Fork Removal!!!How Easy Or Hard Is It???

[Barney]

My front forks on the GS need to be overhauled,and to save a bit on labour charges,I would like to take them off myself,then the rest can be done by a qualified bike mechanic.Besides taking the wheel off and removing the front brakes,what is next??Appreciate any input.

[joshr08]

upper and lower triple bolts that hold the forks should be all I dont think you have to pull the handle bars off or anything up top.

[RichDesmond]

Fender needs to come off too, and anything else that attached to the forks.

Easy job as long as you have a way to support the bike.

[tt_four]

Yep, all it takes to support the bike though is the center stand and a 2x4 cut the right length to wedge under the front of the frame.

How much are you looking to pull them apart? It's pretty easy way whether you're just pulling off the change the fluid, or completely rebuilding them. If you're gonna have them apart anyway buy some new fork seals because you might as well replace them while they're apart. The only part I remember being a pain was unscrewing the bolt in the bottom of the fork. As I tried to unscrew it it just twisted the whole thing. Would've been a lot easier with an impact wrench, but I eventually got it. Am I even thinking about the right bike?? I have to be, I don't think I've ever pulled apart any forks other than the GS forks. It was one of my first projects though, and it went pretty well.

[twelvepoint]

About how much time are we talking to replace fork seals and change the fork oil?

Also, I have a little pitting on the chrome fork tubes and I assume it will affect the life of my fork seals, going forward. Should I think about getting new tubes, or is it more a matter of just keep an eye on things, and make sure it doesn't get worse?

Do any GS owners put those accordion boots over the front suspension?

[RichDesmond]

Take some extra fine steel wool and carefully buff those pits. Not too much, you don't want to go through the chrome. You're just trying to smooth out the edges of the pits so they don't cut up the sealing surface of the fork seals.

[twelvepoint]

My bike shop (who are charging me $140 in labor to replace both tires. I know... but I need it done to get a sticker) said it was $500 for them to do the fork seals! No thanks, I'll figure it out myself.

[jrains89]

My bike shop (who are charging me $140 in labor to replace both tires. I know... but I need it done to get a sticker) said it was $500 for them to do the fork seals! No thanks, I'll figure it out myself.

woah woah woah. $140 IN LABOR?  take the wheels and tires to walmart, they will mount the tires for $10 a piece. putting the rear wheel and tire on the bike is not hard at all.

[twelvepoint]

No wal-marts near me with an auto center. Do regular tire places do bike tires normally, or is it more of a special purpose thing?

[Barney]

Thanks guys for your info.This will help alot in getting these forks off,but $140 for labour charges for 2 tyres."WHAT THE F#$*"?At the most,I pay a flat rate of $25,whether it's one or two tyres.I just hope they threw in a free cup of coffee for that price.

[burning1]

$500 is way too much for the service, on or off the bike. Hell, send me the forks and $500, and I'll install emulators and re-spring them for you.

If you've performed a brake service and changed your own tires, a full fork service is probably within the relm of work that you can perform at home. You may have some difficulty getting the fork piston out. Otherwise, it's a pretty simple job.

[twelvepoint]

I'm gonna do the forks myself. Already did the carbs, new battery, chain and sprockets myself, so I don't have an issue with taking on projects. But the tires are the only thing standing in the way of getting a sticker, so I'm gonna bend over and take it, just so I can get riding again.

[jrains89]

regular tire places will definitely do motorcycle wheels and tires if you ask nicely and pay a little more, worked for me. but you will have to pull the wheels off the bike yourself, which is not hard and definitely worth saving a hundred dollars.

[saxman]

Where are you located?

[twelvepoint]

This is in the Boston area. The quote is based on 1 1/2 hrs at the shop rate of $90/hr.