Fork rebuild seal leak front suspension
This applies directly to F4 and F4i forks since their construction and internals are identical (Only difference between the two is the fender mounting points). This is pretty easy to do, and will save you a couple hundred dollars over having a shop do it for you.
The tools you will need for this are:
[ul][*]24mm wrench or socket[*]14mm wrench x2[*]8mm allen wrench that you can apply a lot of torque to[*]A couple small flathead screw drivers[*]A seal driver (see below on how to make your own)[*]Access to a table vise[/ul]
Things you'll need from Honda:
[ul][*]Fork Oil[*]New Seals[*]New Bushings[/ul]
Things you may want to do while you're in here:
[ul][*]Revalve[*]New Spring[/ul]
Alright let's get started, first with the forks still in their clamps break loose the 24mm nut on top
Loosen it just until you can see the start of the o-ring coming out.
Next remove the forks from the bike. Loosen the front axle, remove front fender,remove calipers, remove front axle, remove front wheel, loosen upper and lower clamps, removehandlebars,slide forks out of the clamps.
Now, keep everything organized and keep your forks seperated, no mixing parts.
With the forks removed unscrew the top 24mm nut the rest of the way, it is spring loaded, so when the last thread is undone it will kind of bounce a little.
You should be looking at this:
Put a 14mm wrench on the bottom nut
While holding onto that nut unscrew the big 24mm nut all the way off. If the part in the middle starts spinning try grabbing the top adjustment piece with the 14mm wrench instead and unscrewing it that way.
You're now here:
Remove the crescent shaped washer and the thin tube that it is holding in place. Now reach in and grab the washer sitting on top of the spring:
Now remove the spring, then dump the old fork oil into a suitable oil container, make sure you drain as much of it as possible, also pump the damper rod a couple times to get all the fluid out of it.
Next remove the fork protector (big plastic thing that sits on the end of the fork slider) use a flathead screwdriver very carefully to pry it up and off. (Sorry no picture)
Remove the dust seal in much the same way, just slide a thin flatblade screwdriver between it and the fork slider and slowly pry it up and pull it off:
Once that is off look down into that crevice and locate where the ends of the snap ring are. Using a flatblade screwdriver pry the ring out by inserting the head into the groves and just pulling it out.
Now put the fork slider in your vise with a towl wrapped around it so you don't scrape or scratch it. Use your 8mm allen wrench to remove the lock bolt on the bottom, it's torqued on there pretty tight, so it will take some work to get it out. (Note: While unscrewing the bolt, the damper may try and spin around, just grab onto it to hold it still)
Now remove the damper assembly (that long rod thing that's sticking out the inside of the fork tube) and set it aside as it's probably coated in fork oil still.
Next you'll need to remove the oil seal, which is wedged in there pretty good. Grab the fork slider and hold onto the fork tube and just start ramming it trying to push it out. You'll
How to: Rebuild your forks (F4 or F4i)
