Tecate 84-85 fork compatibility

[BigGreenMachine]

I got a perfect set of 84 forks off ebay because my 85's had rusty plating. I now have no disk mount on the 84 so can I just switch the 85 disk mount fork body onto the 84 center section and use the 84 seals?

[TeCaTe_MaN]

yes...the shocks are the same, there is a hex bolt on the bottom, just switch the bodys and your good... ;)

[BigGreenMachine]

If I let go the hex bolt will the body come off? Or is it a little more complicated? I guess thats a job for Monday. Thanks

[TeCaTe_MaN]

take the top cap off first and take the spring out, dont lose the spacer on the top of the spring, you need it, then after you take out the springs drain the shock oil, if it was recently replaced you could use it again, but i would replace it, the hex bolt holds the bottom spring in, so take that off, then i think they just slide apart :?

[sean8231]

Make sure that the bike is off the ground before you take the caps off of the forks, the springs are under pressure and will pop the cap off at you if its not lifted..... If your switching over, your probably going to want to change the seals, and absolutely change the fork oil, dont try and re-use old oil, your askin for trouble.... If you need seals, I have a brand new set of the leak-proof seals from denniskirk, if you want em 7 bucks plus shipping....

[Jeb]

Removing the lower allan bolt is not enough to disassemble. There is a big snap ring under the upper dust seals in the lower tube that needs to be removed too.

Also, Make sure and clean all the internals. I agree its a must to Replace seals and oil. If you have trouble and end up needing the special tool to hold the fork internals while you remove the bottom allan screw, look in the back of Dennis Kirk. I saw in their special tools section they have a tool for holding the inside of Kawasaki forks for disassembly. I was looking in their 03 Catalog. Or get it from Kawasaki. First off, try to loosen the allan bolt while the forks are clamped in the triples and the caps are on with the springs inside as normal. This is the best way to hold backup on the upper tubes. If the allan bolt just turns you'll need the backup tool. If it breaks loose (hopefully it will on all 4 fork legs) then pull the forks and proceed with your rebuild.

Please post your results because I was thinking of doing this too.

[BigGreenMachine]

Thanks for the info guys. I already have the springs out but i put it back together and figured id need that special tool to get the apart. Ill try compressing the tube with the springs inside and loosening the hex bolt. I'll let you know if it works.

James

[BigGreenMachine]

Hey Jeb, I compressed the fork and tried the hex bolt but it just spins. I'm going to get the special tool in a day or so. Hope you have better luck than me. :(

James

[Trikeaholic]

on some Hondas its just an M10 Socket head. If I have trouble with them, I just drill the heads off. You can get the forks apart and use a vise grip to remove the stud. On my 83R, Im glad they came out, because it was a special fastener with some kind of long nose on it. On the 350X and 200X, it was just a standard bolt and we had to drill them out. if you compress the forks, they usually come out easier.