Jasper, I didn't use the press to get anything apart. I used it to press the new seals in. I remember reading through at least one of your threads where you were describing how difficult things were for you. Maybe my experiences were different because I have a 94? Either way, with my forks out of the triple, spring removed, everything out, all I had to do to separate the fork tube and leg was tohold them in each of my hands, and give a few solid jerks to separate them.
After that I put them back together, slid the new seal down the fork tube, put my section of exhaust pipe on top of the seal and gingerly used the floor press to push on the exhaust section pressing the seal into the fork. Then I put the springs and oil in, tightend the top and reinstalled. Nothing was nearly as difficult as what you guys are describing, fortunately for me...

good luck.

 

If you didn't know elmer, my bike is a 94. =P But I don't know why my left fork tube is acting up on me... my right came apart with close to no effort. Its just my left one... Right now I just tried heating it up with a torch... not till it was glowing red but till it was pretty hot. I'll try glowing red now... wish me luck...

-Jasper

 

So I heated it up till my forks turned orange (keep in mine my forks are factory black [galvanized?]) so its not the paint turning orange its the metal... I placed it back on the lower and upper triple on my bike, put the axle bolt in the hole of the lower fork leg, bolted it down, and slid it up, then in a hammer motion slid it fast hard and hella fast... kept at it till I got aggravated so I left it fully extended then started hammering it downward with a rubber mallet as hard as I could... The bushing... never moved. WTF. This is ridiculous, I went from using my car... to a hydraulic jack, to using a blow torch and a rubber mallet (the big one) and nothing is working guys. **** it. I give up.

Score: Bushings - 3 Jasper - 0

=(

 

Man that sucks! I forgot that yours was also a 94. I'm reasonably sure that the forks for the 94 are different than the previous F2's. I guess at this point all I can do is start shopping for another fork!
It obviously seems like your bushings are binding inside the fork tube, so yeah, it would probably be a start to drive the fork tube back down to try and get things loosened up again. Then basically start over I'd think. Trying to turn the fork tube and rotate the bushings inside the fork leg and then try pulling them apart. The amount of force used to separate these pieces should be substantially less than what you've been using with no success.

I definitely sympathize with your situation, there's nothing worse than when a project comes to a complete standstill. Good luck man.

 

Honestly, if I had the money to engineer a machine to pull this **** apart I would, but I don't know if someone has make an inverted hydraulic press. Rather than pressing (pushing) it pulls. Does anyone know if any shops have created such a machine?

-Jasper

 

I just did mine. The left leg, which has been apart before, was no problem. It came apart with no heat and each part in one hand, with a little slide hammering.

The right leg was a different story however! It wouldn't fit in my mothers oven so I put it in a cardboard tube with a heat gun. The metal was near 200-250C by the time the cardboard ignited, at which point I remounted in the triple tree and slide hammered it out. It was still a hell of a lot of effort.

I am thinking due the the split design of the bushings, the heat is not helping as much as it would otherwise. Also, I would NOT heat the thing until it was red hot!

 

On my 95 f3 i removed the snapring that goes on top of the seal. The bushing on the fork is bigger than the seal. It still pulls apart a bit hard ,but brings the seal with it .