Fork Seal Replacement on a Suzuki GSXR
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- čas přidán 8. 12. 2021
- In this episode, we see the return to the garage of the Suzuki GSXR that the fairing work was done on during 2020. This time it has a leaking fork seal and this video shows how to replace the fork seal. These are upside down cartridge forks favoured on modern high-performance bikes. Special tools are usually needed to work on these forks, but the video shows a series of work arounds to get the job done.
Disclaimer.
This video is intended for generating ideas or entertainment purposes only. Should you choose to make or do anything as depicted on this channel you do so at your own risk. Making and the use of tools can be extremely dangerous. The equipment and methods I use may not work for you and by no means do I suggest that my methods of working are correct. Your shop safety is your responsibility, so I therefore accept NO responsibility or liability for any injuries or accidents you may have if you attempt to replicate the things that I do.
#whitedoggarage #upsidedownforks #suzukigsxr - Jak na to + styl
As a life long motorcycle mechanic who has retired and work on basically any and all brands now in my back yard shop, I often watch these videos to refresh myself on the procedures, oil volumes, etc...of various models. Often, mechanics have tricks that the shop manuals don't mention. I like the 10mm bolts used to hold against the tension. One thing that I do is to use a single wrap of electrical tape lubricated with fork oil around the fork inner tube top and bushing's sharp edges to guard against any damage to the new seals. I worked in Honda dealerships from 1971 till 2009 and often learned more at the Honda schools from other techs than from the factory reps. On a side note, we had a new Honda that was built in Thailand that was leaking fork oil. I tore down the fork and found the builder had left his clear tape wrapped around the fork still in the fork and caught in the seal. Strange that the "factory" was using my back yard technique.
Enjoyed your reminiscences Mark, that trick with the PVC tape is a good one. Thanks for watching my videos too. 👍👍👍
Thank you, excellent tutorial.
My Suzuki workshop manual (for GSX-R 750K2) insists on the use of a specific tool when removing the tops of the forks, that had me thinking that they must be under so much pre-load the internals would literally shoot out and catch me between the eyes if I wasn't careful!
What I learned from you guys was that it is ideally a two man job, so you saved me the embarrassment of having to take a half done job to the local bike shop. Nothing beats watching it being done properly, thank you.
Thankyou, I am glad you found it useful. Yes, opening up the forks can be tricky.
G’day it brings back great memories. Thanks John
Thankyou for watching 👍👍👍
thanks for saving me a trip to the mechanic, cheers!
Glad to be of help, thanks for watching 👍👍👍.
Excellent video, thank you so much. I will do mine when I receive the parts
Glad to be of help, thankyou for watching the video and good luck with replacing your fork seals 👍👍👍
Hi guys. Thank you to showed me how to do especially with "suzuki" special tool. Need to do the same one. Take care
Thanks for watching and I am glad you found the video useful,
Great straightforward method thanks. My track bike is a 2000 GSXR 750 I bought it 2 years ago. Will do the seals and oil shortly. I do have a question though. Even if the bike has less than 50,000 kms, can the springs need replacement ? The manual says to measure them and replace if not too indicated lenght. Your thoughts on that. ?
Yes, replace them if they are shorter than the length specification. You can put a spacer in, but doing that with sagging springs reduces your suspension capability. One of my own bikes, the Katana, which I feature in some videos, has aftermarket springs and custom spacers - but that was about setting ride height for me, not about curing sagging springs. Incidently I have seen a number of bikes over the years with sagging springs at 50,000 km, but I am in Queensland Australia, where even the sealed roads can be rubbish ;-)
I decided to buy OEM parts to rebuild the front forks, because I'm so sick of having fork seals installed that I don't get 2 years wear out of them. . . but here's the bad part.
I just went to the Dealer for OEM parts .... the seals AND the fork bushing kit cost me $225.00 Canadian before 15% tax included. The pads were ruined so I asked for pads but not organic, because they are dirty .. $191.00 for brake pads for my bike ... EBC semi-sintered HH pads...I'm afraid to look them up online because if I see them for 59.99, I'm gonna shoot something .. lol
The dealer wants almost $100.00 an hour and said this job will over 3 hours, gotta clean the rotors and clean the calipers of fork oil ... That is one hell of a bill for one leaking fork seal.
I might as well, just invest in a proper vise for my little workshop, pick up a proper torque wrench for smaller bolts and do all this myself. I used to be a millwright, so if I can't improvise some tools for removing fork seals I'll never.
The only reason I had shops doing my fork seals was, piece of mind, because I'm old and don't want to crash, but I'm running a 99 GSXR 750 that I love to drive as fast as it will go, everyday...so $600.00 tires doesn't bother me, racing chain price doesn't bother me, new helmet, new racing leathers doesn't bother me, but 224 dollars for a bit or rubber and copper bothers me.
I know what you are saying lol. Two years wear out of fork seals is not good, when you pull the forks have a look at the inner tube for pitting in the chrome or other marks as that may be the cause. The other cause might be gravel/dirt roads - do you travel on those roads a lot - getting grit in the seals can wear them out pretty quick.
@@whitedoggarage Thanks for the quick reply by the way. I never drive on dirt roads, I never pop wheelies anymore, but I drive very fast and some of my favorite roads are now quite bumpy, so I am driving fast over rough roads at high speeds. This might be the problem. I live in Eastern Canada, Nova Scotia, where the temperature goes down to minus 20 and 30 for 1 month during the winter. The bike is left outside every winter since 2010, it is winterized and covered and then tarped, but it is in the weather. One guy said that maybe my fork bushings are worn out, since the bike has 80,000 kms on it, so I ordered all OEM fork seals and dust seals and OEM full bushing kit, and even factory #10 fork oil. I don't mess with my fork settings at all. I found in a magazine years ago how to adjust the compression and damping for my weight and driving style, and I have never changed those settings. For over 5 years, I have been running only SuperCorsa's with racing brakes and I installed steel braided brake lines, so I am very hard on the brakes when I drive fast, I make the front end dive quite hard with my driving style, maybe I'm just too hard on the old bike. I have checked the lower fork sliders for any signs of pitting, rock damage, excessive play, and there is none. I spray lithium grease on the sliders and then wash with hot, soapy water in the spring.
@@TYRONE_SHOELACES Good to see you are using it for the purpose it was made. Fork bushings can be a cause of fork sel failure, especially on upside down forks, especially if they don't have any pitting. They probably salt the roads there, I imagine, slat particles might be cause, any grit really. Of course another check to do, is to check for roundness in the fork tubes especially.Good luck with the overhaul.
brilliant video thank you , just wondering if you know the air gap to oil in mm for a 2009 Suzuki hayabusa , most people are saying 110mm and some say 100mm but I'm sure the manual says 95mm , I rang a suspension specialist and he said it is 110mm air gap but I'm trying to get as much info as possible before doing the task , thanks
My reference says 98mm, but the air gap can be varied as part of adjusting the suspension to suit your body size and riding needs. A shorter air gap makes the suspension stiffer and a longer air gap makes it softer. Fork oil weight also affects the ride. Now, stiffer sounds good for performance, but not if the wheels are chattering, that is lifting off the ground over the bumps, softer would be better on rough roads. The suspension specialist recommendation of 110mm, might be better for everyday riding. Also are the fork springs still stock, sometimes aftermarket springs need a different oil volume, because the springs occuppy a different volume. I hope that helps, Bob.
@@whitedoggarage ah thank you great advice , yes all stock internals on forks and I ride two's up with the wife so we weigh about 290 lbs together and stock fork oil for the hayabusa is 5w and I've just bought the maxima 7w fork oil so I might go with 110mm air gap for a plusher ride and then if it's bottoming out with added preload I can always removing cap and add and equal amount to each fork leg to compensate , I guess that would be easier than having to much fork oil and not be able to take oil out as easy , maybe safer bet to go to 110m with a thicker oil ?
@@bccapone837 Sounds like a good plan.
Great video !Where can i get a fork seal rebuild kit for a 2001 gsxr 600 ?
Thanks for watching the video. I would suggest you just try eBay or WeMoto in Europe. Make sure the offering suits your year model and if not a genuine Suzuki set, at least get a name brand like 'All Balls Racing'. Hope that helps.
So what if I'm working on a 2009 in the spacer is not steal is made of plastic and it cracks when I try to do this
The best option is to source a replacement, but you might be able to fix it with a good epoxy glue, but make sure the epoxy has cured well first.
Is this the same step process for a 03 600 gxsr?
Kyler, I don't have any experience with the 600, I dont think they sold many in my area. However looking on-line, the 2003 model 600 has conventional forks, rather than the upside down ones that featured in the video. So this video is not for your bike. However, much of the process is similar. The front brakes get removed, then the front wheel, then the mudguard and then the forks. Just do one fork leg at a time. Undo the fork cap slightly as shown in this video before undoing the lower steering stem mount. Then undo the remaining steering stem bolts and pull the fork leg down and out. Over at your bench exercise caution undoing the fork cap as the fork spring is underneath. then remove the fork spring and any spacer and then invert the fork to drain the oil. The fork seal will sit on the bottom of the fork leg (called the slider). There will be a dust cap, then a clip and then the seal. The dust cap is a press fit and you peel it off the top of the slider and up and out. The clip will be similar to that shown in the video and it is prised out carefully with a screw driver. The fork seal will be beneath the clip but there may be a washer above it, remove that if there is one. The fork seal can usually be prised out with a small flat bladed screw driver. Take care not to damage the fork tube surface. The new fork seal gets lubed with some fork oil and slid down the tube. It will need to be driven into position. The slider shown in the video is the best way to do this, but you may be able to fashion a piece of wood that can be used to drive the seal down, by tapping it down slowly constantly working your way around the tube. After that refit any washer if present, then reinsert the clip. Make sure the clip is seated prperly. Then refit the dust cover and add the correct amount of fork oil, making sure you bleed any air out. Then refit the spring, the spacer if there is one and finally screw in the fork cap. It helps if you reset any preload adjuster to teh softest setting - just remoember to reset the pre-load after the fork cap has been screwed down. Do the other fork leg and then reassemble the front end. Hope that helps.
I have the same bike and u help me a loooot !!
Glad to be of service, thank you for watching 👍👍👍
Amigos cuánto debe de llevar de aceite de las barras de suspención . Gsxr1000 2002
Capacidad de aceite de horquilla por horquilla: 517 cc Nivel de aceite de la horquilla: 90 mm medidos desde la parte superior del tubo con el resorte quitado y la horquilla completamente comprimida. Usé la traducción de Google, así que espero que esto se lea correctamente para ti. Buena suerte. 😀
Please help me, I Have gsx-r2004 k4 600cc what is the size of her forehead oil
Of course you will need to watch this video to see how to adjust the fork oil level. The volume of fork oil is 479mL for each fork leg. Don't fit the spring yet. Add the oil, pump the fork leg up and down 10 times to circulate the oil, leave the fork leg up right, and compressed for 5 minutes, then adjust the oil level to 102mm below the top of the fork (like the method I show in the video). Repeat this process for the second leg. The fork oil specification is 5W. Thankyou.
what size is the allen key to remove the axle
Allen key size for the front axle is 24mm. Thanks for watchng the video.
4:22 what is the purpose of the Blue Nut? adjustment?
To be honest I am not totally sure. But my best guess is that the blue nut adjusts the preload on the spring and the central screw adjusts the damping.
16:30 the angle of those bolts scare me, since it look like you are putting serious downward pressure on them. is there a tool that makes that safer or easier?
Yes, Race Tech makes a fork spring compressor tool which is much safer than the bolt method shown. Nice video though, thanks for posting.
Suzuki has a special tool to do it and I have a diagram, so I could make one for next time. Because I do old bikes I don't have the right tooling and that was my first set of upside down forks - still it shows someone without the special tools how to do it. The angle of the bolts looks bad but the threads are gripping the hole, so they don't come out.
Small shops and individuals at home can't possibly have every special tool for every job. Improvisation is the #1 rule against bankruptcy. 😊
What's a cupper is that a coffee that was had while oil bubbles lol just gotta know
😂it is a British thing adopted wholeheartedly here in Australia, originally standing for a cup of tea, but these days also stands for a cup of coffee. Thanks for asking.
That fart tho 😂 8:13
Pardon my assistant 😂😂😂
if 1000cc..same fork with 750??
No, my understanding is that the 600 and 750 have the same fork, but the 1000 is different. I believe the 1000 forks will fit the steering stem of the 750 however. Fork seals are different between the 1000 and 750, hope that helps.
Why does my axle spin on the other side with no nut to hold onto to loosen it. Doesnt thread out like yours but looks the same
Thanks for watching. On both sides the axle is held from spinning by two bolts at the bottom of each fork which hold the clamp for each side of the axle. We sped up the axle removal part, so it is not that clear in the video. You need to only undo the two bolts at the base of the right side fork, the one with the nut, first. You then undo the nut and once it is out, undo the two bolts on the other fork and then pull the axle out. I hope that helps.
@@whitedoggarage I had the 2 pinch bolts loose on the side requiring the special tool and the 2 pinch bolts tight on the other side to keep the perfectly round (not a nut) from spinning. Still doesn't come break loose
I do suspect they are seized together since the axle is made of steel and the nut is aluminum.
@@overneath420 not a good thing! Got a few ideas for you to try and I have listed them in both ease of doing and preservation of the bike. My first solution would be to place a piece of metal, big enough to cover the outside of the axle end, over the axle nut. With the other side of the axle supported, I would give the piece of metal 3 to 5 hits with a heavy hammer. The theory here is that the shock of the hammer hits will break the corrosion on the threads. Then try to undo it. Next solution would be to obtain or cut a stick of hardwood that is just a bit too big for the round hole in the axle side, hammer it in to that hole so it jams the axle and try undoing the nut on the other side, whilst holding the wood - an impact driver is best on the axle nut, but you will need the right socket. The next solution to try is to grip the outer edge of the axle side with a pipe wrench - the teeth on the pipe wrench will mark the axle, but this is a bit less destructive than the heat treatment solution. If you have access to a machine shop or a machinist friend, you may be able to make or get the loan of a machists mandrill. This looks like a cylinder with splits along the long axis, with a protruding thread with a nut on it. When inserted the nut is done up and the cyclinder expands to grip the inside of the axle. Once gripped, extra force can be applied to the axle nut to undo it. Gentle heat applied to the wheel nut side is another solution, but it is usually a last resort, in that you should really remove the plastic and brakes and will have to check the fork internals and wheel bearings and seals for heat damage afterwoods.
@@whitedoggarage got it, thank you
Is this the same process for a GXR-650F 2009?
No, it will be a lot easier. That bike has conventional forks, so it will be similar, but once the forks are out it is simply a process of undoing the fork cap, taking the spring out and inverting the forks to drain the oil. Once the oil is drained, refill with the specified fork oil (you will need to find the weight and amount of oil out for that bike - maybe in the owners manual) as shown in the video, pump the fork up and down a few times, compress the inner fork tube right down, stand the fork up right and give it 10 minutes or so for the bubbles to rise out, and then set the level as we show in the video. Once that is done, reinsert your fork spring, refit the fork cap and refit the fork to the bike. We have posted another video on a bike with similar forks to yours and which will give you a better idea of waht to do. The link is czcams.com/video/-mEv_fCMi90/video.html . Thanks for watching and asking the question.
@@whitedoggarage thanks a shop said i need a fork rebuild so i watched this video and it helped me !
@@SirSussyBalls Good to hear, thanks for watching.
at 16:10 you screw it all the way to the bottom. Isn't there a setting to do ? Thank you in advance for your help
Thanks for watching the video, and thankyou for your question, which is a good one. I never know quite what viewers like yourself will need to have explained, so I apologise for glossing over the adjustment process without giving an explanation. You are right in questioning the need for a setting. However in the GSXR, the setting mechanisms are within the fork cap, and the procedure shown is merely bolting up the external bits if you will. So, that section shows attaching the rod to the fork cap and it needs to be securely bolted up as shown, the lock nut is simply that, firmly locking the centre rod into the fork cap. Within the fork cap assembly, are two suspension adjustments, the spring preload and the damping. These are hard to see in the video shown, and I didn't point out either the adjustment points, or how they worked. The fork cap has two black rods coming out of the bottom, these move up and down to set the spring preload, the movement of which is controlled by what looks like a nut within the fork cap. There is a shaft within the rod being bolted up to the cap, and this rod meshs in with a screw adjust in the fork cap, which is used to alter the damping rate in the fork. Hopefully I have better explained it here, than I did in the video. Thanks again.
@@whitedoggarage thank you so much for the quick response. Sorry my question wasn't precise enough. I meant does the cap need to be screwed all the way to the rod ? I have read on the gixser forum that the amount of thread engaged between the cap and the rod determines the amount of click the rebound adjustment gets. Do you know what is the setting to apply when reassembling the fork ?
@@Izlolz That is a bit clearer as to what you want to do. With the damping adjuster on the softest setting, the adjuster screw needs to be 1.5mm above the fork cap. The procedure is to wind the fork cap on to the rod (outer) making sure it sits properly over the inner rod, this is when you would screw it down far enough to ensure the end of the adjuster screw is 1.5mm above the fork cap, then do up the lock nut. It is important that the outer rod is firmly attached to the fork cap however, so I would be cautious about going away from that setting. I hope that makes sense.
will it pretty much be the same as a k4 gsxr 600?
Good question Domenick, they both have upside down forks so the method for your bike will be the same as shown here.
@@whitedoggarage I really appreciate the fast response, I guess I'll be giving it a go one I get my new seals in!
@@domenickmyers5227 Hope it all goes well 👍👍👍