re-building front forks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hi there,
Can someone direct me to a tutorial or downloadable manual??? I need to rebuild the front shocks on an 82 xj750.... they need oil and dust seals. and perhaps direct me to the parts kits available through this website or a downloadable catalog????
Thanks, JB

 

Re: re-building front forks. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oh boy.... I have the air assist forks- and it looks like I need a slew of parts to rebuild these things.
Can anyone suggest bolt-on replacements which I might be able to find on Ebay or at the local salvage place? Im considering just parting the bike out now as it seems to be a can of worms I dont want to deal with... Runs great though

 

Maxim or Seca? Either way, the forks may look intimidating at first, looking at an exploded view from a manual. But actually replacing seals isn't that bad. Hang in there & we'll walk you through it. Believe me, if I can do it, anybody can!
What is it that is looking scary to you right now?

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27544.html

Scroll down to the section titled SUSPENSIONS and there are links there that will give you exploded views of fork systems, etc.

 

I am in the process of doing mine it is really not that complicated.Not worth parting out a bike over by any means...


Just jump into it. Start taking them apart. Remember what order you pull what off in. Use pictures to help. And just follow the diagrams chacal linked. Its pretty straight forward. Most of this stuff is down right intimidating till you get your hands dirty.

 

Re: re-building front forks. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

it is a 750 maxim. I must be missing something, but I couldnt find the exploded view of the forks. The ones that I have are totally blown out. They will bottom out, bouncing the fender up against the tree and wiring. I assume that every little o-ring, etc. should be replaced. Is there a full re-build kit available? ordering each little pair or rings and seals, etc just seems daunting to me- more so than performing the work, really. And expensive. This isnt the only thing I am going to need to do to make the bike safe... brakes, tires, cables, tune up, etc. etc. I had hoped to leave the north east to the SW on the bike within 3 weeks or so... with time waiting for parts, etc. Im exasperated. On top of all of this, my tools are all an hour away and the bike isnt safe to ride there. I can get my money plus some back on the deal by spending a day taking the bike down and ebaying it. I dont know what Im going to do yet.
The bike is pretty decent(from the NE weather and salt, ya know) The bike has only 6k miles and the engine is strong, everything works except for the left flasher which wont go out. Not sure if the autocancel works or not. Maybe Ill take her down the block in the morning before the hurricane hits to see if it cancels... Mandatory evacuation here btw- but Im going down with the boat
Not to turn this into a sales ad, but if anyone needs parts or a really strong engine let me know. I can take a video....

 

I believe this is what you are looking for.

I got my oil and dust seals (IMO, that's all you should need unless you break something) here, but there are many other places that carry them too.

 

Great tutorial. Is the pliar tool with the points on it absolutely necessary? I'll see if I even have the tools to get the forks off the bike here... I am in a bit of a rush to get it on the road, or Ill cash it in and take my car to the SW, which would be a real drag with limited mobility, fuel costs, responsibilities(I cant just leave the car somewhere if I blow the engine or something- and would worry about theft in Mexico while a 1000 dollar bike can be sort of disposable).
Thanks all, and check my ad for the bike for sale. I'll take some pictures or a video this afternoon.

 

While snap-ring pliers are the "right tool for the right job", needle nose pliers and a small screwdriver will get it done too. IMO, having the right bushing and seal driver is the key (along with putting things back together in the proper sequence). I found that a 1.5 inch ID piece of PVC with some "slits" cut into it works nicely. The slits reduce the ID of the PVC so it fits snugly...

 

thanks, Rick B.