Reasemble the front when forks have been removed, help!

Beyond46

Beyond46

Wannabie Member
Hi!
I'm a bit unsure how to put all together again. I mean, where do I start? Top clamp hard, then spin wheel and use break a few times, tighten wheel bold hard, put it on ground, brake - push bike forward a few times, tighten lower clamp?

I don't have one of those tools that shows how hard one bold is tightened. I draw them all pretty hard, not Hercules (or Conan The Barbarian) hard. Is it a big danger when doing that with any of the bolts?
 
I guess the things I typed sounded strange? Hehe So, if one had the forks removed (including tire, breaks, both forks), how does one re-mount everything so it gets correct and safe?
 
Do you have a service manual by chance :o ??? Always have a torque wrench when doing this stuff, always ;) .
 
The torque wrench is what he doesn't have Ronin ...... But NEEDS!! .... Beg/borrow/buy/steal? one Beyond46 .... Not critical everywhere on the bike .... But some things you don't want too loose OR too tight!

I'm not a mech expert .. But I've done my forks once and helped a few mates with theirs....

What I was told is this .... Forks into top clamps and nip up but not hard - just to hold enough ...
Nip lower clamps .... Slide axle and wheel in - MAKING SURE you have cleared the brake pistons back into their housing! ...

Rotate wheel to make sure free spin ... Fork brace if you have one and nip up ...Tighten axle bolt and lock bolt more ... Spin wheel ...

Make sure forks are at right level in top clamp and tighten up... Lower clamp and fork brace tighten ... Spin wheel ... Stop and look around to make sure you have all required clamps and brackets for brake lines etc installed AND you don't have any spare bolts!! ....

Front wheel onto floor and move it back and forth and turn bars to make sure all is smooth ... Pump your brakes to seat the pads - bleed brakes if needed .... Make sure everything is looking/feeling normal ... Back up onto stand and TORQUE wrench (that you understand the use of!) the bolts that require torquing ....

If you don't have a manual in your possession then usually SOMEONE online can at least provide the correct values you need...

A proper mechanic might not do it this way .... But the mechanic that told me to do it this way was making sure that MY novice skill levels had failsafes built into the process!

..... Torque Wrench and good quality tools (don't have to have every tool ever made!! But make sure the ones you have are worthy!) and really a workshop manual ...... Oh and definitely a milk crate to sit on beside the bike!

;) And a multimeter... Air gauge ... Enough rags for spills and hands .... Etc etc :)
 
^ ~Yeah janx101, that's what I was saying... always have a torque wrench (since he doesn't have one but needs to complete ;) ~ :p )~. I was putting things way in-between the lines on that one, sorry ~_~ .....

Cheers ;) ~
 
You....... :eek: .... You were time sharing which other things whilst on the forum!? o_O ;)
faint.gif
 
you know how to removed everything,

do the opposite,
Seriously.


This was kind of my bible while i did it
 
Mostly with torque wrenching or not ... The high pressure ones anyway ... Users will back off with a normal tool for fear of breaking something .. Before a torque wrench would pop .... Mostly... But not always!
 
...,there are always a reasonable number of bolts on any bike that 'really don't 100% require' torque wrenching.... And I think a lot of manuals state the torque requirements of the smaller lighter bolts so some doofus doesn't OVER tighten them and strip threads or snap studs etc....

And yes it's possible without extreme hulk effort to over tighten the triple clamps on the fork tubes and either damage/deform the tubes OR strip the threads in the triples

However ... I feel that having correct torque on suspension whether front or back is a really GOOD idea!! ... Not enough and you could over time have engine/road vibration shiver the bolts looser .. You going hot into a corner and the tubes shift? The handling and geometry of the bike could change suddenly and you end up admiring the landscape from an intimate perspective!... Too much and the stresses you place on the tubes etc could contribute to seal/tube failure and you end up limping the bike home with fork oil everywhere... (And any oil .. It takes so little to cover so MUCH surface area!) ..

Of course we all should do regular visual and 'wrenching' check overs of our bikes to keep tabs on things..... I've lost 2 rear exhaust mount bolts on this bike.... Not again!... (A loose wiggly exhaust can is not that visually exciting!!!!) ... So now I at least try to go over the various panel/frame bolts every few rides.... Mostly they are all good.... But be damned if sometimes there is a wiggly one that has never moved before!!

Torque wrenches and exhaust studs/engine bolts are a CAREFUL process!! ... Use the correct size/length/range of pressure torque wrench on them! ...on any bolt really... But engine metal is much 'cheesier' than people think sometimes!

All of this... I'm not... NOT ... A mechanic! .... I won't do some things beyond a certain level on my bike... That's what the mechanic is for!! .. But I've got this awesome little bowl of 'overpowered' bolts and studs in my shed.. That I keep as a occasional reminder of why I now have couple torque wrench sizes... Back in the day a socket wrench with 2' of pipe on the end of handle - pressured till 'that's just about enough CRACK!!! Fuck!!' ...Was my salvation/damnation on various jobs... That was just on cars and small motors..... My truck 'cheater' bar is still 4' of 2.5" steel water pipe! .... Lol
 
^ Experience there on the small bolts and over torquing them ~_~ . That's one of the reasons I don't touch my bike anymore when it comes to repairs - too costly to fix a costly mistake >_> .....
 
Umm, I talked to the local bike mechanics shop today and they says that those parts wasn't that important with exact right torque. More important with the engine parts... Hmmm...
 
Fair enough ... The exact right torque , to the precise measurement ... Probably not necessary but helpful....

More .... Don't over torque/pressure - risk damage to parts ..... Or too much under the level - risk the things moving with vibration after riding for a while and in an extreme situ causing you to crash? ....

My bike... The suzuki gs500 with its little parallel twin can be a vibration monster.... Lots of bolts can loosen up without the owner realising it....

Entirely up to the individual but I like suspension and handling things to be as close to spec as they can..... There's always at least one loose nut on my bike every time.... Usually gripping the handlebars and twisting the throttle!
 
Yeah, that's why I went there, to ask them to tighten them right, but they was like, no worries mate. I'll see how much a torque wrench cost here in Sweden or if someone I know has one :)
 
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