Fork issues.. help please.

[Ade B]

It appears to add insult to injury, following the almost complete shedding of the paint to the fork brace over the last few cleans, I have now popped a fork seal on the LH leg

From a search on here it appears that the tinkering involved may be within my grasp, I have few questions for the knowledgeable amongst you.. (without prejudice naturally.. )

1. does this require immediate removal of the bike from the road and emergency surgery or can I carefully ride around London for the next few days till the weekend without damaging anything (including me)?

2. I have no garage or centre stand but a reasonable collection of tools, jacks and various blocks of wood... is this something that can be tackled al fresco in the back yard - can make do with the car/Vespa for a bit whilst the S is out of commission?

3. As it looks like I have to take the front to bits, it would seem a good idea to get the fork legs and brace refinished - is this easy to do and does anyone have any recommendations for finishes and companies in the SE?

4. Should the above be beyond me, any idea how much it would cost to get it done by others?

Advice most appreciated..


Ade

ps. still waiting for power socket from SPC.....

[bigblackfalco]

You can carry on riding the bike.The oil is only really there as a lubricant and the chances of all of it being expelled from the fork leg are small.
The only things to worry about are ensuring that you put the correct amount of oil back in when you put the new seal in and that the bike is at normal riding(forks under load without rider) position when you tighten the fill plug at the top of the tube.
Failing to observe these 2 points will result in strange handling and incorrect front ride height/eventually resulting in early demise of the same seals due to the extra air/fluid within the fork tube.
Do the job yourself.It is very easy.
Ensure you have all tools/oil/new seals/o rings/crush washers to do the job before you start!
Ensure bike is well supported in upright position.
Undo top triple clamp/handlebar clamp bolts.
Undo fill plug at top of tube to ensure no vacuum when you slide fork stanchion out.
Slide the stanchion upwards.It is not connected with the fork tube(is floating).*BE CAREFULL AT THE POINT WHERE STANCHION EXITS THE SLIDER AS THE OTHER FORK WILL PHSICALLY PULL ON COMPLETE ASSEMBLY/MAKE SURE YOUR HANDS DON'T GET PINCHED!
Pull stanchion clear of fork tube and remove from top triple clamp.
Lever dust seal/oil seal out of fork tube with suitable fat screwdriver or tyre lever.
Cover new seals in clean oil.
re-insert lightly and drift in with suitable sized socket piece.
Slide fork stanchion back into fork slider and fasten exactly how you found it.
Fill with correct level of oil.
Take bike off supports so forks are under load(DO NOT SIT ON IT!)
Tighten fill plug.
Take for cautious test ride.
HTH.
Bailey.

[bigblackfalco]

If you took to a stealer,bill would prob be at least £400.00 as they would insist taking complete front off bike.
Bailey.

[Ade B]

thanks for the rapid reply...

stupid question - do I need to do both together (although I suppose it makes sense as its not double the work...)

I'm guessing that when I remove the supports to load the front prior to tightening fill plug, my assistant (read wife) will be able to hold the bike steady ie. this bit's not a 4 handed job and won't take long.

will peruse the manual this evening....

any thoughts on the legs/brace?


Cheers,
Ade

[bigblackfalco]

Due to the simple nature of the job,I would only fix what is damaged.
Yeah,you just need someone to steady the bike whilst you tighten the fill plug.
Unless you are really that bothered by aesthetics I wouldn't worry too much about the lower fork sliders/fork brace paint.If it does bother you,then how about looking for some spares on ebay(not like it's an emergency),then send off to be 2 pac'd by a pro.When you get the new bits back and on the bike,then you can offload the spare bits on ebay again or maybe a few other riders on here would be up for doing a mass fork refurb?That way you might be able to negotiate a decent price with the guy who does the 2 pac work?
Just an idea anyway!
Bailey.

[Jason M]

thanks for the rapid reply...

stupid question - do I need to do both together (although I suppose it makes sense as its not double the work...)

I'm guessing that when I remove the supports to load the front prior to tightening fill plug, my assistant (read wife) will be able to hold the bike steady ie. this bit's not a 4 handed job and won't take long.

will peruse the manual this evening....

any thoughts on the legs/brace?


Cheers,
Ade

Ade - I blew one of mine hitting a cutting/mend in the road at high speed on a corner riding accross the USA (I think I was in Colorado somewhere near Pikes Peak at the time) - I rode all the way back to NY then back around in the UK for a while before changing it so don't worry about it. Like Bailey says, it's simple to fix, but if you want to get the other bits powder coated too you'll need a few more tools (like a 21mm open spanner + 7mm (I think) hex socket to get the front balljoint off etc) but it's still not difficult if you can support the front of the bike. I used a piece of domestic 40mm waste pipe and a spare washer to drift the new seal in, but you couldn't do this with the fork on the bike. I bought a litre of the proper BMW for oil for about a £10 (I've got a load spare if you can be bothered to come and get it) from a dealer. My advice re the correct amount of oil is to buy yourself a big 200mm syringe off ebay and use that

Jason

[bigblackfalco]

I bought a litre of the proper BMW for oil for about a £10 (I've got a load spare if you can be bothered to come and get it) from a dealer. My advice re the correct amount of oil is to buy yourself a big 200mm syringe off ebay and use that

Jason[/quote] for specialist BMW oil read car Automatic gearbox/power steering oil like Dextron(the red stuff) or similar as told to me by the service manager of a main stealer!
Bailey.

[winger]

Bailey has covered all the angles,but really is a doddle to do,more hassle getting spanners out!.

[Ade B]

ordered the bits and hope to sort the thing this weekend...

amusingly, according to the manual

'No oil changes required during services, unit is maintenance free'

will let you know how I get on..

Ade.

[boxerpan]

the oil in there is only to stop it rusting solid.......leave it well alone

[Harry]

As for refurbing the fork legs and fork brace,
front wheel off, mudguard off (1 screw is above front wheel - CARE: small hex bolts from mudguard to fork leg are made of cheese), masking tape and newspaper all over everything else, metal flake spray and lacquer from halfords, 3 coats of each. Job jobbed.

[Ade B]

the oil in there is only to stop it rusting solid.......leave it well alone

would love to but rather a lot is dripping down the LH leg.... it just looks wrong..

as it appears that I don't have to dismantle the front, I think that the paintwork will stay flaky for the time being.

Cheers again

Ade

[Ade B]

All the bits finally turn up (including power socket) and its bucketing down...
Wife not keen on bike maintenance in the living room...

Love British weather.

Ade

[Ade B]

have bike fork leg in bits in living room.... (weather can't make its mind up.)

have managed to remove stanchion and seal with a bit of swearing and flexing of bodywork.... how do I drain the remaining oil from the leg given the bike is currently sat on its side stand (no centre stand with an unhealthy looking twist on the remaining rhs fork leg).

I may have missed something obvious but I can't seem to find any kind of drain plug at the bottom of the leg. Do I need to tip the bike upside down or do i have to remove the entire fork???

the bmw CDrom is suitably vague about this stating sagely 'drain oil'....

hoping for a prompt response so I can get the bike out of the living room!

Ade



having thought about this - as the stanchion sleeves over the lower inner stanchion bit - presumably when I slide it back will all the surplus oil already in the lower half escape round the sides allowing me to simply fill it up from the top with the correct amount?.....

[Ade B]

next query... notice the seal is not symmetrical - didn't clock this when removing it - any idea which way round it sould go? It tapers slightly to one side - to assist installation perhaps - will try it that way round I think....

Ade.