fork rebuilding

[DIGGER DOG]

I have some questions about fork rebuilding I need to desperately rebuild the forks on my 350X for a trial run I took the cap off a 200X fork and It didnt come flying off as i expected it to do from spring pressure it just unbolted nice and easy no spring pressure it kinda tripped me out as I was putting all my body weight on the ratchet expecting this thing to fly apart .will the 350X cap come off the same way or is there spring pressure on that cap? another question on seals the book says I will need a fork seal tool where can I get one?do I really need one? fork seals and dust covers (not fork boots) whats the best to get and where do I get them I tried e bay and lo and behold when I looking for a particular item its never there Ive seen many many fork kits before and none now,ATF or fork oil wich do I use what would be the best to use if the book says that the forks will need a certain amount say206.5-211.5cc ATF would that be the same amount of fork oil or would that differ because of viscosity if its different how do I find out how many CCs to fill with? also where do I send the rear shock to be rebuilt and how expensive would that be ?
thanks I just want to know all I can about this before I do it and screw every thing up

[Red Rider]

Digger, I've rebuilt the forks on several 85 250R's & an 86 250R, & it was pretty easy. I wouldn't imagine the 350X forks being much different. It sounds like you already have a repair manual for your X, good job, that'll come in handy.

Remove the front wheel & brake lines from the forks. With the front end of the bike jacked up off the ground, loosen the clamping bolts on the top triple-clamp, but leave the bottom triple-clamp clamping bolts tight (the triple-clamps are your best vise for holding the forks securely). Now, with no pressure on the suspension, there should be very little or no pressure on the fork cap when you remove it. I never needed any special fork seal tool to do the 250R forks. I believe the tool is for reinstalling the fork seals, and I was able to improvise with a length of steel pipe for that. The easiest place to get the fork seals & dust covers would be a Honda motorcycle dealer of course. If he doesn't have the seals, have him give you the seals dimensions off of the parts fiche (that info is usually included). Now you should be able to go to any bearing/seal supply house and get them there. I've always used 10-15 wt. fork oil, but ATF is basically the same stuff. Personally, I think fork oil is just ATF in a different bottle & a huge markup, but like I said, I always use fork oil. If you like the action of your forks now, put about the same amount of oil back in them that came out (you'd have to guess on what wt. it was though). More fork oil or heavier wt. oil will make them stiffer, and less oil or lighter wt. will make them softer. To get the same amount of oil in both forks, and to keep them balanced, is easy. With the forks reinstalled on the bike, remove the fork caps & springs, and let the weight of the bike collapse the front suspension all the way until it's bottomed out. Now, fill 1 fork tube with the desired amount of oil. With a ruler, measure from the top of the fork tube down to the top of the oil level. Add oil to the other fork tube up to that same distance. Supposedly, this method is more precise than simply putting the same oz. or cc's of oil into the fork legs. Plus it takes into account the slight internal differences of each fork leg that would cause the "oil level" to be different if you added the same "amount" of oil to each leg.

For the rear shock, I've never needed one rebuilt, so I don't have any advice. From what I've read in magazines though, I think you're looking at about $100-200 to get it rebuilt. There has to be someone on this forum that's had a rear shock rebuilt recently, and can help out with suggestions on where to send it.

Good luck, should you decide to accept this mission. This post will self-destruct in 15 seconds.

[ejc042]

are the same almost. I just rebuilt a set. there is alittle spring presure, not very much. You do not need a seal tool. I stacked both old seal and used a small hammer to tap the new seal in using the two old ones to protect it, In my 350X service manual it says to use ATF for the forks.

[Beer_Smurf]

Some good posts.
I might add that you can make a good seal/bushing driver from PVC pipe and or PVC joints.
The PVC is less likely to cause damage than steel pipe.

In my opinion the Honda seal kits are much better than the aftermarket ones, and they come with the wipers.

[sandrooster]

Dog,
If your 350x fork tubes are the same as mine, they should be 1.75 inches in diameter.

Get a 5 to 6 inch piece of 2inch ID(inside diameter) PVC. Cut the PVC lengthwise to make an approx. 1/2in wide slot. I used a circular saw with the pvc in a vise.

You now have a great seal driver that can adjust to slightly different diameters and not damage the seals or scratch the tubes.

Insure the seals are installed to the bottom of its seat or the retainer clip won't install.

[Dirtcrasher]

It's good to remove the allen head bolt on the bottom of the fork which holds the damping rod in place or at least loosen it before you do anything else.

The spring pressure helps keep that rod from spinning as you loosen it - I have had at least a few pairs of forks that I needed an impact gun to get that bolt out with - not because it was tight but because it just kept spinng around.

Honda OEM seal kits are a great way to go - if the dust seal is worn and reused it allows dirt to go beyond it rather than get "wiped" away.

I am yet to find a bearing supplier with fork oil seals - they have seals that fit but they only have 1 spring on the seal lip rather than one spring on top and one spring on the bottom like OEM.

[350x'inNY]

:oops: I got a WHOLE set of pics of MR ATC rebuilding my front 350X forks. I had already bought seals form DennisKirk, but Bill said that the Honda OEM ones are better. We also gutted the stock springs and put in Progressive Springs. MR ATC fell off the radar here... is there someone at the site here I can burn the pics to a CD and mail them and make up a nice 'Building Forks' link... we took like 40-50 pics while tearing down, cleaning, and assembly.

Bruce

PS -- Loosen the top triple tree bolts and release the air pressure on the top of the fork BEFORE you try to remove the top fork cap. Buy a 6mm hex head socket to loosen the holding bolt at the bottom of the fork too. MR ATC did a nice trick with a plastic bag to slide the seals over the fork so you dont damage them. Agian.. it's in the pics, so send me an address! heheehhe

[boomer5pow]

I did a nice one peeps.. I had a little trouble getting the fork tubes out of those clamps. Planned to refinish the entire bike. So I said heck with it, flipped the bike over like a ten speed and started tapping on the clamp with a small sledge:( See where this is going? NEVER have a 11 yo boy around when you trying something you have never done... Yep, bent the air valves all to hell. Now they are leaking oil. I just purchased new caps with the valves already seated. I now get to take those caps off. (please dont criticize, noob here:() Are these things gonna smack me in the face?? Please e-mail your responses at boomer5pow at msn dot com. I don't wanna screw this up, ALMOST DONE!!