Fork dampener bolt really stuck

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Would a regular bottle propane torch be enough?





Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Octain]

Thats what I used.
Do do see one in the original pic now.

[BassCliff]

The saga continues...

Hi,

Well, I wasn't crazy about putting my forks back on without fixing them properly. So I called up a couple of my friends (Thanks Ed!) seeking advice. I put the air caps back on and tried air pressure trick to pop the seals out. The bicycle pump I had didn't work. So I took a trip down to the gas station and used their air pump. It didn't work either. I went to Home Depot and bought another manual tire pump that looked like to would work. The gauge on it went to 174psi and I figured that would be enough to blow the seals. I brought it home and hooked it up. I pumped and pumped. I pegged the gauge, over 174psi and probably close to 200psi. Nothing! The seal held.

Feeling dejected, I took off the pump connector from the air cap and just held it in my hand, looking at it and thinking, "What am I going to do now?". Then all of a sudden.....

POP!



I was so happy!



After I filled the fork with as much air as I could it took a couple of minutes for the seal to pop. It kind of surprised me. But it was a pleasant surprise.

So I'm going to replace the seals and fix the bolt later, after I've received new parts and assembled the necessary tools. I did not buy OEM seals or the fancy leakproof pro-moly kind so I have a feeling that these seals might not last very long anyway. They are the K&S brand seals. We'll see how they work out.

Stay tuned for further developments.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Ranger]

Hi,

Well, I wasn't crazy about putting my forks back on without fixing them properly. So I called up a couple of my friends (Thanks Ed!) seeking advice. I tried the air pressure trick to pop the seals out. The bicycle pump I had didn't work. So I took a trip down to the gas station and used their air pump. It didn't work either. I went to Home Depot and bought another manual tire pump that looked like to would work. The gauge on it went to 174psi and I figured that would be enough to blow the seals. I brought it home and hooked it up. I pumped and pumped. I pegged the gauge, over 174psi and probably close to 200psi. Nothing! The seal held.

Feeling dejected, I took off the pump connector from the air cap and just held it in my hand, looking at it and thinking, "What am I going to do now?". Then all of a sudden.....

POP!



I was so happy!



After I filled the fork with as much air as I could it took a couple of minutes for the seal to pop. It kind of surprised me. But it was a pleasant surprise.

So I'm going to replace the seals and fix the bolt later, after I've received new parts and assembled the necessary tools. I did not buy OEM seals or the fancy leakproof pro-moly kind so I have a feeling that these seals might not last very long anyway. They are the K&S brand seals. We'll see how they work out.

Stay tuned for further developments.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Just incase it happens again you should buy a HV-HP (high volume, high pressure) road tire pump with a presta fitting and use an adapter to fit a schrader valve. We use it in the regular bike industry and can reach about ~370psi before failure to the pump.

Maybe I'm a little late with that but could be in your write up that I'm sure you're already making regarding this.

[Steve]

P.S. nice nails Lynn

Any guarantee that they were Lynn's?



.

[cowboyup3371]

Any guarantee that they were Lynn's?



.

I would really hope that Cliff has at least trimmed his lately..

[7981GS]

Is it really possible to dig out the old seals and slip the new ones on over the inner fork tube? Have you ever tried it?

BassCliff

Certainly!
After you get them out, drive them in with a piece of plastic pipe that fits over the inner tube.

Daniel

[BassCliff]

Certainly!
After you get them out, drive them in with a piece of plastic pipe that fits over the inner tube.

Daniel

Hi,

Like this?





Now I've got the right fork done!

Unfortunately, the left fork seal, the one that was leaking worse, will not pop out no matter how much air I put in it with my air pump. It's much more stubborn than the other. I've got a friend with a pump that he's used for the same purpose. I'll borrow it tomorrow to see if I can pop it. If not, I'll try to carefully dig it out so that I don't have to ride around with one new seal and one old one.

And the adventure continues. Oh, the joys of working on a 30 year old motorcycle.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BassCliff]

Any guarantee that they were Lynn's?



.

Oh, you guys.

You should know that's not my color.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[DanTheMan]

Oh, you guys.

You should know that's not my color.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Yeah, he likes electric blue with sparklies (he steals it from his daughter's room)

[bonanzadave]

I'll try to carefully dig it out so

Carefully is the key word. I nicked my tube doing it and 3 seals later it still leaks. Maybe wrap some tape around the tube until you get it out.

[Nessism]

How about three small screws in the seal, that way you could pull up on it to assist the air pressure? And speaking of air pressure, 200 psi can be dangerous if something lets go so don't take things lightly.

[salty_monk]

They always take a bit to "pop" usually. About 180psi+ seems to do the really stuck ones. You can "dig" them out carefully. I have.

You can also try tapping them with a screwdriver & hammer to deform the edge where it meets the pipe wall, seems to help loosen them up & let the air pressure do it's job.

I have a 12v impact wrench you can borrow

[BassCliff]

A motorcycle miracle!

Hi guys,

They always take a bit to "pop" usually. About 180psi+ seems to do the really stuck ones.

Indeed! I just got home from a day out with the family, walked in the garage with a couple of pumps borrowed from Ian, and when I saw the fork, the seal was already popped! I left it pressurized all night and checked it this morning but it was still sealed. When we got back from our outing 7 hours later, it had blown open!

Now I can at least finish my fork seal replacement. But I'm not really looking forward to extracting the bolts. It will be an adventure for another day. Look for my fork seal replacement write-up coming to a website near you.

Here she is, all buttoned up and checking the sag.



The sequel will be a dampener bolt extraction guide.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BassCliff]

Hi guys,

It sure is nice arriving at work without fork oil on the forks, tank, horns, etc.



Yes, that's a Tarozzi fork brace.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff