[Sumran]

I just had one package that took seven days to go from Washington to California and one that took fourteen days California to Washington. Same delay statement.

The motorcycle seems more than willing to help make the delivery a non-issue! Finally got the steering head bearings in place but it took all my work time for today. I have a set of bearing race drivers. Nothing in the set came close to being the right size. So I got to play the game of scrambling around trying to find something in the garage that would get the job done. After several failed attempts I finally got them seated.

Grateful to have it in. Meetings tonight and day job tomorrow...

 

[Sumran]

It appears that the seals will be delivered today. Now I can move directly to the fork rebuild, once I find the elusive handlebar bolt.

Actually, not quite directly. I discovered that a previous mechanic used the wrong bolt for some of the brake line system. I knew the previous owner had the brake hoses replaced (by a dealer). Something was not assembled correctly. Either they lost a bolt and replaced with one that was far too long or some bit of support hardware is missing. I will post pics for your experienced eyes when I get home today. Will also consult the factory service manual for clues to the mystery. As is, the lines are not properly secured. If the bolt was tightened more fully, it could damage a brake line.

 

[Sumran]

Didn’t get much time to work last night. Did get the steering stem properly torqued and the lock nut installed. Played with the lines and the top clamp long enough to wish I had taken detailed photos before disassembly. Might have had that thought on previous jobs. Maybe it will sink in one day...

Between the service manual, YouTube videos and physical clues I should be able to get it back together correctly. It will just take an unreasonable amount of time.

 

[Sumran]

Only had 15 minutes to work on the machine yesterday. That is 15 more than I will get today. Schedule is quite full through Thursday but opens up after that.

I did get the top plate in place and torqued to spec. My seals arrived, so that is no longer a limitation. I hope to get the air box and snorkels installed tomorrow. If things go really well I may also locate my handlebar bolt and get the cables back in place.That would leave me a clear run at the fork rebuild on Friday.

 

[Bri720a]

If you are unable to locate your bolt. Typically Ace or Truevalue hardware has a MUCH better selection of bolts, including stainless and chrome.

 

[Sumran]

Quick update: the triple tree is back in place and finished. The bolt that I knew was not right was supposed to be threaded into the frame to support the lines. The dealer mechanic must have forgotten to put it back in. All my lower brackets are bolted in place and I have replaced the missing fasteners. Hoses and cables are properly routed and clamped in place. New air filter and covers are installed. Sloppy wiring for accessories is cleaned up. The wandering handlebar bolt is recovered and I now know the secret place (the recess on the top of the engine block just behind the timing cover). Handle bars are installed and torqued to spec. All in all, good progress on very limited time. Especially since I had to figure out mysteries left behind by previous mechanics

One of our kind members reached out and sent me a set of OEM caliper bolts. Said he had excess spares. Very helpful!!

On to the forks themselves! Won’t get to do anything tomorrow. Perhaps on Wednesday.

 

[Sumran]

Ugh! The emotional and financial price of an education. I had ordered an All Balls fork seal and dust seal kit before I started this project. Little did I know that it does not contain all the parts needed. The fork tubes were pitted, which is what caused the leakage to begin with. There is visible damage to the seals where the worst pitting travels through the seals. So they all need to be replaced. Too much work to do it twice.

I ordered the complete kit from Wingstuff. What I would have done from the start had I known better. With Christmas shipping crush, it will be some time before I get my seals in hand. Live and learn.

 

[Sumran]

Finally got my complete seal kit on Monday. Unfortunately, that was the same day my vacation time was up and I was back at work. So little has been done. I did get the left side started. Got the items reassembled and the cartridge bolted in.

I think I will be happy with the end result but I must say the Progressive Suspension instructions are not great. The instructions are not consistent with some factory specs, like the torque value on the retaining bolt that goes into the tip of the cartridge. It says to use the factory spec so I did. They tell you to torque the bolt, but the cartridge spins, making that impossible, unless you get a vice grip on it. There is a surface you can use for this but there are many spots that could damage the cartridge if you grabbed them. They assume you are going to install the full compliment of seals but don’t tell you to do so. It is a modified system and some parts don’t go back in, so it would good if they were more clear. They give a precise fluid measurement as a “do not exceed” value. However, it is intended as a exact amount to install. There are discrepancies between the instructional videos they put out and the written instructions. Probably due to specific model years but it is important to know you can’t just go by the video.

I am not unhappy with the product. Just sharing info so others can avoid mistakes or queasiness during the install. I did verify correct values and clarify the fuzzy instructions with their technical support.

 

[Sumran]

Left fork (the more complicated one) is done and ready for install. I made mistakes and got to do some parts of the job twice. Now that I understand how it goes together, it would be a fast job. Won’t get to do the other fork until Thursday.

Hope to get the machine back on the road this weekend.

 

[Sumran]

Not much of picture, but when you have been walking past a forkless motorcycle for a few weeks, it is exciting!

 

[Sumran]

After several days of trying and failing to get tires mounted on my rims, I broke down and had an independent shop install them. $30 and they were done on a few minutes while I waited. Felt a little silly given the amount of money spent in setting up a tire changer with various tools to go with it.

I learned two things (other than letting a tire expert install your tires). One, the tire spoons they sell at HF are inferior to the ones he used. His were much stronger and had a far more useful contour at the end. Two, my tire mounting station is much too high. Needs to be below my waist to get proper leverage for the job. With the HF tire changer and motorcycle attachment it is much higher than that.

Will post pics tonight after work.

 

[Buzzard68]

Tire changing is a learned art. Getting the bead that you are working on into the recess in the middle of the rim is everything, There are clamps made for that, but a willing helper is as good. Great tire irons and lubrication round it out. I will never forget a scene years ago, I was at a World Superbike race near Toelle, UT. A major tire changer company had a booth there. They had attractive gals in skimpy swim suits throwing tires on and off rims with reckless abandon. None of those tires has a bead in them. It was worth watching, none the less.

 

[Sumran]

I will figure it out eventually. Today I paid for a lesson. And my lesson was less expensive than it was for the guys that bought that tire machine at the superbike race.

 

[Sumran]

 

[Sumran]

Need to get the dynabeads installed and get the new bearings put in the front wheel. Then the rotors go back on before reassembly begins. Will get so better pics once they are mounted.