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Disassembling fork tubes - bottom allen bolt?

  • Thread starter Thread starter UncleMike
  • Start date Start date
UncleMike said:
You gotta appreciate the simplicity of genius.
Click to expand...
AND the genius of simplicity. 8-[



salty_monk said:
If you're playing with levels... make sure you have a few triggers, have a look in the kitchen or bathroom your missus prob has a bunch of stuff with them on, just need a bit of prep time to get her to save them for you!! :D
Click to expand...
Another solution is to find some clear plastic tubing in the plumbing department at Lowe's that slips over the intake tube of the trigger. By sliding it up and down the trigger's tube, you have adjustable heights.

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It's a nice video that shows the pieces coming apart, but since everything came apart easily, it does not show how to hold the inner piece. :-s

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bwringer said:
No, you have to get the LEVEL of the oil exactly the same. The amount is irrelevant...
Click to expand...

Amount or level, what's the difference? Unless one side has something else inside that makes the internal volume different than that of the other then the amounts will be the same if their levels are the same.

I guess the way I do it - using a dipstick - it's the levels that I check to make sure they match. The point being, how much isn't as important as having each side being the same.
 
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emjay said:
Amount or level, what's the difference? Unless one side has something else inside that makes the internal volume different than that of the other then the amounts will be the same if their levels are the same.

I guess the way I do it - using a dipstick - it's the levels that I check to make sure they match. The point being, how much isn't as important as having each side being the same.
Click to expand...
What's the difference? Easy. Start with equal amounts of oil in each tube. Drain the first tube overnight and, for argument's sake, drain 200 ml of fluid. The next morning you get a phone call inviting you to a ride, so you drain the other tube in a hurry, so you can re-fill the forks and go on the ride. Because you did not let it drain completely, you might get 190 ml. Now fill both of them with the required 200 ml and see which one has more fluid in it.

As I see it (and this is a rather simplistic view), as long as the damping mechanism is always covered with oil, your damping action will remain consistent. What will change is spring action. When the forks compress, the air that is trapped above the oil will also compress, increasing pressure. With oil at different heights, the air pressure will be different in the forks, possibly causing some undesireable effects. This might be minimized or even eliminated if you have a balance tube to equalize pressure in the fork tubes.

Obviously there is something else at play here, as I can't imagine a 1 mm difference in oil level to have that great an effect on air pressure values.

My personal choice for setting fork oil levels still remains the "overfill it slightly and suck out the excess" method. 8-[

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Nice Vids but somehow not realistic for the average back-yard-joe.

I had to use a 3/8 drive allan socket on the bottom with the flipped over 5/8 plug socket and a 3/8 breaker bar on top (inside) and then a huge amount of torque to get mine apart. Thats after a day of soaking in PB blaster. After that I needed to replace the stripped out allan bolts from suzuki. Couldnt find them anywhere else.
 
UncleMike said:
Luckily I had another triple clamp laying around, so I could put it in that briefly for leverage.
Click to expand...



Winner!



Just crack the top cap and bottom rod bolt while the forks are still clamped in the triples. The fork brace/fender will act as a clamp keepig the lowers from spinning while you loosen the damping rod bolt, without risking marring the fork leg in a vice. ;)



-Q!
 
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salty_monk said:
Easiest way to level it up.....

Get a spray bottle & remove the trigger.

Cut the straw to the correct length you need between the bottom of the threaded cap & bottom of the straw.

Rest threaded cap on top of forks & pump away until it stops. You'll be at the right level.

This is seriously quicker than any other method I've tried & post measuring with my vernier calipers depth gauge revealed it to be spot on accurate.

Dan :)
Click to expand...


I do the same thing, but with a nursing syringe from a veterinary supply store.

Use a bit of clear rubber line slipped on the nipple of the nursing syringe cut to length for the desired fork oil level. Top the forks off with oil, and siphon the oil down to the desired level with the syringe.

The nice thing about the syringe is that it rests over the top of the fork opening to ensure that the hose is centered so your measurement is precise.

I never go with volumetric measurements, as it's near impossible to make sure you get ALL of the old oil out of the forks short of solvent-dipping them.

As for measurements matching between legs, I always make sure to do so - but from what I've read, I don't think it's as dire as one would think. The forks work together as a unit, so one leg will compensate for another - that's why many Hondas have independent air valves instead of coupled air valves, which allow for variances between fork air pressure. Some smaller bikes even come with a single fork spring, as the whole fork works as a unit once clamped together...

I'm sure on a MotoGP bike, minor variances can win or lose a race, but on a UJM or smaller economy bike, the difference likely wouldn't be discernable.


-Q!
 
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