wasn’t a thorough video.

#3 I did not demonstrate pumping the damper rod to bleed all the air out after putting in the oil. True. That would be because there is absolutely no reason to do this. If you are pouring the specified amount in then this is a completely unnecessary step. Once you put the cap back on and pump the fork a couple times the air bleeds out and the dampen returns.
If you are setting oil height for the amount it is very important to have the spring removed and bleed the cartridge by pumping all the air out.

#4 I did not properly measure the oil height. Correct , I did not measure the oil height because I know the amount of oil I want in my forks
"a measured amount”

Measuring oil height is used on almost all racing forks. Racing forks have to be very precise because once you have them dialed in correctly that amount can be duplicated easily on the next service. And with racing forks needing serviced about every 25 hours it is very important to have it down pat. Sorry but under the very best conditions my Super Tenere is not a racing machine.
Measuring oil height does nothing more than making it possible to get the exact same setting every time you service the forks.

If you just got home from your around the world week ride and your forks look like this, Then by all means keep measuring your oil height, you have them dialed in perfect.




If you just got home and they look like this .

Then just try dumping in oil from over your shoulder, you might get lucky and end up with a better setup than you have by doing your measuring.

I can prove just what I’m about to say here. It might blow the cap off of some guys forks “head” but to bad.

Let's say you are riding down the road and your forks just bottomed out. You need to add a small amount of oil so it takes up the volume and compresses the air a little more at the end of the fork stroke. So as your riding down the road you pull the caps off and add one ounce in each fork. That fixed it. What if you had added that two ounces to just one fork ? Guess what there would be NO difference. Your bike can not tell the difference because the forks are bolted tight at the bottom with the axle and at the top with the triple clamps. The forks MUST move up and down in complete unison.

What if your riding down the road and you want to change the ride height so you turn both screws in one turn or one screw in two turns, There is NO difference, the forks must move up and down in unison!

What if your riding down the road and you feel that the forks are diving down to fast entering a sharp corner, So you take your screwdriver out and turn in the compression clickers three turns each, that fixed it. What if you had just turned one clicker in six turns.? Guess what , NO difference can be felt. That is because the forks must move up and down in complete unison.

So you just measured your forks oil height and got it perfect, or you poured in the specified amount and they are not exactly the same. Guess what NO difference. That is because the forks must move in unison .

Now would I intentionally put different amounts of oil in?, No, would I adjust only one side clickers, No
It makes it easier next service to have everything equal so it’s easier to duplicate on the next fork service.

So you need proof of all my rambling, Lets just take a look at these.
These are some of the most high tech forks available on a production RACE bike today.

My SX
These are White Power forks on modern “ Ready to Race” KTMs
These forks are fantastic forks allowing a 60+ old man to drop 10 to 15 feet out of the sky, jump after jump Lap after lap and hardly feel the landing.
They allow the front tire to track like it’s on rails never deflecting off track , never feeling the least bit odd or out of whack.
These forks are three pounds lighter than conventional steel sprigged forks because they don’t have steel springs. They have about 120 PSI in the Left fork, That’s right, only in the left fork. No spring [air spring] at all in the right fork 0 PSI

Look a little closer , What? There is NO damper adjustments on that left fork. That’s right when you remove this fork it is a air powered pogo stick. All the bikes fork dampers are on the right fork only! All the rebound and compression damping is controlled in the right fork So why doesn’t the bike feel lopsided or jump goofy? Because the forks must go up and down in unison!

Well I'll see how this blows up, In the meantime "I don't need to see your identification, Move along now"

Steve
 
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ballisticexchris

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Nothing was wrong with your video at all Steve. There is nothing worse than others picking apart a different way of doing a task. We all know there are hundreds if not thousands of "step by step" ways to service forks. Yours is a very simple, easy and effective procedure. Too bad the video is removed. It was Super Tenere specific and a great contribution to this forum.

Thanks for the explanation of those AER forks. Pretty cool technology. My Beta forks are antique!! I'm still rolling on 45mm Marzocchi's!! Of course they are hard sprung and softly valved and work great for my novice 200lb butt. I think it's time for another 300 when I get back on my feet.
 
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