Pulling the forks off..advice.

Just want to leverage the experts advice here.

I've got new tires coming soon and while I'm taking both wheels off I'm going to do the brakes which I've done a few times but also I plan on pulling the forks out to put the gators on that have been on my shelf for 6 months and I've never done that before. At the same time I'm going going to paint the forks.

Anytime I do something for the first time on a bike I've found (from the worst kind of experience) it's prudent to ask people if there's anything I need to be wary of or watchout for when I do it.

Any advice welcome. Thanks y'all.

 

Just dont eff it up.

Under no circumstances paint the upper fork legs. Take your time with prep work and masking. Be careful not to damage the dust boots or paint over any fasteners.

 

Roger that - it was more the taking the wheel off and forks out and putting it all back in that I'm concerned with. Just looking for any gotcha - is anything going to fly off across the garage unexpectedly? etc etc

 

remember the skinny tire goes in the front

 

Gators or gaiters? Gotcha



unless you are putting a large reptile on your forks... i guess...
i hear they're tasty

 

Yeah I mean this.... <cough>....

 

Only gotcha I can think of is make sure the gator is dead first.

 

That has GOT to be a Florida bike! If you ride that, you're gonna have to find a matching gaiter jacket! One wouldn't want to clash.

 

Back on track with this thread, while the bikes off the road waiting on valve shims I decided to just knock out all the stuff I've been meaning to do for a while so I got the front wheel off, forks out and cleaned and will be painting tmw. I'm going to pull the rear on Tuesday so I can take both wheels to get new tires on Wednesday. New shoes are waiting on the shelf too. Getting pretty excited to see what it's going to look like. After this the only things on the initial list are the exhaust and painting the engine.

Oh and I even fixed a blown diode on my turn-signals. I did more today on the bike that I've done in six months or more. WOW, just shows what I can do when the wifes out of town and the mother-in-law is here

 

Imagine what you could get done if the wife is out of town and the mother-in-law is NOT there!!

 

not a damn thing!!

 

not sure if you are doing front pads
but just a tip
drop the entire caliper.. put on new pads then re attach
I spent 4 painful hours trying to get it up (Zing)
nothing in my repair book
ended up writing it in myself
so drop it.. new pads.. then up
good luck

rear Shoes are cake

 

While you're there...got new steering head bearings?

Gary H.

 

Sounds like a personal problem - thanks man, I've already taken the caliper off and yes new pads. I've replaced the pads and shoes a few times. I found that as long as you don't touch the brake lever then it's fine, on my bike anyway.

 

Considering she's looking after the twins so I can work in the garage then yep - not a damn thing - except maybe a tea-party with some dinosaurs.

 

Question - a thin oil ring on the upper fork legs - does this point to a fork seal issue - should I be concerned?

 

No. Replacing the seals is part of rebuilding the forks.

Gary H.

 

Thanks Gary,

I'm a bit confused by your post though. You said No, so do you mean I shouldn't be concerned and it's not a sign of an issue with the seal?

I hadn't planned on rebuilding the forks.

 

Sorry, I saw "pulling the forks" and didn't re-read why (to install the gaiters). Yeah, i'd say it's a problem or will be soon. Rebuilding the forks isn't all that bad plus it'll be much safer, ride better and you'll know it's been done (you might decide to upgrade the springs) 30 year old untouched parts in possibly 30 year old fork oil aint good. Hope this helps.

Gary H.

 

Anyone got a how-to doc on rebuilding forks. I might have to save doing it right now though just due to cost but I'd like to get an idea of what's involved.

 

Which model?

Gary H.

 

Sadly, most if not all of the pictures are missing, but...
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-change-your-fork-seals.8355/

 

Thanks BW, just what I needed although pictures would be nice . Gary, model is in my sig - XJ650 81 Maxim. It sounds like it's a pretty easy job but time consuming. As it's only very minor right now I'm going to have to park this job for a few weeks time, just want to get other stuff done first.

 

There will be some oil that gets past the seals, forming a thin film of oil on the swept portion of the upper fork leg (you will see a ring from the dirt adhering to the oil at the highest point that the lower fork moved to when last ridden). What you don't want to see is a trail of of oil running from the seal and down the fork leg.

 

ok, well yeah this is all I'm seeing - nothing more - thanks.

 

Or oil all over your pants and shoes is also a bad sign.

 

Last time i rode I thought that was the case but it just turned out to be the blood of all the f***ing Harley riders I'd killed. Fancy that!

 

So thanks for all the advice guys I got it done - well mostly now. Cross posting a bit (sorry) as posted more photo's of the paint here:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/forks-painted.60557/#post-452695
---
Think they turned out well so far:

 

Looks good!

 

Thanks Len, it's coming together, been a long road. I think I bought those gaiters from you what, 6 months ago

 

Can't rush perfection.......

 

People are always telling me to hurry up........ it never works.

 

I just ran into this problem and even doing it like that was a PITA. I got it on but the pads are pressing on the disk. What do I do?

Also - I can't get the pinch bolt to engage with the nut - it's like it's not long enough - do I need to take the spindle out again and engage it before puting it back in?

 

it is a pain
it took me and my roomate to get them on
definitely a 2 man job
once you get them in place and not flopping around that is the key

 

They're in and the caliper is on but it's like the brake is on also - they're pressing on the disk - what's the best way to return the caliper to be open all the way. Do I need to open the bleed valve and push them apart?

 

So I signed up as a premium member to give back to this site as I just couldn't have done any of this without y'all...

Seeing as though i now have the option I put some pictures of the bike back in one piece on a showcase..

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/showcase/midnight-street-tracker-stealth-machine.34/