Removing fork legs and rear shock

[Noxious89123]

I'm planning to remove the fork legs and the rear shock from my bike, either over this weekend or the next, weather permitting. Rear shock looks like it should be a doddle. Forks don't look to bad either.

Only concern is how I support the front of the bike. I have no paddock stands, and don't plan on buying any. Rear will be supported by the main stand. I was thinking of using a few bricks and a piece of wood under the downpipes to support the front of the bike. Is this a bad idea, or is this how everyone else does it? Any major DOs and DON'Ts? I realise the forks might be seized in the yokes, but I'm confident that with a bit of GT85 they should be persuaded loose without too much trouble.

They're all being taken to K-Tech to be serviced. New oil, seals and possibly bushes. £135 for the forks and £94 for the shock; £229 all in all. I contacted a place called MH Racing and he wanted £150 for either end. So K-Tech get's my cash.

Oh, and just to add; I am going to remove the fairing side panels before I start, but I reckon I'll have enough wiggle room around the yokes without taking off the front of the bike. Not a big deal if I have to take the front off, I’ve done it before, and my mum is good and doing as she’s told and holding things whilst I undo wires and bolts

BBC Weather forecasts a wet weekend, so might have to postpone this, but no rush, I've got until spring to get it done

[Sneaky edit]
I'm also going to remove all the rear shock linkage and clean it up and regrease all the bearings. Will replace the bearings and dust seals if they are knackered. I think they could do with greasing, as when I bounce on the back, it sometimes squeaks. I've got a tube of brown "lithium multi-purpose grease". Is this ok? Haynes just states "multi-purpose grease".
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Itchy]

CBR6? , you can put a rope onto the headstock and throw it over the rafters, this is my prefered technique as there is nothing to knock over or trip over and have the bike fall on you, sometimes if it was just a tyre change it was just somebody leaning on the stand for a bit...

But although it turns out ok most of the time I wouldn't be sticking things under the downpipes, CBR6 pipes are mild steel and will be the same age as mine, before I replaced them with a stainless set poking them hard with a screw driver would hole them.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Noxious89123]

No garage, working outside on the patio.

And my pipes are SS, replaced them last year
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[serlant]

Didn't have the rear off the ground but i doubt there would have been a problem if i needed too.
https://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z170/serlant/16052009021-1.jpg

[stinkwheel]

https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/Image020.jpg

Axle stands under the frame. Car jack under the front of the engine.

Next time, I'd swap the left and right footpegs round so they are on upside down and put the axle stands under the pegs themselves.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Noxious89123]

Lol, bonkers.

Will it be ok taking the weight on the downpipes though? I have a small scissor jack like that, but don't think I'd trust the stability of it to leave my bike on it for a week or more, out in the wind etc.

Also, interesting use of balast.
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[stinkwheel]

[Noxious89123]

Had very clear sunny weather today, so got the shock and fork legs off the bike

I was expecting it to be a real pain to get the legs out of the yokes, but as soon as they were loosened up, they slid straight out! Mostly went smoothly.

Turns out that if my fuel tank is full and i tilt it forwards then backwards, it pisses fuel out the overflow

I was also cleaning up the inside edge of the fork sliders. They were caked in brake dut and greasy crap. "I know!" I thought, I'll use some brake cleaner. Bit on a rag, gave it a wipe, took a load of straight away. Wicked, spray some on there. Wipe. Oh. FUCK.

Turns out that Motul brake cleaner can melt paint. I gave it one wipe, which took the suface off the paint. I let the rest evap off. The paint seems ok, it just doesn't look shiny in that area anymore. Good thing it was the inner side of the fork slider. Oh well, live and learn. Funny though, it never touches the paint on the brake calipers!

I propped the bike up with some wood. Worked ok, not quite as stable as I'd like. Will get some pictures of the masterpiece when I put the suspension back on.

Also, it would seem that my headrace bearings need replacing, as there is a very definite notch in the centre that it falls into if you turn the yokes lock to lock. What would cause this? Just usual wear and tear? I don't wheelie the bike. (Ok, only tiny ones over crests, but they feel good!). Don't fancy the hassle of doing them myself, as I found changing wheel bearings a right piss-about

Will take the bike into a garage early next summer to get the valve clearances checked, so will get the bearings done at the same time.

EDIT: Just thought of something else; When measuring the gap from the top yoke to the to of the fork leg, what kind of tolerance should I be working to? I have a steel rule that shows 0.5mm steps. But I have been ridiculed for this, and told that I shouldn't be so rediculous as (apparently) it's highly important that you do it with a "proper" measuring tool like a vernier to get it within 0.001mm else it could be dangerous to ride.

Which is funy, because befor removing them, I found one was about 1.25mm higher than the other. The previous owner had changed a fork seal, and measured from the fork cap, not the top of the stanchion. I never noticed anything whilst riding
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Bendy]

[ms51ves3]

I measured mine with a tape measure. Never had any handling issues to speak of.

[Shreddie]

I never measured mine. I just hoped that the forks had been made to the same length so got everything level at the top and left it at that... Never had a problem though.

[Noxious89123]

I have some pitting and tiny pin-head sized rust specks on the stanchions. I've been rubbing them with a cloth and some autoglym metal polish, but it doesn't seem to be doing alot, other than making the surrounding area very clean and shiny...

Any quicker way? I was thinking possibly of using some 1500~2000 grit wet and dry, and then polishing it back to a mirror smooth finish? Or is this just a totally bad idea?

Am I expecting too much too quick? Should I just keep at it with the polish?

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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[oJaXo]

only a thought but what about using a bit of wd-40 on a cloth and rubbing it on the rust spots?

worth a go maybe ?

cheers
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A2 License - 26/03/09 PASSED!
Fs1e -> 03 dt125r -> 99 Hornet 250 -> 95 CB400 Super Four R - > Hornet 600 2013

[Noxious89123]

Nah, tried rubbing it with loads of GT-85, it won't shift any more than it has already.

It's not so much rust, but little pits and chips in the chrome.
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[oJaXo]

dont know if its any help ether but thought this could help?
https://bicycletutor.com/rust-removal/

cheers
____________________
A2 License - 26/03/09 PASSED!
Fs1e -> 03 dt125r -> 99 Hornet 250 -> 95 CB400 Super Four R - > Hornet 600 2013

[Noxious89123]

I'm heading to bed now, but I'll see if I can get some pics showing the condition of the chrome, so you can see what I'm dealing with. I could just be making a fuss about nothing.
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Shreddie]

Pits on yer forks ain't easy to get rid of as it requires rechroming and regrinding. All I can really suggest is to keep your forks clean and try to prevent the rust/pits getting any worse... Eventually though, the pits will get worse and start knackering your fork seals... At that time you could either get your stanchions rechromed/reground or get a new pair of stanchions or forks.

[temeluchus]

https://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/dodirectory/Muffys%20Car%20Pics/DSC00146.jpg
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[ms51ves3]

On one of my stanchions I had a few little rust spot. I flicked the rust out with my finger nail and I've never had a problem with any leaking.

[el_oso]

trick that has worked for me

buy some clear enamel nail varnish. apply some to the pits and use your old fork seal to run over the area to cover the hole and wipe away an excess. repeat a few times and the hole magically disappears (well sort of). then polish her up again. worked well for me
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Duke 390
Previous: '05 XR125L | '96 XJ600S Diversion |'05 Suzuki GSXR1000 | '05 Honda CBR125-R | '97 YZF 600R Thundercat | '11 Honda CBR250
Car: Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

[chris-red]

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/chris-red/06052009223.jpg


Abba Stand and front lift, I think it was about £120 all in all, more expensive than axle stands but once it was delivered it took me longer to get it out of the packaging than it took to get both the TDM's wheels off the ground on my own first time. Now I can get my bikes up on the stand in about a minute less than 30secs if sombody is helping me.

Sorry for the shite pic.
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