So I'm in the process of a fork rebuild and am at the point where I put in new oil and then should stick the spring, washer, spacer, and cap on.  I put it all together without the oil in just to see how hard it is going to be to get the cap on, and it seems like it will be way to difficult to do.  I haven't had any luck with searching the forum, but are there any tips out there for how to compress the spring enough to get the caps on?

Thanks
Mike

It helps if you can get someone to hold the upper tube while you cap it.You can wrap the tube with a shop cloth, and put it in a bench vice about 4 inches below the top.Just becareful with the vise.It can oblong the tube where it squeezes the tube.

I've never had a problem, just takes a little muscle   

-Jessie

Hi there,
Actually, I wouldn't put the tubes in a vice. Bad idea.
Instead, I sit on a chair, hold the fork inner tube between my knees and use a T-handle and a socket to push the fork cap, spacer and spring down at the same time, until I get the cap started.
It's not really that hard to do.
You can also reinstall the fork legs into the triple clamps and then reinstall the front wheel, then you'll have an easier time pushing the cap down with the T-handle and socket.
Remember to cover the gas tank with thick, soft towels and extra padding in case something slips.
It takes some time to finesse it all together, but I wouldn't put the legs into a vice.
You are asking for trouble.

Best wishes,
Trwhouse

I usually push down on the cap, and spin the tube. Once you have it threaded, you can use a wrench. You might also check to make sure you don't have too much pre-load. The more preload you have, the harder it is to push down the cap.

To get fork caps back on I use box-spanners for the smaller ones, or for larger ones like those on the GS a socket and a sliding T-bar. Position the socket in the middle of the bar and hold the bar with two hands, one either side of the socket. Position the fork vertically and you can press down uniformly holding the cap square onto the tube.........similar to TWs method.

Given you are having problems it might be a good idea to try the cap without the spring to ensure the threads are not damaged.

DONT put the tube anywhere near a vice  :icon_eek its not worth the risk:. Its only thin-wall tube and if it sees more than a few thou` distortion its screwed

As others have said, the best way to hold the fork tube is in the triple clamps (they happen to be about the right size!). DO NOT use a vice, if you pad it well to prevent scratching, the tube will tend to slip and then when you tighten the vice there's a good chance of distorting the tube.
I just put the front end back together without the springs etc, including the front wheel and then fit the springs spacers and caps. You obviously need the bike to be on the centre stand and well supported under the sump so the forks stay fully extended. Just take care you don't cross-thread the cap. It might help to have a friend stabilize the bike by sitting on the pillion seat.

Thanks all - just need a little muscle is what is sounds like.  Hopefully I'll be able to get it taken care of after work and back on the road!

Put the bike on a jackstand (presumably you've done this to disassemble anyway) so the forks are fully extended, put the tubes in the triple clamps, and be careful not to cross-thread the caps as you screw them in. The only way I'd see this as "way too difficult" would be if you have the fork compressed, or are using huge spacers (lots-a-preload). It was dead easy, as I recall.

I'm starting to think that I do not have them extended for some reason.  I'll have to play with it after work.

A little tip. Without the spacer in, start the fork cap on the tube. Now, sloooowly unscrew it while maintaining a little upwards force. Feel the point where the threads disengage, and then use a sharpie to put an alignment mark on the cap and tube. Now when you go to start it you can orient the cap a few degrees CCW of the thread engagement point, which makes it easier to get a full turn on the cap before you have to release it to regrip. Much less likely to cross thread the cap if you do it this way.

Quote from: burning1 on June 30, 2011, 07:55:16 PM
I usually push down on the cap, and spin the tube. Once you have it threaded, you can use a wrench. You might also check to make sure you don't have too much pre-load. The more preload you have, the harder it is to push down the cap.

This would be my guess. I had the same issue, had way too much preload.

After using a vise for nearly 15 years to do forks,I think I should stop.All 30 something I have done don't leak or have any issues.I guess I'll quit using my bench vise now.

Thanks for the help - I had them fully compressed which is why I couldn't get it - once I extended them it was no problem to finish the job.  I should have figured that out but didn't so thanks all.