fork oil change

[buellmekg]

I'm racking my brain trying to decide if i want to tackle the forks myself or just pay the $250 and be done with. I'm not a mechanic and my tool selection is limited. I have successfully done an engine rotation and header gasket replacement. All opinions welcomed. I just passed 10k on the dash too so I'm probably just going take care of the wheel bearings while I'm at it.

 

[holleywood]

Just ask youself a few questions... Do you trust you can do the job safely? Do you have the time to do the job? Are you adventurous enough to do the job? Is 250.00 a lot of money to you? Had you rather ride or wrench?

I love my XB. These bikes are simple fun machines to work on but they are also fun to ride. I love doing my own service. I also have two toddlers running around; I don't get to ride often enough; money is tight; and I need peaceful quite garage time just to think.

You mentioned not having tools... This is important. Over the years I have amassed a garage full of tools. Many are one time needed tools that I had to purchase just to complete a job I dove into. I have also had a simple oil change turn into a mess with oil everywhere but in the drain pan because I didn't have the proper filter wrench. Note a screwdriver can remove an oil filter as a last resort but it's not advisable to get to that point.

Any job you do complete will make you feel good and more confident about your bike. Good luck!

 

[holleywood]

Wow! All that long winded advice... Then the kids ruined my train of thought.

Make sure you have a manual. The Buell manuals are great. They are very informative. Then check youtube. A lot of guys out there have posted some great how to videos. Then you can be better prepaired to make a decision if this is a job you want to tackle.

 

[go cytocis]

It's not a job to jump into lightly, but with the manual, the right tools (or home-made facsimiles), & a couple of hours, anyone with moderate mechanical abilities can do the work. Take lots of notes & pics as you disassemble to aid reassembly.

Why are you contemplating the job, may I ask? Do you have a leak? Changing up the internals? I only ask because if it's just routine maintenance, it's not critical that the job gets done immediately. You could defer until winter when you've had a chance to collect the tools you'll need & perhaps more time to do the job right.

If it's a leaking fork seal, try a seal mate, or thin strip of plastic (like a collar-stay) first.

 

[buellmekg]

The only reason I'm contemplating is because the few "pros" I've spoken with make it sound like a "do not attempt" on your own type of deal. I'm just hoping to get the opinions of the community, mainly the guys who've done it. I actually enjoy the wrench time as much as the ride time. I figured the special tools are almost as expensive as the service cost. I'm just learning/teaching myself as I go. If its something someone with my low level of experience can handle then I'll dig into it. I just haven't found enough info online about it to make that call just yet.

 

[monkey6]

I did it for the first time a few months ago. It wasn't that hard at all. I just followed a video of a guy doing it on youtube. Once you figure out how the first one comes apart you'll be fine, and they go back together easy. From Amazon, I ordered the Motion Pro fork seal driver, fork seal bullet, fork oil level tool, and then the fork spring compressor kit from traxxion. It was just under $100 in tools, but worth it to me to learn a new skill. Good luck man!

 

[user_deleted]

having your forks disassembled.....the fluid refreshed along with seals and bushings is always an excellent idea. another possibility along with the excellent advice offered above is to remove both tubes yourself which is relatively easy, order up both sets of bushings and pair of seals from either H-D or ASB....and take them to any shop familiar with cartridge forks, showa assemblies in particular. for a few hours labor they can disassemble, flush, rebuild, reassemble and you reinstall them. would be relatively inexpensive and quick. IMO

 

[go cytocis]

the few "pros" I've spoken with make it sound like a "do not attempt" on your own type of deal

Well, I don't agree with that advice. If you're a complete novice, then do as lunatic suggests above & just remove the forks yourself but have a pro disassemble/reassemble them for you. But if you've rotated the engine & replaced header gaskets already, you're probably capable of servicing your forks too.

 

[Cosworth]

I really enjoy the wrench time, especially on things ive never done before. I just redid my first set of buell forks and it was not as difficult as I had imagined. There is a pretty good video on youtube for how to, id watch it first and see if its something you think you could manage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIe1esOIobQ

 

[rah7777777]

For years I would not touch the forks.

Hydraulics and auto transmissions are pretty much the only things I won't do.

But, I think I'm going to go ahead and do my own forks this next go around. If I can do a complete motor rebuild, I should be able to do my own forks. (Master mechanic before changing careers)

There's a YouTube video that shows it pretty good too.

 

[DesertDog]

I put off rebuilding the forks on my old yamaha for a long time. Finally last month I figured I would give it a shot. There were a few issues due to the age of the bike but it wasn't nearly as hard as I expected. The caps at the top of the fork were so rusted in place it took a week of soaking in pb blaster and a good whack with a deadblow to break them free lol. Other than that it wasn't so bad.

 

[buellmekg]

Youtube and excellent forum write ups got me through the rotation/gasket job. With exception to the compressor and impact in the video above I think I've got it figured out. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[Cosworth]

Just loosen up the components he used the impact for while its still in the tripple clamps, I didnt want to use a impact on them and worked just fine. Just loosen them dont take them apart or you'll have a mess on your hands... well you'll have a mess either way you'd just have it earlier