Forks Help
 

Hi All,

Just in the middle of replacing my fork seals.
And cant get the damn dampening allen key bolt out from the bottom.
Have reassembled to put pressure on the dampener but it just turns still. :(

Any ideas?

Cheers.

Re: Forks Help
 

I had that trouble to... lesson learnt for next time undo the bolt before you start.

I did what you've done and re-assembled the fork and then with a spanner on the end of the allen key which I used a bit like a breaker bar, I was able to undo the bolt.

HTH

Re: Forks Help
 

Are you trying a normal allen key? If so use an allen socket on a wrench thats a good fit (you don't want to round the bolt off!!). You can buys these at Halfords for about £6.00. Then use a hammer to give the wrench a sharp blow to 'shock it'. Alternatively take it to a garage and use an airgun.

Good luck

Re: Forks Help
 

If its just turning, mabey you can try shocking the bolt out, sounds odd i know, but what i mean is with the tool on the allen bolt, hit the end of the bar (anti-clockwise) with somthing, there is lock thread in there and i found that it helped with loosning the bolt, also when tightning it up, i found that the damper just rotated, again hitting the bar i was able to tighen it up to the point it was not rotating by itself.

Take caution though, small steps.

Re: Forks Help
 

Yep got all the right tools.
Well reassembled and tried shocking it etc with a blow from a hammer.
And still turns, nearest garage is a fair distance, shes got the car. :(

Re: Forks Help
 

I will try that TSM, cheers.

Re: Forks Help
 

Is it a case of the bolt just won't turn as in seized in the leg or are all the the fork internals turning as you try to undo the bolt? If it's seized solid then get an impact driver (Halfords Proffessional range Cheap and good stuff)
then use as the other poster said an allen socket and try to shock it out. If the whole of the middle bit is turning then try wrapping the upper stanction in a cloth, grip it in a vice, not too tight or put it back in to the yokes, tighten the yokes then undo it. I aint worked on forks for these so I can't be specific if there's a means of holding the internals still whilst the forks tops and springs are removed.

Re: Forks Help
 

wow three posts at once. On Yam forks there's a supposedly special tool to hold the lower fork internals in place, basically it's a big allen key. To get round this we use the end of a wooden brush steel,
tapered to be slightly smaller at the end then the socket to which it fits, then drift it in to the bottom of the leg. This holds the fork internals so you can grip the brush steel in a vice an undo the bolt

Re: Forks Help
 

Hi Chris,

The fork internals are turning. Even if i hold the stanction the insides still turn.
I can see that an impact wrench will just spin everything to be honest.

Little stuck now. :)

Re: Forks Help
 

Then it would appear that there should be a tool for holding the bottom of the internals in place, does this site have a manual where there is an exploded view of the legs? Can you see if there's is a socket shaped hole inside the leg lower?