Front-end overhaul woes

[Disco Dan]

Alrighty, Well its now time for 'operation front fork overhaul'.

It seems my front disc needs replacing, plus new pads as well as new fork oil - well heavier fork oil.

Found these on trademe:

Brake Pads:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...px?id=82266981

And Front Disc:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...px?id=82166199

Flob knows about fork oil... would not have a clue. I found the drain screw and I reckon I can prob pop the seals off with a screw driver and pour in the new 'heavier' oil. But dont know what is in there now?

Are they good prices for the parts??? Or shall I goto red baron or something for a better deal?

Cheers!

[riffer]

Hi Dan,

Pads are an OK price. Make sure you can get kevlar ones. Don't make the mistake of putting sintered metal pads in calipers that aren't made for them - they caused havoc with my RF.

As for the forks - I take it you are playing safe here, and replacing the seals when you do the oil. I'm also assuming you have non-USD forks.

Rather than trying to lever out the seals with a screwdriver, and possibly scratching the fork tube, which will cause problems to any future seals, you would be better to undo the bolt at the bottom that holds the damper rod. Then take the dust cap off gently with the screwdriver, and take out the circlip thingie that holds in the fork seal. Then get a mate to hold the other end of the fork and give it a good yank or two. The two halves of the forks will come apart, and the oil seal will be easy to get off.

With putting the new oil seals in, I made myself a tool out of some steel tubing that I cleaned up the edges of with a half-round file and some sandpaper. Put the fork halves together again, put the new seal in, place the old seal over the top of it, then I use my fork seal installer tool and a rubber mallet to really bang that seal in place. Then just flick the old seal out, replace the circlip and dust seal.

Make sure you loctite the damper rod bolt or else it will come undone.

Try and get a manual off the net. Search the sites for the manuals thread - it will have a link to a manual for your bike. This will tell you how much fork oil you need and how to measure it.

As for the brake rotors, they sound okay. Some people have said good things about this guys rotors, some have said bad. I'll reserve judgement
here...

However OEM stuff will be ridiculously expensive.

Good luck, enjoy sorting your forks.

[Disco Dan]

Cheers for that much appreciated!!

[xxblackbirdxx]

no need to get the seals off. Your forks are filled from the top which means that you have to get the bars off and top it up from there. wedge the front wheel in a ditch undo the drain screws and keep pumping the forks till the oil drains out then undo the top and fill it up with the quantity specified. once you pull your seals out they should not be reused

[Disco Dan]

no need to get the seals off. Your forks are filled from the top which means that you have to get the bars off and top it up from there. wedge the front wheel in a ditch undo the drain screws and keep pumping the forks till the oil drains out then undo the top and fill it up with the quantity specified. once you pull your seals out they should not be reused

ahhh cool as... cheers mate

[terbang]

Get a manual. Drain them and fill them with the correct quantity. If the oil you drain out is really contaminated with dust and bearing material than give them a good flush out with a gentle solvent. They do collect a fair amount of dirt and shit that will eventually abrade the internal bearing surfaces and seals. This is easier done by removing the fork though I have done it by pouring your solvent through from the top. There is no real need to change the seals if they are not leaking. Oil quantity is often specified as a measurment in MM from the top of the leg to the oil level (like an engine dipstick) though there are a lot of CC (capacity) specifications out there. There are some bikes that don't have a drain plug requiring you to remove the forks from the bike to change the oil. The amount of oil you put in determines the amount of air remaining in the fork so accurate measurement is required. The air is the second spring and plays an important role. Fiddling with the oil grade is often a better option than changing the oil quantity though you will find, with trial and error, a balance between quantity and grade can produce good results. I have even done things like mixing 10 grade and 5 grade oils of equal quantities to get a better result. As a basic concept: To change spring rate you can tighten or losen the spring adjustment or change the quantity of oil (within reason though). To change the damping rate you can adjust the damping valves (if it has an adjustor) or change the grade of the oil.

[Disco Dan]

Alrighty, cant find front brake disc now!

Nothing on tardme, rang the wreckers:

Atomic, colemans, and this other place that I wont mention because the guy that answered needs a slap for being so stupid.

Colemans quoted me $385 with pads, will arrive tomorrow.
Red Baron $427

Options peeps....

Im just about to dash over to cycletreads to get oil etc for a service. arrgghh this bike is expensive!

[ArcherWC]

Did you try Spectrum on the shore, good guys in there and a Kawasaki dealer to boot

[Disco Dan]

Did you try Spectrum on the shore, good guys in there and a Kawasaki dealer to boot

cheers will go have a looksi...

[imdying]

[U]Colemans quoted me $385 with pads, will arrive tomorrow.

Sweet, job done!

[Disco Dan]

Just got off the phone with Freddy's Discs...

$380 For a wavy disc, new pads and includes delivery to my door!

Fab!

----

Just finished Full service on my bike with some quick last minute advice from r6-kid!

Got the bike upto normal temp and it seems i have put too much oil in... so cooling down and then drain a bit out....

She sounds gorgus now

[imdying]

What brand is the wavy disc?

[Disco Dan]

What brand is the wavy disc?

They are made by the guy himself! so they are FREDDY's brand!

they look really cool too!! Hes on trademe or you can call:

Freddy's Discs
Graham
021 616 295

[imdying]

Not the discs in Waihi that we're yet to hear much good about I hope?

/edit: If so, I really think you would be much better off with the OEM disc and pads. imho

[Fatjim]

I can get disks plasma cut from mild or stainless steel, or aluminum (they go wavy all by themselves) if you like. Pads can be fashioned from any abrasive soap product found at your local greenie tree hugging shop.