Front Fork disassembly

I am changing the seals in the front forks of my XJ750 Maxim. I need to remove the allen head bolt at the bottom on the fork, which threads into the piston inside. The book (haynes workshop manual) says there is a yamaha tool, or you can make your own with a bolt and a piece of pipe. the other option is to use a piece of wooden dowel and jam it down inside.

any ideas?

 

The tool is probably in your tool box and you just don't know it! You need a ratchet wrench, two long extensions and a spark plug socket. The spark plug socket needs to have a hex head at the end for a 7/8" wrench. The hex fitting inside the fork is 19mm which equates to 7/8". So just turn the socked around backwards on the extensions and slide it into position. Helps to have someone else on the other end to break the hex bolt loose while you hold the inner damper with the socket.

 

Good information to know. Is this typical on most Maxims?

 

Most models require you hold the damper rod "head" with SOMETHING or you'll never get the little retaining screw off the bottom of the forks (or put it back in and get it tightened again). Some forks used a damper rod with a 19mm inverted hex on the head (I know for sure that 650 Maxims do), and some use a larger 22mm hex...I haven't been able to figure out which models use which, so I made a special SOMETHING that will do either:

w) Lower Fork Damper Rod Retaining Tool.....long aluminum tool with proper sized nuts on each to retain the top of the fork damper down in the bottom of the tube when removing or installing the dampers. One end has a 19mm hex and the other end has a 22mm hex, so it will fit all styles of XJ forks that require the use of this damper retaining tool.

HCP4402 Fork Rod Damper Retaining Tool:
$ 18.95


http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2584.html

Obviously, this tool will last a lifetime or two, and you can really impress all your other XJ friends when you're the only person on your block-town-city-county-state that not only knows about the special tool, but actually has one.......

 

I'll trade you for that rebuildable petcock I was telling you about.

 

Thanks BlueMaxim. I did just what ya said. Went to my craftsman box, pulled out the 3/8 drive 5/8 spark plug socket (tested a 19mm socket on the drive end), pulled out a 24" extention and put the socket on backwards. sent it down the fork tube and it fit into the damper rod head!!! - i stuck a breaker bar on my new "special Yamaha tool" and loosened that friggin allen bolt right up!! Thanks again dude.

 

I love it when I'm right! And you are most welcome Brewster.

 

You can alco use the handle of a broom. Worked for me.

 

Darn! for a second I thought he was talking to me and I wasn't even involved in the conversation.

Nice name Brewster,

Mike Brewster (mbrew)

 

Great color on a '73 Trans-Am, too............

 

Not meaning to be rude and I hope it doesn't sound that way, but
19mm ~ 3/4"
22mm ~ 7/8"
There are 25.4 millimeters in an inch so
19mm/25.4 = 0.74803149606299212598425196850394" (just under two thousands less than 3/4")

7/8" in decimal form is 0.875" x 25.4 = 22.225mm

 

Not rude in the least. I should have not trusted my memory. Thanks for the correction.