Fork Circlips ?

[bccap]

Any tips on getting those damn things out !! I bought circlip pliers which expand not contract and I can't get them in there anyway. I have looked around quite a bit and I haven't seen anything remotely like the ones on bikecliffs tutorial. I am just about to pack them up and take them to the shop!! But really wanted to complete the job myself.

[Steve]

We will presume you are talking about forks on a bike, not the ones on your table.

Because this is a site dedicated to Suzuki GS bikes, we can only hope that is what you are asking about.

Different bikes will use different methods for removing the clips, the ones on my 850s will remove with a screwdriver.

.

[jwhelan65]

A small needle nose will work also

[bccap]

What !! You don't have GS tableware ? So getting in there and prying around with a screwdriver is okay ? I guess any damage to the fork tube would be up around the triple tree, as the tube is fully compressed and the outer tube is above the seal, so scratches there are alright too ? But the circlips would be damaged and have to be replaced. Not a big deal but I'm sure they won't be in stock. Mine have 2, one above the other. Think I'll try dremelling a pair of needle nose pliers and jam them in there seeing as I don't have to worry about scratching. Of course I'll have to buff and wash the forks before dinner.

[cowboyup3371]

Why wouldn't they be in stock? You'd be surprised how available some of the hardware is. I don't remember but do you all have something like Ace Hardware up there? It is one of the smaller hardware stores the will carry stuff in singles as well as bulk. Something the big warehouse stores won't do much of.

[bccap]

I guess I am just getting frustrated ! If someone had a video camera in my garage I'm sure I would have won the GS Academy award for comedy. When I took off that cap, and the spring went flying past my head, but the oil got me straight in the face I would have been a shoo in ! Think I'll knock off for the day.

[Steve]

OK, but we STILL don't know what bike you are working on.

As I said, the retainers/clips on my 850s are very easily removed with non-special tools.
The retainer is simply a wavy wire that goes in and out of the groove. (#5 in this picture)



Your retainer might be different, but I have no idea where to look to find out.

.

[bccap]

Ah Ha ! My apologies. It is a 1983 GS750E. There are 2 circlips one above the other. I can only see the top one, and it looks fairly beefy. It is not wire.

[Hammered]

Why wouldnt a set of snap ring pliers work? I redid the forks on my 750 tx and the 650's spare set and used a reversible set I picked up from Sears.

[bccap]

Thats exactly what I purchased. No way was I able to get even one prong in there. Going to buy a pair of curved needle nose pliers and grind them down.

[Big T]

Thats exactly what I purchased. No way was I able to get even one prong in there. Going to buy a pair of curved needle nose pliers and grind them down.

Didn't it come with a variety of tips?

90 degree ones work fine for that

You did pull the tube out 1st?

[bccap]

No I didn't pull the tube out first. Is that what I am supposed to do ? Is a bunch of stuff going to spring out when I do ? I did slide hammer it moderately a couple of times to get the residual fork oil out. But there was definate resistance at the end.