74 GT250 Fork confusion

Horsmann · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:09 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the illustration. Now: is the problem what I believe it to be: brute strength will eventually get the tubes apart? I can't tell from the drawing if there's anything else on the top tube inhibiting its removal.
Anyone care to offer a second opinion on the wisdom of setting a couple of wood screws into the seal and pulling the seal out with same?

Russell · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:50 pm Post subject:

I've always found that holding the fork leg in my hands,once assured that all circlips and retaining bolts are removed, and pulling the fork leg violently 'up' out of the firmly held lower,will shift the seal. The first time you use the fork leg like a slide hammer the loud 'thwack' will be disconcerting but a couple of those 'thwacks' and the seal will pop up and no damage is done at all. You will however be amazed at the 'thwack' made by the fork leg connecting with the rubber coated tin sheet that makes up the seal.

Horsmann · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:27 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Russel.
I've soaked the seal in two different petroleum products and have been yanking/pulling/thwacking like crazy all without success.
There's no circlip in sight. No bolt to remove. Just that blankety-blank seal glued to the walls of the lower tube.
What do you think: drill a couple holes, insert a couple of wood screws and use them to pull the seal out? I haven't opened up the other fork yet; by the time I'm done, I'll know what I'm doing!
Thanks again.
Horsmann

Russell · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:46 pm Post subject:

I'd give it a couple of days with the most potent penetrant you can locate saturating the top of the seal then try the slide hammer bit again with fork leg and outer moving against each other.

I'd be very loathe to attempt to drill into the seal and use screws as its hard to see how you could get the needed purchase on them without risk of putting a mark on fork leg or lowers.Either the Seal's tin inner structure has through corrosion stuck itself to the fork lower or you still have a circlip in there. Some legs I've seen have a flat steel circlip in that place that is quite easy to spot even when caked in gunge,others have a simple sprung wire clip.I haven't read back through the thread to check that you are satisfied that the circlip is out and on the bench where you can see it.I only emphasise this because its a blue I've made myself with a wire clip where for most of the way around the groove it was virtually invisible,having only a couple of indentations in the wire to allow leverage.

I certainly wouldn't hammer it downwards at all as there will be a ledge in the fork lower that the seal seats against.This ledge may have bound itself through corrosion to the lower edge of your fork seal. Good luck.

dorT500 · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 6:22 am Post subject:

Horsmann · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:45 pm Post subject:

Well, I took the fork to the Suzuki dealer in the next town. They pulled the bolt out of the bottom, the bolt of which the manual said "Don't remove this bolt" (manual' text below) If I can't get it right, I'll haul the fork back and say "you took it out; you make it right."
"The guy has 38 years experience" was what I was told.
We'll see when it's time to go back together. Hope the manual is wrong and getting things aligned is the proverbial piece of cake.
I'll keep you posted; time in my life is a precious commodity right now, so I may not be on line again for awhile.
Thanks, guys.
Horsmann

text from manual:
CAUTION
On all GT models, do not loosen the
bolt holding the spring seat in the bottom
of the fork leg. The leg is centered
inside the inner tube; loosening it may
result in a mispositioned seat with resulting
rattling or chattering during
fork operation.

Russell · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject:

Just reading your quote from the manual I can see how you arrived at your interpretation of it. My thoughts are that the manual writers actually meant something like"In normal usage and maintenance of your bike there is no need to loosen these bolts so don't touch."

However fork disassembly is a whole different thing.I don't think you'll have bother lining up the bolt with its hole. The noise you were getting previously as you did the slide hammer thing was the fork 'topping out',a noise you can actually sometimes hear in spirited normal usage. The ridged section on the lower end of the fork stanchion wouldn't have been connecting with the seal when you did the 'slide hammer' thing.Good luck with the rest of the job.

Horsmann · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject:

Thanks Russel
Your comment makes sense and I very much appreciate it!
I'll forge ahead, although time is short for the next six weeks.
Thanks again, all of you.
I'll post a new thread when I get forks together again and tell you how it went.
Horsmann

dorT500 · Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:44 am Post subject:

Maybe not quite two years ago, I sent the T500 inner fork tubes to a company to have straightened. I had suspected that at least one or both were bent just a little. The bike was torn down completely anyway for the frame to be powdercoated so I thought this would be a good time to check out the forks. I found that one was out about .oo8" and the other at least .020". I sent them to this company to have straightened ... http://www.framestraightsystem.com/Motorcycle%20Fork%20%20Repair.htm

perhaps if you send him some pics of your disassembled forks he can add some light on your concerns. Unlike yours, the T500 alignment component is just a "cone", if I remember correctly, welded on the inside of the bottom center of the outertube that the "piston" end (has a guide hole) slips down on for alignment. Also about 3/4 down of the web page(this is not the "Home" page) They mention fork alignment service...this is why I think he may able to add a little more insight...but I would call the toll free number and/or email him some pics or mail him some photos. I would not mind seeing some photos either if you could post them. Good Luck

Edit: Since the inner tubes were not bent badly...I believe I only paid about $55.00 or $60.00.