Thanks for the encouragement, all...time for the Sunday afternoon installment.

I neglected to mention, since I already posted a picture of the frame with the swingarm removed, my first encounter with Honda "special tools". Translation...this is a tool that not only won't be in stock, the price of it will make you think it was forged in platinum.

According to my handy Clymer manual, "A Honda locknut wrench (part No. 07908-4690003, or an equivalent, is required to remove, install, and tighten..." ... OK, no big deal, I'll just go order it. At the stealership, they confirmed it wasn't in stock, but would be glad to order it for me. The retail price was $111.97. For a glorified socket with a few teeth routed in it. As I stood hemming and hawing at the counter, trying to decide what to do about it...thinking about whether or not I would try to cobble something together myself to remove it, or to wait even longer to try to research a replacement from another source, they mentioned they had an "extra" tool out back in their service department. It hadn't even been used yet, and I could have it for $75. While I didn't feel like this was in any way a "deal", it was better than the retail price, and I could remove the swingarm that afternoon.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

 

Well, anything below retail is def a plus. There was a tutorial here on making your own removal tool but of course, that would require time, effort, & the donor tool to do the modifications. Its all a matter of what your time is worth sometimes. ;-)

 

You can imagine my joy when it was time to tackle the steering stem and I saw that little heading "Special Tools". Crap. Now I need a Honda steering stem socket. Retail price...$115.38. C'mon, Honda...really?!

This time I was determined to go a different route. I found an eBay replacement for $44, which still seems like highway robbery. I cheated on actually removing the nut, and (carefully) used a cold chisel and hammer. That worked pretty well...I didn't bugger up the slots in the nut too badly, but I really wanted to have the actual tool to make sure that it was torqued to the correct value when reinstalling.

So here's a few more pics...the steering stem is now installed, after being cleaned up, the lower fork clamps powder coated, and All ***** Racing tapered bearing kit installed. Also, here is the swingarm reinstalled after being thoroughly cleaned/degreased and then relubed. You can see the bottom of the Penske shock in the picture; I also had the shock plates powder coated Wet Black. Bolt and nut heads I've painted in black enamel, and I've retouched those up after torquing to the correct values.

 

You'd be surprised (or maybe not) how often that hammer & chisel method is used in (real) shops. ;-)

Nice work you've got there. Keep it coming!

 

Actually, in some of the shops I've been to, I believe that their go-to tool is a large hammer, which does not always seem to be wielded with great skill.

 

Now for the forks...I knew they'd need an oil change, at the very least. When I removed them from the clamps, there was actually surface rust on the legs from where the steel clamps had gripped them. Half a tube of Flitz later - which is an awesome metal polish if anyone is looking for a recommendation - they were shiny and bright. Of course, I was pretty sure the oil inside looked like chocolate milk. Then there was this nice rear shock in the back that was sprung for my weight...what to do? Was an oil change enough?

Nope...

 

At this point, I'm nearly caught up to real time. I just received the forks back from Race Tech, where they were rebuilt, had the Gold Valve treatment to emulate the damping characteristics of cartridge forks, and resprung for my weight. The forks themselves are still in the box waiting to be installed. Of course, I took them out of the box and looked them over. Not much to see other than a Race Tech sticker on the lower legs...one of which had adhered itself to the packaging and was destroyed.

Oh, well...it's what's inside the forks that counts. This is what the bike looks like today.

 

very very good to see! it seems like your parts are almost arriving right on time.
keep up the great work.

 

I use Flitz in my tumbler (if you know what I mean). Its great stuff.

When the fork tubes are subject to the elements resulting in pitting & other imperfections/nicks to surface, I use 600+ emory cloth to smooth out & polish the tubes b/f rebuild.

I just rebuilt my spare forks (F4i forks). BTW, in case you didn't know, F4i forks make good replacements. F4i forks are externally the same w/ only minor interior differences. I use my spare F4i forks in my F4 when I have my F4 forks out for rebuild or service.

The F4/F4i forks are quite robust for what they are. They hold & perform surprisingly well for std forks. If you follow the factory Honda service manual for fork service, whenever you pull them, you need to measure run-out on the fork tubes to determine if they're in spec (straight). Also, you need to inspect & measure the springs. If all are in spec, usually a fork fluid change & fork seals (both dust & oil) will suffice.

FWIW, I know one of the Race Tech guys. They do good work w/ nice components.

 

Thanks, guys...

gotcbr, I think I know what you mean about the tumbler...I use it in mine too, before reloading .223 and .22-250 brass for a trip out west...

Thankfully, my forks didn't seem to have any pitting or other imperfections, although I was worried about that when I first removed them! The metal polish on a shop paper towel did the trick, and left the tubes as smooth as a baby's butt. The emery cloth is a good tip...I've been using 800/1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper for removing other corrosion on axles and spacers with good effect.

I considered doing an USD fork swap from another model, but I figured that a respring and Gold Valve would give me similar benefits for a slightly cheaper cost over a complete forks/triple tree/calipers/wheel change. I also purchased a SuperBrace to install to help eliminate fork flex. A fork brace made a significant difference on one of my previous bikes, so I imagine it will help the F4 as well.