LEFT TEET!

here is a shot of inside the 04+ forks. Notice anything different?




the magical tool is useless. 

to add unsult to injury,

it seems suzuki has gone and changed the little hex bolt at the bottom of the fork as well. I read it used to be a simple 8mm allen. Now it seems they have gone down to a 7mm. 2 hardware stores later & I cant find a 7mm allen wrench. 

US standard sizes arent working either. 5/16 is too big, and 1/4 is a tad too small. I'm not going to risk it and go with the 1/4 because  it will tear that poor hex bolt to pieces. 

buy it in a kit man ! thats about the only way your gonna get it .. try sears .. or something .. if they dont have it then you might go to a car dealer .. the have tool trucks that com there everyweek . ( at the ford dealer here in texas they have one that runs on wed. and thur. ) but every dealer is diffrent .. your gonna pay more but keep that recipt . its good for life ! ( i always bought my stuff from the cornwell guy . but they have a snapon ,maco,matco ect. that run threw there )

**edit** oh if you have not toched your valves cover allens on top then  .. look for a #6 thats what my 05 is **edit**

yea I've seen those tool trucks... that's a good idea.


I just got a quote from my dealer. $160-190 including parts; just bringing the forks in. Probably more towards the $190.

I told the service guy what I was finding & he said the 04 models were made in Spain so a lot of the parts are different. Yaaay.

If you have a Local Bumper to Bumper they Carry Allen Brand Hex Sockets individually on the rack.You may Also try Napa they usually Carry Allen and KD.

Quote from: Jughead on October 31, 2006, 08:59:55 AM
If you have a Local Bumper to Bumper they Carry Allen Brand Hex Sockets individually on the rack.You may Also try Napa they usually Carry Allen and KD.

yea the hardware stores I've checked carry them individually, but go from 6-8-10. nothing in between. All the key sets that I have found do the same. I have a metric & US set myself but does the same in the higher #s. I'll keep looking I guess.

oh man, that sucks.  I guess you could try a broom handle or, if that doesn't work, drop all the internals back in and let the spring pressure hold the damper rod.  

Quote from: Mandres on October 31, 2006, 09:20:33 AM
oh man, that sucks.  I guess you could try a broom handle or, if that doesn't work, drop all the internals back in and let the spring pressure hold the damper rod.  

yea I think that's my next route. Put everything back in & find some damn airtools 

7mm is a non-standard size for Hex-keys, they are available but you will have to look hard. A lot of European cars use 7mm socket-cap bolts (they are not called allen bolts!) on the brake calipers. Try a specialist automotive tool factor.

http://www.toolsnstuff.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=3397

Quote from: sledge on October 31, 2006, 11:16:29 AM
7mm is a non-standard size for Hex-keys, they are available but you will have to look hard. A lot of European cars use 7mm socket-cap bolts (they are not called allen bolts!) on the brake calipers. Try a specialist automotive tool factor.

http://www.toolsnstuff.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=3397

AHHH THAT"S PERFECT!!!! I was looking for some sort of wratchet-adapter, but they dont carry the "socket-caps" at my local stores. If I can use my wratchet, I'd also be able to extend it with a piece of pipe to break the bolts easily.

Hmmm.... I'll probably have to re-install the springs with oil to get the internal pressure again and hold the fork in place with a vice.... since the magical tool is useless....

then use my extended wratchet to break the bolts....

sound like it'll work? or do you think it'll still spin?

....hmmm.... what about putting the 7mm allen bit in a heavy-duty drill and reversing the spin?  instead of doing it by hand?

Hi there,

I wrote about this subject quite a while ago -- although it was for the original-style fork leg internals. It is good advice for yours, too.

There's an easier way to take the forks apart, and all it involves is a hand-held impact driver that you hit with a hammer. That's how you can loosen the lower fork bolts.
Here's my original Post:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=20119.0

   Re: fork seal removal question
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2006, 09:54:01 PM »
   Reply with quote Modify message
Hi Pres,
You really need to use an impact wrench -- either an air-powered unit or the old standby, a hammer-operated  impact driver which works just great.
I turn the fork tube assembly upside down (with the top nut on a thick rag on the ground to protect it), then put pressure on the fork leg lower, then use my impact driver and hammer to loosen the bolt. I had to cut the arm off an 8mm allen wrench to give me an allen bit long enough to reach all the way into the fork leg to turn the bolt.
Also, IMPORTANT --- be sure to LOOSEN the fork leg  top nut BEFORE you take the forks apart, otherwise you won't be able to hold it and loosen it later unless you clamp it back into the triple clamps. Save yourself the hassle and loosen the top nut before you take everything apart.
This is NOT a bad job.
Once you remove the lower bolt, the lower fork leg pops right off the inner fork tube and pulls the seal out after you pull it sharply several times.
Let us know if you need more help.

Good luck.
This is very simple to do with the right tool.

Best wishes,
Todd

If you are going to use hex-bits in impact guns/drivers make sure the bit is suitable for use in with those tools. Not every hex-bit is and if you do take the chance and do snap it and it gets stuck in the bolt head your headed on a one-way trip up shaZam!-street. I have seen it happen but on a stainless-steel pump casing and not with forks. As a result I quickly made some good friends at a local spark-errosion company. Note on the link I posted it states "Not suitable for use with impact drives". Impact bits generaly cost considerably more than non-impact bits, probably due to the much tougher steel that is needed.

buy a single allen wrench in size 7mm form ebay.spain....