gs500f 2004, got the fork oil seal for the right front, it was originally leaking round the top. Thought it would be a couple hour job, followed the tutorials to the point where i heard you were supposed to put something down in the fork.. but there's nothing to put in to hold the innards from spinning. :icon_question: at this point i took an alens key and hammer to the bottom to see if it would come out...
NOTHING except it lurched and then started spinning with quite a bit of friction
I figured the next day i'd take it to the motorcycle shop and see what their take was...
They said sure they could pop it loose... so standing there for 5 min they didnt have a 7mm hex socket....?! who uses a 7mm hex socket... wtff
so i bought a hex socket and brought it back... NOTHING air hammer just spun it in place... spring in spring out didnt matter... now i'm getting frusterated... they said bring it to a suzuki shop see what they can do...
hour drive to the nearest one so i go down there.. yeah we'll take a look probably be bout two three hours... so i left went home chilled for a bit ... got a call at 4.... no dice... they couldnt get it out either....
Originally they said they thought the bolt was a sae and someone jammed it in there... but then they said it would be filled with red locktite and to heat it up to get it off....
well i tried to heat it up and it spins even easier then before....
i said f%$k it i'll just put oil in it and put it back on just keep the level up (the leak wasnt too bad) and design something to protect oil from getting on the brakes...
well damnit if it doesnt leak from the bottom now...
what the hell should i do probably 6 hours of driving and i still cant get this damn thing to do anything.
honestly ANY advice would be helpful... as a new fork is like 1000 bucks....
the design of the fork changed and you cannot take them apart witrh a hex nut you have to use what looks like a tapered reamer and jam that down the top of the fork no idea why they decided to change the damn design though
Do a search here 500 F forks and see what you get
good luck cheers
So would you think it's still good then ? i mean the fact a motorcycle shop couldn't get it off and then a SUZUKI shop couldn't get it off in 2 hours makes me feel like jamming something tapered isn't gonna work either.
Would drilling out the bottom bolt HEAD allow me to disassemble it? or is it threaded in there.... cause a replacement bolt and oil seal is like 10 bucks which is cheeper then if i f%$k up the tube which would be well over 100
Pics!
Well, I think it would just start spinning if you try to drill it. Yes, with a special tool, you could probably get it done. See: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=57806
All that screwing around has probably damaged the copper washer under the socket head screw, so that's why it's leaking from the bottom. And 7mm??? Either it is standard 6mm that is stripped out, or it is really an SAE screw and you are really "screwed".
It really is a 7mm hex head that fits perfectly in it....
the oil that came out was tan rather then black like in the other side
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17489185@N08/6687365121/" title="2012-01-12_19-31-40_392 by billygoat3, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6687365121_488c8d4827.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2012-01-12_19-31-40_392"></a>
looking in the tube
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17489185@N08/6687363917/" title="2012-01-12_19-29-23_54 by billygoat3, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6687363917_629406a713.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2012-01-12_19-29-23_54"></a>
the bolt on the bottom...
it reads 8.8 with 3 letters on it too
Get a used fork. Not too pricey - I have bought a bunch (don't know why, fork sets just keep piling up).
ONLY real difference between older ones and newer ones is the mount for the reflector. I use Harley stick-on reflectors now on all my bikes (old and new) because I think they look better (browse for my pix and you'll see).
Other internal difference is how you get the fork apart. Old ones: easy. New ones: special tools.
I had a leak on my 92 (red, called Junior) and got a beautiful set of 2009 forks for like $300 and put them on. Got another perfect set with triples for $250 for my project called Phenix.
End your frustration and head aches: get a good used fork. $100-$150 maybe for one. If older style, buy a set of Harley fork reflectors for $12 on flea-bay and remove the little round reflector pucks.
OK - Here's 2009 forks on a 1992 with the Harley fork reflectors. (thanks to whoever it was on this board that got me hooked on these reflectors)
(http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/adidasguy/GS500/DSC01225a.jpg)
so the marking on the other fork bolt is the same... * 8.8 * * A . L . *... and the 7mm fits... i could not find an sae hex that fit in
Assuming the 8.8 is in fact the rating/grade of the bolt that would mean it MUST me metric right?
and if it's metric and the 7mm fits.. what the hell is going on?
the 6 mm spins and doesnt touch the outside.. the 8mm wont fit and the 7mm fits in perfect...
Ok, I guess it can be 7mm. I just thought it was crazy, like you did. So that would be a good thing (SAE thread would totally screw it up).
Someone here got his bolt out by clamping the assembled fork in a vise upside down. Then used a floor jack to fully compress the fork. That was enough to keep the damper from turning. Kinda scary IMO! If the jack slipped.... ouch
spring in or out? i'm down to try this....
i've got another floor jack that isnt holding the bike up now
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6687525593_f41ef58a0e.jpg)
There was a recent post where someone jammed a broom handle down there (though I'd be worried about wood splintering off on re-assembly). If the newer GS's are the same as the SV650, this is what the tool looks like.
-Jessie
(http://www.alpha-sports.com/tools/0327.jpg)
Spring in.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58080
wish me luck, i'll post pictures if i punch a hole though my foot or rip an extremity out... i'll definatly not be above the thing incase it decides to come loose
Just for safety, I'd take something like a large C clamp and wrap it around the fork and vice so if the fork let loose, the clamp would catch on the brake caliper mount and not let it shoot up through the ceiling.
What he's doing is totally what I'd do, just not while recommending anyone else try it haha. Another potential option is to take a ratchet tie down strap, see if you can fit the hooks through the brake caliper mounts and down around a piece of 2x4 on the bottom and see if you can tighten it that way. If the cable slipped off the fork would still pop open, but wouldn't necessarily have the floor to push off of to launch itself.
I used a 16mm nut (15/16ths, or 24mm spanner size) welded to a rod on my 1997 forks, don't know if yours is the same.
Quote from: tt_four on January 12, 2012, 08:55:50 PM
Just for safety, I'd take something like a large C clamp and wrap it around the fork and vice so if the fork let loose, the clamp would catch on the brake caliper mount and not let it shoot up through the ceiling.
What he's doing is totally what I'd do, just not while recommending anyone else try it haha. Another potential option is to take a ratchet tie down strap, see if you can fit the hooks through the brake caliper mounts and down around a piece of 2x4 on the bottom and see if you can tighten it that way. If the cable slipped off the fork would still pop open, but wouldn't necessarily have the floor to push off of to launch itself.
i tried a ratchet tie down actually first. havent gotten around to dragging the 50 pound jack to the basement
yet the ratchet tie down slipped off... i was wearing some pretty good gloves and taking precautions but it still looked like it would sting a tiny bit if it smacked my hand
i'll try it tomorrow with the jack
luckaly the spring's pretty weak compared to a car coilover.. if you've ever seen those go off ooh man
So tried the jack method, nothing all the way down with my dad sitting on the workbench and nothing.
So i called suzuki america and was like what gives... is the 7mm bolt standard or did someone f%$k with it.
anyway they referred me to another dealer and if the dealer couldn't get it to call back and suzuki would either walk them through it or yell at them lol
...the other dealer is ALSO an hour away but when i called the dealer they were POSITIVE they could get it out so it'll be there till atleast monday and we'll find out what's going on then
So got it back today an it was 100+ for labor but that's still cheaper then buying a used or new one...
It would appear that the person who had it before me either stripped the threads on the bolt or something we're not sure but they had to retap the hole and it should be good now, i'll throw it on the bike today and find out for sure
ALL GOOD! front is ALOT stiffer then before and i love it