DIY fork service.

[jace]

Id love to have ago at servicing forks,but never been game enough.I'm sure that if I got shown how to do it once,I'll pick it up easy...

I've got an Idea...
Why not make a small RATs social event out of this?:n:

If someone knows how to do this procedure,It would be a great Idea to get a small group of say no more then 10-15 & show us how its done.Perhaps a few beers & a bqq while we're at it too or even Pizza...:ayyy:

what do you guys reckon?

[dazzler]

schucks jace your an ideas man there

i'd be keen to get my brakes done too....

[jasonbw]

What do you mean by service? Just changing oil and springs? That's possible!

[tempest161]

hhhhmmmmm.... sounds like a good idea

[jace]

What do you mean by service? Just changing oil and springs? That's possible!

Yeah mate just the basics.

We would not be working on any ones bikes.

Would have to practice on forks already pulled out of bike hopefully some one can donate a couple of sets of forks any type & break up in groups of fours & every one gets a go & gets their hands dirty.

This will not be an excuse to get your bike worked on,strictly a learning session.

[tempest161]

i got a set that needs a going over out of the CBRF4. more than happy to rip 'em out.

[jace]

i got a set that needs a going over out of the CBRF4. more than happy to rip 'em out.

ok, thats one set,bring your oil & seals with ya..:ayyy:



.

[zRoYz]

Ok don't wish to dampen the do it yourself projects but here are some things to consider.

When you change out fork springs it is wise to have the valving adjusted to suit which unless you really know what your doing is best left to a suspension guru.

Modern inverted forks can be a right pain to strip apart without a purpose built spring compression tool to be able to get to the shaft lock nut & with more forks using nylon spacers it isn't hard to do damage without it.

If it's just a oil change it is still wise to strip forks apart to make sure everything is clean & no sludge is left so spring compression tool still needed but allot easier if not inverted forks.

To strip forks apart you will need replacement seals & to install them without damage you need the correct tool so even pressure is applied when installing so they go in level with even pressure. If you have a lathe it is easy to make this tool.

So in reality if you open end caps & your oil is very clean you probably don't need to change it & would be the only time I wouldn't completely strip forks, but then you wouldn't need to change it. Fork oil level is measured without spring so again spring compression tool makes life easy if you do wish to change it without striping forks. You can try the volume method but this is very hit & miss as what is in manual is for standard internals & you might not know if your springs etc have been changed which has an effect on level. You can try tipping old oil out to measure volume but again was it done properly before or has there been a leak etc.

[jace]

Ok don't wish to dampen the do it yourself projects but here are some things to consider.

When you change out fork springs it is wise to have the valving adjusted to suit which unless you really know what your doing is best left to a suspension guru.

Modern inverted forks can be a right pain to strip apart without a purpose built spring compression tool to be able to get to the shaft lock nut & with more forks using nylon spacers it isn't hard to do damage without it.

If it's just a oil change it is still wise to strip forks apart to make sure everything is clean & no sludge is left so spring compression tool still needed but allot easier if not inverted forks.

To strip forks apart you will need replacement seals & to install them without damage you need the correct tool so even pressure is applied when installing so they go in level with even pressure. If you have a lathe it is easy to make this tool.

So in reality if you open end caps & your oil is very clean you probably don't need to change it & would be the only time I wouldn't completely strip forks, but then you wouldn't need to change it. Fork oil level is measured without spring so again spring compression tool makes life easy if you do wish to change it without striping forks. You can try the volume method but this is very hit & miss as what is in manual is for standard internals & you might not know if your springs etc have been changed which has an effect on level. You can try tipping old oil out to measure volume but again was it done properly before or has there been a leak etc.

I understand what you saying Roy...

As I stated in my second post this not an excuse to get your forks done.If you wish to do so, you will be the only one doing it @ your own risk.

I would prefer to get a hold of a set of unusable forks purely for practice purposes.

The whole idea of this exercise is to get the confidence to do it yourself....:ayyy:

[studricho]

I've held a service day here for the CBR 250 crew. It was suppose to be 5 carby over hauls and balance which with the right tools at a steady careful pace takes about 2 hours.

35 bikes turned up, 14 wanting a carby clean and balance...It was a very busy day..

Lucky I had some great helpers and together we had nearlly all bikes running sweet again.

I also helped with an Illawarra riders service/info day and although it wasn't so much service there was lesson on picking up a dropped bike, changing oil, cleaning/lubing chain and I talked on the art of buying a bike.

It was a great day complete with a BBQ.

http://www.cr-x.org/cbr250/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50070&whichpage=10&SearchTerms=service,day

Here's a link to the service day at my place...

Before you ask, yes I'm married and my wife is understanding. I also live in a light industrial zone, so no one could complain about noise.

I'd be more than happy to attend and give some buying/selling tips. It would have to be mid January onwards as I can't ride/drive yet. (back operation)