Front forks, will I shoot my eye out?
 

soo as the title states, will i shoot my eye out when i undo the top?
i've seen other video's where people say things like you should of taken the forks off, you could of broken your fingers between the handlebars.
is that just for older bike forks or something?
i am also using the information below to see see how to do it.

btw there are tons of F4i video's on youtube for mechanical stuff, someone should put them all into a sticky or somethin'.
https://cbrforum.com/forum/how-mecha...-f4-f4i-41756/

No you will be fine just do it slowly and be careful. I would suggest unloading the weight off the forks though.

Always support the bike's weight, unless you really like fast-paced excitement as the
bike falls to it's knees. Yes, you can do them one at a time, but this is a real hassle.
And still not safe, imo.

Take off any pre-load, as well. If you haven't pulled the cap before, and don't KNOW
there's not additional pre-load on the springs, wrap a towel around the cap as you turn
the last few threads. That will give you an edge in not having it pop out of your grip
and possibly damaging the threads on the cap.

As long as you do exercise a bit of caution and pay attention, you should be fine.

Ern

LOL fast paced excitement i think i'll pass, i would never forgive myself if the bike fell. i picked up a tripple tree stand the other day.
hijacking my own thread here, i noticed there is rust that looks well in the travel of the dust cap im not sure if its in the travel of the seals though.
bad forks?

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...0/IMAG0088.jpg

Rudy, be aware that while that video you posted can be of reference, its by far NOT the proper way to service your forks. You need to follow the direction/instructions in the factory service manual. It lays it out step by step how to perform the fork seal service.

As for your fork surfaces (pic), you're going to need to smooth out the forks by using emory cloth. From the looks of it, its going to take may strokes to smooth out the surface. Once its smooth, it won't damage the seals.

thanks for the responses, i will read the manual and get a few different grain cloths, i hope it works i was hearing that the only solution is new forks.
we'll see, it would pain me to be polishing forks everyday instead of riding but OEM fork tubes are expensive.

Sometimes fork tube surfaces can look bad but w/o seeing them in person, its dif to tell. 600 grit emory cloth should get the result you're looking for. It will take some elbow work but the result could save you some money vs buying new tubes. Basically, you don't want your fingernail to be able to catch a burr. Get it as smooth as possible. Once you have the tubes smooth, you can replace your seals. You'll put a thin layer of fork fluid on your tubes. W/ keeping an eye on it, you should be ok.

Additionally, to ans your orig question... NO, you won't shoot your eye out. ;-) While the fork top is under some pressure, its minor. Just be deliberate in removing the cap while holding firmly, no prob.

I always try to encourage members to service their own forks if they can turn a wrench. W/ the proper tools & careful following of the factory service manual, this really is a simple task. For a few hrs of your time doing this yourself, you can save *hundreds*.

FWIW, I've written a few posts on servicing your forks. I don't have links handy to them but they're here on the forum. If you need help, feel free to contact me.

well, not only was it anticlimactic it went completely opposite of what i thought would happen.
the fork tube just slid down and that was it, is that normal?
also is it supposed to smell so bad inside there? its almost sour smelling...

"Anticlimactic" is good. ;-)

"Fork tube just slid down"... Do you mean down & out of the triple? Yes.

Yeah, old fork fluid doesn't smell all that great. ;-)