not quite... you CAN change standard fork seals without seperating the fork leg... inverted, you must disassemble... that's why I asked... I haven't made the attempt yet on the 954... got frustrated with a different set a long time ago... some dirt bike... must have needed special tools b/c I COULD NOT get them apart with mine... haven't made the attempt since then...

 

I've been riding my bike with blown fork seals for 4 months now, almost every day. Is that bad???????

 

conventional are definately easier...you must unbolt the rebound valave bolt at the bottom to get them apart...with inverted this is not needed to seperate the tubes, however, within inverted type forks there are at least five or six different styles, that I have taken apart, that require different methods to remove the cap from the dampening rod assembily. SOme actually require a special spring compression tool to allow for the nut to be accessed so the cap and internals can be seperated.. As with both conventional and inverted you want to make sure when you put your seal on that you wrap the lip portion where the bushings sit. Its a harsh edge and can damage your seals as they slide over. Tape them up and use a plastic bag to prevent damage to new seals during installations.

To pull em apart. slide up the dust seal...there will be an oil seal behind it,,above the oil seal is a circlip..... remove it,,


Note....loosen your top fork cap while it is in your triple clamp....do not remove...just loosen, after removing your forks this will help you remove that cap without having to fight it or putyour fork tubes in a vise. Conventional loosen the rebound bolt at the bottom and the fluid will come out. Either way with both conventional or inverted the top cap needs to be unbolted from the dampening rod assembily....once this is done conventional can be pulled apart after the rebound bolt valving bolt at the bottom is removed....inverted can be seperated without removal of this bolt......Anyway good luck

oh by the way.....riding with blown fork seals is not good. There are bushings in your forks. One slides on your inner and the other for the outter. These bushings have a special coating and when worn it will be bare metal grinding into your fork tubes.. Not good...then your lookin at new fork tubes....

 

the plastic bag trick is a good idea , never thought of that

 

Conventional forks, like f4i's, require no dissassembly. Pop off the dust seal and the clip that holds the seal in. Take the cap off, or the drain plug out of the bottom, and pressurize the fork with air, about 50 psi. You need to find the right fitting to do this. The seal should pop right out, and you can then re-install.

Inverted require dissassembly. I just did mine again last night. 929 have a 8mm allen in the bottom of the leg that can be a pain if it spins in the fork. Other than that, they do come right apart. And use the plastic trick outlined above or else they will tear.

 

929/954 forks are the easiest of all inverted forks. because the top cap removing from the damperrod is easy and doesn't need spring compression tool, like suzuki's do.

yes it's true that you should loosen the top cap, while it's still on the bike, but remember to loosen top triple clamp bolt, because it causes pressure to the cap thread and is hard to remove if the clamp bolt is tight.

removing the top cap from the damper rod is easy, use little flathead screw driver to remove the small circle clip on the top. raise the pretension adjuster off. you then see 17mm nut and aluminium damper rod in the middle. Manual states that you have to hold the damper rod and open the 17mm. But if it's tight, it's easy to damage the aluminium rod. here's my trick. Do not hold the damper rod. just start to undo the 17mm nut. Damper rod will spin withit for 9 rotations(and looks like nothing happens), but after that the pretension adjuster has reached the top and it loosens up without the need for holding the rod.! damn easy.

tips to keep seals healthy, don't slam down the front. keep forks aligned, so they are paraller to each other. sometimes seals can be cured by piece of paper. push down the dust seal and take peace of paper or film and slide it in the seal, turn around to wipe away dirt. push the dirt seal back.

 

my local shop does it for one hour of labor plus the seal/oil,,,,,(not hooking me up) i just pull it off and take it up there,,,, drop it off and go get lunch,,, then pick it up,,,, just call ahead and make shur they have the seal in stock,,,,, if not pay for the seal, and when it gets there read this post from the begining,,, till you get it right,,,,

 

step by step with pics: http://www.cbrforum.com/m_319192/tm.htm

 

For those who, like me, have not done inverted forks but are capable... i found this... http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/fo...highlight=fork