straightshooter_la
Registered
This is meant as supplement not a complete set of instructions. I may have some shortcuts that cheep bastages like me can use. If you don't understand anything do not attempt. You could die from this.
1. Get an owners manual. There is a PDF version running around on the Internet if you like me and to cheep to buy it. You’ll need these for all the torque specs. There are also a few sights for KYB shocks on the Internet.
2. Wash the bike. This whole procedure must be done cleanly cause even a speck of dirt in the tiny valve of the fork is going to make it not work correctly.
3. Back the spring preload and rebound damper adjusters all the way out. You may want to write your settings down but you’ll be better off if you follow jinksters advice on suspension settings and start from scratch. I’m 160 pounds and I had just enough adjustment in the preload to get my baby to handle well. More on this later.
4. Get the front of the bike off of the ground. I used a long threaded rod with a big flat washer on the top end that I passed through steering head Then I put a nut on the bottom of it and hung it from a chain hoist in the shop.
5. Remove the fender, brakes, and front tire. In that order.
6. Loosen one of the front forks top and bottom then slide it down just far enough to for the top caps to clear the top tree.
7. Then retighten the lower tree to clamp the tube just enough to turn the top caps just enough to break them loose.
8. Loosen the lower tree and remove the fork. Do not drop the fork on the ground at any time. It’s an aluminum tube and it bends very easily.
9. Remove the top cap while holding the fork upright. Note: There is no spring tension on it so it’s no going to fly anywhere.
10. Dump the oil somewhere suitable by turning the fork over. Careful it’s probably going to stink!
11. Pull the outer tube down to expose the spacer on top of the spring. Note the holes in it.
12. Devise a tool. I used a piece of old chain link fence post. Its galvanized thin wall 2 1/4 inch tube cut about 6 inches long. Drill a hole the same size as the holes in the spacer of the fork. Put the hole about one inch from one end of the fence post.
13. Use two long bolts the correct size to fit in the holes you just drilled and 4 nuts. You want to slip the pipe over your fork then adjust the bolts so that they slip though the fence post and into the holes in the fork spacers. The bolts must not however be tightened against the top cap or inner tube.
14. What you’re trying to do is pull the spacer down and compress the springs far enough to get to the nut on the threaded damper tube. I did this by hand and ended up cursing a lot. The next morning after I was done I thought about it and realized I should have used ratchet straps to pull on the bolts in my fence post to compress the spring.
15. Devise a flat plate with a notch in it just wide enough to fit around the damper rod but not to wide to slip from under the nut tube.
16. Once you got the spring far enough down you should be able slip the flat plate with a notch under the lock nut. Remove your fence post.
17. Use a backup wrench on the lock nut and remove the top cap. Put your fence post back compress the spring enough to remove you flat plate
18. Remove tension from the spring and remove spacer, spring, and spring cap washer.
19. Remove the rebound damper control rod and set it aside.
20. Find a suitable place and pump the threaded inner tube several times to get all the old oil out.
21. Disassembly beyond this point is not necessary. But you can pull the outer tubes off at this point.
22. Replace seals if needed.
23. Replace outer tubes if removed.
24. Refill the fork to the correct level. I over filed mine and pumped it slowly a LOT of times to get all the air out. Then I used the pump top from a spray bottle to remove fluid to get it to the correct height. The fastest way is to measure the siphon tube from the squirt bottle to the correct height the cut it. Pump from the fork until you suck air and you’re done.
25. Reassemble in reverse order
1. Get an owners manual. There is a PDF version running around on the Internet if you like me and to cheep to buy it. You’ll need these for all the torque specs. There are also a few sights for KYB shocks on the Internet.
2. Wash the bike. This whole procedure must be done cleanly cause even a speck of dirt in the tiny valve of the fork is going to make it not work correctly.
3. Back the spring preload and rebound damper adjusters all the way out. You may want to write your settings down but you’ll be better off if you follow jinksters advice on suspension settings and start from scratch. I’m 160 pounds and I had just enough adjustment in the preload to get my baby to handle well. More on this later.
4. Get the front of the bike off of the ground. I used a long threaded rod with a big flat washer on the top end that I passed through steering head Then I put a nut on the bottom of it and hung it from a chain hoist in the shop.
5. Remove the fender, brakes, and front tire. In that order.
6. Loosen one of the front forks top and bottom then slide it down just far enough to for the top caps to clear the top tree.
7. Then retighten the lower tree to clamp the tube just enough to turn the top caps just enough to break them loose.
8. Loosen the lower tree and remove the fork. Do not drop the fork on the ground at any time. It’s an aluminum tube and it bends very easily.
9. Remove the top cap while holding the fork upright. Note: There is no spring tension on it so it’s no going to fly anywhere.
10. Dump the oil somewhere suitable by turning the fork over. Careful it’s probably going to stink!
11. Pull the outer tube down to expose the spacer on top of the spring. Note the holes in it.
12. Devise a tool. I used a piece of old chain link fence post. Its galvanized thin wall 2 1/4 inch tube cut about 6 inches long. Drill a hole the same size as the holes in the spacer of the fork. Put the hole about one inch from one end of the fence post.
13. Use two long bolts the correct size to fit in the holes you just drilled and 4 nuts. You want to slip the pipe over your fork then adjust the bolts so that they slip though the fence post and into the holes in the fork spacers. The bolts must not however be tightened against the top cap or inner tube.
14. What you’re trying to do is pull the spacer down and compress the springs far enough to get to the nut on the threaded damper tube. I did this by hand and ended up cursing a lot. The next morning after I was done I thought about it and realized I should have used ratchet straps to pull on the bolts in my fence post to compress the spring.
15. Devise a flat plate with a notch in it just wide enough to fit around the damper rod but not to wide to slip from under the nut tube.
16. Once you got the spring far enough down you should be able slip the flat plate with a notch under the lock nut. Remove your fence post.
17. Use a backup wrench on the lock nut and remove the top cap. Put your fence post back compress the spring enough to remove you flat plate
18. Remove tension from the spring and remove spacer, spring, and spring cap washer.
19. Remove the rebound damper control rod and set it aside.
20. Find a suitable place and pump the threaded inner tube several times to get all the old oil out.
21. Disassembly beyond this point is not necessary. But you can pull the outer tubes off at this point.
22. Replace seals if needed.
23. Replace outer tubes if removed.
24. Refill the fork to the correct level. I over filed mine and pumped it slowly a LOT of times to get all the air out. Then I used the pump top from a spray bottle to remove fluid to get it to the correct height. The fastest way is to measure the siphon tube from the squirt bottle to the correct height the cut it. Pump from the fork until you suck air and you’re done.
25. Reassemble in reverse order
