How do you remove the front forks

[Cowboy]

Need help from someone who has replaced the front fork springs and the steering head bearings. I have removed the fairing, front wheel, front fender and now would like to replace the steering head bearings. Does anyone have the correct tool for adjusting the bearing? How involved is it to replacing the fork springs or just remove the forks and have someone do it?

 

Please advise with thoughts!

 

Thanks

 

Cowboy

[GeorgeS]

How many miles is on this bike??? If well over 50K you may also need to re-lubricate

the fork steering head bearings.

 

The Springs, come out easy, just remove the top caps from each fork tube, pull out the springs.

 

Getting the old oil out of the 2nd gen forks not so easy, as they do not have a drain screw as do the 1st gens ( I think I am correct on that point )

Sombody said you can remove the large bolt at bottom of tubes to drain the old oil.

 

Before you Loosen the Steering head bearing Nuts, be SURE to MARK the Nuts, in Ref: to there current setting, so that on Re-Assembly, you can get them Close to the correct

RE-SET Torque setting.

 

Have you done a driveing check for " Head Shake " ???? Drive on straight level road, at different speeds, take both hands OFF bars, and see if head shake starts to happen. IF so, you need to " slightly " tighten the Head Nut, ( very little ) at a time and retest, until you get it correct, and NO More, Head Shake. !!

 

Are you now haveing a problem with " Head Shake " ?????

 

More info please, How many miles on the bike, what condx are the tires in, how much air press do you run, what brand of tires are you useing ??? :confused24: :detective:

[Cowboy]

2004 RSV with 97,787 miles

I have replaced the rear shock with a works heavy duty spring.

I have been running Avon Venoms with 41 psi front & 44 psi rear

I have noticed in the last few thousand miles that I get a rear end wobble with a down hill sweeping curve at anything over 50mph

Since the bike has close to 100,000 I figured it could not hurt to replace all wheel bearings, replace the head steering bearings, replace the swing arm bearing & new front fork springs.

 

Need to know what part numbers I need for the forks & what weight fork oil?

 

Wondering if someone has the correct tool to torque the head steering bearings down properly!

 

Thanks

[GeorgeS]

On the fork bearing torque, all you need to do is the " fall to stops " test.

with bike on lift, set torque till the forks will not Fall, to the Stops, then loosen,

the nut untill it will just slowly fall to the stops. But, Does Not , flop, to the stops

as they say. Do ride test, check for head shake, if head shake, then add about 2 degrees of rotation to the big nut, and re-do the drive test.

 

Replacing front and rear, wheel bearings, and swing arm bearings, good idea !!! at 100K . Yes, I would do that.

 

Swing Arm,??? well, maby just a good greese job will do for them.

 

As long as its all apart, consider replacing the oil seal on rear end of the drive shaft.

 

At 100K, I would also consider replaceing the U-Joint also ( especially--- if, you pull out the swing arm to do the bearings )

 

And, of course, new fork springs, if they are over 50K !!! ( Progressive , of course )

 

Don't forget to remove, and clean, and greese the linkage assembly under the rear shock unit !! While you have it out, also good idea to install ZERK fittings, to the shock, linkage assembly. Easy to do,

[V7Goose]

(snip)

Sombody said you can remove the large bolt at bottom of tubes to drain the old oil.

 

Before you Loosen the Steering head bearing Nuts, be SURE to MARK the Nuts, ... (snip)

The information above is not quite correct. First, DO NOT remove the lower bolt in each fork - this holds the internal shock mechanism in place, and if you remove it, you need a special tool to re-install. To get rid of the oil, just turn the forks upside down after you remove the springs. Do pump them good to force the old oil out of the mechanism.

 

Second - no need to mark the bearing nuts at all - no value in this. See below.

 

On the fork bearing torque, all you need to do is the " fall to stops " test.

with bike on lift, set torque till the forks will not Fall, to the Stops, then loosen,

the nut untill it will just slowly fall to the stops. But, Does Not , flop, to the stops

as they say. Do ride test, check for head shake, if head shake, then add about 2 degrees of rotation to the big nut, and re-do the drive test. (snip)

The information above is excellent advice ONLY if you have not replaced the bearings (or even removed the steering head completely from the bike). Proper bearing preload allows the forks to fall off to either side under their own weight (with the tire and wheel in place) and hit the stop ONCE - a little bounce back is OK, so long as the fork does not fall back to the stop a second time. When doing this test, be sure to try both sides, as a bit of binding from the cables or wires around the steering head can mask a loose bearing.

 

But if you have removed the steering head (and ESPECIALLY if you have replaced the bearings), the adjustment first needs a high torque setting to properly seat the bearings, then back off the nut and re-set according to the above instructions. The proper torque value is in the shop manual for this procedure, but I do not think it is critical - you are not going to hurt the new bearings by cranking them down good the first time as long as you are not using a large 1/2" ratchet or a cheater bar on your wrench!

 

If the bearings have been replaced, then it is still common to have a bit more "settling" on them withing the first 5,000-10,000 miles, so be sure to re-check the slop on the next couple of oil changes. This is the same reason why just about every 2nd gen I have seen has had loose steering head bearings within the first 10,000 miles.

 

Finally, be sure to properly torque the cap nut on the top of the steering head before you put those handlebars back on - that is the only thing that 'locks' the steering head bearing nuts in place.

Goose

[Cowboy]

Any ideas on which progressive springs need to replace the OEM?

Any special tools needed to replace springs?

Anyone in Georgia or close to Ellijay, GA. ever done this?

Beer and Steak dinner would be a easy to arrange, even overnight accomodations in the Shoemaker INN !!

 

Goose, How do I get torque on the new head steering bearings. What type of tool is required?

 

Draining the front forks from the bottom. Why is a special tool needed? Would that special tool be the Damper Rod Holder & T-Handle?

 

I think it is to late! I have already drained the forks from the bottom and re installed the bolt.

Do you think I might have damaged the Damper if I did not have the correct tool? Is this the correct thinking for not draining from the bottom??

 

Thanks to all

[Cowboy]

Looks like I need to purchase the 11-1144 Progressive Springs?

 

Question will I need any spacers for the new springs or is it a direct swap?

 

Question what weight fork oil should I use?

 

How would you fill the fork up with oil and replace the cap? The spring that is in mine now sticks up and trying to press it in place and screw it on was not working for me. Must be wimp!

So without the oil I fit the cap in the vise and turned the fork horizontally and pushed and turned at the same time until the cap threaded itself.

Not sure but I know that it will not work like that when I put the oil in it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[RedRider]

Looks like I need to purchase the 11-1144 Progressive Springs?

 

Question will I need any spacers for the new springs or is it a direct swap?

 

Question what weight fork oil should I use?

 

How would you fill the fork up with oil and replace the cap? The spring that is in mine now sticks up and trying to press it in place and screw it on was not working for me. Must be wimp!

So without the oil I fit the cap in the vise and turned the fork horizontally and pushed and turned at the same time until the cap threaded itself.

Not sure but I know that it will not work like that when I put the oil in it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I took mine to a shop to have the springs changed out. I believe stock is 5W fork oil. However, as I am a little heavier than the bike design target, I used 15W in the front forks. If I recall correctly, the spacers come with the springs. Replace all seals and slide bearings in the forks also.

 

RR

[RedRider]

The information above is excellent advice ONLY if you have not replaced the bearings (or even removed the steering head completely from the bike). Proper bearing preload allows the forks to fall off to either side under their own weight (with the tire and wheel in place) and hit the stop ONCE - a little bounce back is OK, so long as the fork does not fall back to the stop a second time. When doing this test, be sure to try both sides, as a bit of binding from the cables or wires around the steering head can mask a loose bearing.

 

But if you have removed the steering head (and ESPECIALLY if you have replaced the bearings), the adjustment first needs a high torque setting to properly seat the bearings, then back off the nut and re-set according to the above instructions. The proper torque value is in the shop manual for this procedure, but I do not think it is critical - you are not going to hurt the new bearings by cranking them down good the first time as long as you are not using a large 1/2" ratchet or a cheater bar on your wrench!

 

If the bearings have been replaced, then it is still common to have a bit more "settling" on them withing the first 5,000-10,000 miles, so be sure to re-check the slop on the next couple of oil changes. This is the same reason why just about every 2nd gen I have seen has had loose steering head bearings within the first 10,000 miles.

 

Finally, be sure to properly torque the cap nut on the top of the steering head before you put those handlebars back on - that is the only thing that 'locks' the steering head bearing nuts in place.

Goose

 

Goose, as usual, brings the required tech notes. Well done.

 

One slight addition - While putting the high torque on the steering head bearings to seat them, rotate the head back and forth. The rotation of the tapered rollers allows them to straighten up on the races and seat against the rear rib.

 

After the final setting, rotate a few times and re-test.

 

RR