ZZR 600 E3 Fork rebuild and head bearings

[DrSnoosnoo]

I was in workshop last week asking for advice so it's only fair I do a write up of how I get on to aid others in the future.

I bought
-All Ballz fork seal and dust seal kit
-All Ballz head bearing kit- tapered rollers with races
-All Ballz Fork bush kit- comes with inner and outer bushes, washers, retaining clips Etc.
-Motul 10w fork oil from Opie oils (1L)

I also bought some neoprene fork gaitors and various punches and chisels, the total cost was pretty much £100

https://i.imgur.com/oX0L69z.jpg

I'll update this in a week or so when I crack on with it
____________________
I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[DrSnoosnoo]

I made a start on this today, my friend helped me which was very very helpful, having another set of hands is useful for this task.

Firstly, the tank needs to come off

https://i.imgur.com/ypxclPd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UmEdyAW.jpg

Don't forget about the plug at the bottom of the tank that connects to the fuel sensor.

To give you the wonderful view of the airbox

https://i.imgur.com/bf3i9Wj.jpg

Take the bolts out of the infils and remove to show the view of the clock surround bolts and remove them.

https://i.imgur.com/Y5yEdgl.jpg

Take out the bolts around the screen and remove, no picture needed for them as they're obvious. Then the clock surround will come off.

Take off the belly pan, the "belt" has a bolt as can be seen on either side and then it has a rubber mount at the middle, behind the mudguard that you pull out carefully.

https://i.imgur.com/FOMpitq.jpg

Then there's a bolt towards the front, either side of the belly pan then two underneath by the centre stand.

Then we need to take the middle panel off, remove these:

https://i.imgur.com/TBPpLSX.jpg

Then there are some bolts running along the join of that and the top fairing.

https://i.imgur.com/u1t5MPy.jpg

and don't forget the two that are inside the front of the fairing by the fork legs, then remove.

Now I didn't take picture of this, but under the clock surround, will expose the two bolts that hold on the clocks to the subframe, remove those.

Then remove the bolts of the mirrors from the upper fairing

https://i.imgur.com/dhECo6A.jpg

Now we're finally getting somewhere, the upper fairing will want to move away. While supporting from the headlight, unclip the connectors to the headlight/sidelights and the indicators and you can remove the fairing.

Undo the connectors of the clocks, should be two, then of course, unscrew the speedo cable and that will come away.

Remove the mudguard by removing the obvious two outer bolts on either side of the forks. Then there's a bracket on the inside of the mudguard, if you stuff your hand up you'll feel the bolts - 12mm socket should fit on.

https://i.imgur.com/vQymVJu.jpg

That's what you're removing the bolts of. Two of mine sheared!! ggrrrrr.

Fairing-less ZZR 600 anyone?!

https://i.imgur.com/2dvDXSH.jpg
____________________
I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[DrSnoosnoo]

Now!

Remove the horn

https://i.imgur.com/zyBR5BV.jpg

Remove the two bolts through the brake line splitter the horn and the little bracket will come away.

Take this connection off the ram air system and the boxes should be able to be moved out of the way to be able to get access to the lower triple clamp.

https://i.imgur.com/Xr0k1Bg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GWk1iIO.jpg

Loosen those bolts, and then the upper triple clamp bolts

https://i.imgur.com/ax3yXfF.jpg

Remove these utterly frustrating bolt caps

https://i.imgur.com/sCrbkNx.jpg

Then remove the handle bar - upper clamp bolts

https://i.imgur.com/fcFWhFJ.jpg

Then move them out the way a bit

https://i.imgur.com/00EPQyu.jpg

Again, loosen the top yoke bolt, and the bolt at the top of the fork - mine is the E3 with adjustable preload.

Loosen the front axle with a 14 and 12mm allen key on the axle bolts. That bit is good info, I couldn't find anywhere the size required for those!!

Undo your brake calipers from the lower fork leg and off the brake discs.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS SCARY.

You have to find somewhere to chock the bike up from to hold the bike up when you remove the front wheel. I found the place just in front of the centre stand where the exhausts separate was a good place to put a car jack up and under but having my mate there to hold stuff steady to make sure it wasn't gonna fall over was good.

When you have the bike secure, here we go, whip out the front wheel and then loosen the triple clamps a bit more and you should be able to drop the fork legs out, and put them to the side.

I took the yokes out at this point. Remove the top yoke nut and there is then a washer, then the top yoke, then lock nut, then the final nut before exposing the bearing

https://i.imgur.com/lEFJKta.jpg

When you remove the bearing this is what you can see

https://i.imgur.com/wF9ruT9.jpg

You can see the upper race in the head and if you look even closer you can see the gap you can use to drive a punch to remove the lower bearing race, the same is available to remove the top race.
____________________
I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[DrSnoosnoo]

Once I'd knocked the races out, it got messy so didn't take loads of pictures onwards. Keep the races and cut a slit in them with a grinder or whatever you have.

When putting the replacement races in, I gave them a touch of grease on the race seat (?) to help them get in. Tap them in gently to get them going and once the race is evenly in the head and you can't get a tapping hammer on to them, you use the old race with a slit in it as a driver, flip it over so tapered to tapered ends of the races meet, it'll give you good even driving as you hammer it home. You know when you're far enough in because the sounds changes from a dink to much more dull sound, you'll know what I mean when you hear it.

Now they're in you have to get the old bearing and seal off the lower yoke, these are pressed in and I had a right mare while getting mine off. It took chisels, punches, lots of hammering but it finally came away. Now the bearing is off, I destroyed it to get the inner race and cut a slit in again. Popped the new seal on then I greased up the bearing as per video instructions on youtube and placed it onto the shaft until it met resistance, put the old race on top and as I didn't have a bench or anything to knock it on, I used a small hammer and hit it down, moving position on each hit making sure the bearing was going down square.

Left it at this point and moved on to the forks. That bolt at the bottom, was easy to get IME. I flipped it upside down pressed down and twisted the bolt and it came out easy peasy. Undid the top bolt watching for the thing flying away into my face and poured out the old oil .... IT WAS GREEN AND THICK AND STUNK OF SEWAGE and not much in there.

https://i.imgur.com/yYaJWis.jpg

This came out, the reload adjuster thingy with long rod, then a washer, then the tube, then another washer then the spring. I knew I must have been missing something and realised I hadn't took the fork lower drain bolt off properly so did that and the damper rod (?) came out with its smaller spring.

Now to separate the legs. Pried the dust seal off to reveal a rusty corroded retaining spring thing and a just as shitty looking fork seal, no wonder it was weeping. You don't dig these out though, at least I didn't. I watched this video, delboy's garage showing how to separate forks, I suggest you do the same, it's really helpful.

So the retaining spring was out and did the christmas cracker technique which removed in order, my fork seal, washer, outer bush and inner bush (still attached to the stanchion at the bottom).
____________________
I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R