Low vapor pressure means that oil isn't volatile enough to produce vapors at the temperatures I'd be working at- since vapor+air is what results in explosions, that means the explosion risk should be low.

I managed to get them apart on Friday by clamping the fork tube in a vise and then heating the top of the slider with a propane torch. Once I could see the oil bubbling, I started tapping with the slider again until the parts separated. It looked almost as thought the slider bush had cold-welded itself into the slider. No damage to anything, other than the aluminum damper seat which had some bid dents. I managed to smooth those out and square it up in a lathe, so all looks good for now.

 

Good to hear it was successful.

While you've got them apart - if you have spare RH fork tube and shock valve, pieces, some people remove the anti-dive stuff from the LH fork and convert it to same as RH - more even load on the suspension, and I think more even performance if you fit emulators. That's the theory anyway.

G.

 

Unfortunately, no, I don't have any spare right side components. Otherwise, I would probably just remove the darn thing and put in stiffer springs to compensate. I don't like the asymmetrical loading the anti-dive puts on the front end.

Truth be told, I think front shocks should be redesigned so they can run steeper head angles anyway, reducing braking dive and increasing directional stability naturally.

 

I couldn't find Honda ATF anywhere, so I decided to tempt fate and filled both tubes with Dexron VI ATF.

Got a tire shop to put the new tires on today for $30/wheel, which was great, since none of the cycle shops around here would do it if I didn't also buy the tires there. Should have everything back together this weekend, with any luck.

 

anyone know what weight ATF is?
would it be better to use actual fork fluid?
atf foams...

 

Hmmm, good question. I"d estimate about 5-7 W from when I was pouring it. In any case, it sure looked and smelled a lot better than the stuff I poured out of the fork. That stuff looked, and smelled, just like Moly-D, which is a kind of molybdenum disulphide lube I've used when machining stuff in the past.

 

H'mm. You may have discovered a way of converting fork oil to Moly-D. The IP for that could have some serious financial benefits for us. Remind me, how did you do it again?

On the other hand, most forks I've dismantled seem to convert perfectly good fork oil to something resembling horse snot (probably at the Clydesdale end of the viscosity range). I was going to market it as a naturally brewed medicine, but my wife found my marketing plan. She was outraged that I hadn't considered the significant risk to all horses should the market take off. Bummer.

 

Hah, too late! I"ve actually patented the process It involves ignoring your leaking forks for 2-3 years until they audibly explode under hard braking.

Incidentally, knock-off oil seals are definitely NOT worth the cost savings. When I pulled out the old seals, I noticed that they only had 2 contact rings for the fork tube. The new ones have 3. Also, the springs that maintain seal contact on the old seals were completely rotted, and basically disintegrated when I pulled them out.

I finished reassembling the front end last night. Everything went smooth, except for the part where you're supposed to check caliper bracket-brake disc spacing with the 0.7 mm feeler gauge. You'd have to have Lou Ferrigno standing there to hold the left fork tube in position while you tightened the axle pinch bolts. In any case, the position it "wanted" to be in seemed to check out ok with the feeler gauge, so I just put it together like that.

I'll do the rear end today, since I have to stop and get a cotter pin after I stupidly sheared off the one on the bolt holding the rear caliper bracket to that connecting link thingie.