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DIY Fork Seal Replacement - One Person - Inexpensive Homemade tools
I thought I would post pics of the tools I made to change the fork seals on my SS for those of you looking for an inexpensive option versus buying the "right" tools. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for investing in the right tools where appropriate (I have many for my Camaro), but for tools I may need only once, and where homemade will work, I'm all for that option.
(I won't go into how to disassemble the fork, as I'm sure you can find that in your manual or elsewhere online. The below assumes you already have the fork off the bike and the top bolt unscrewed from the outer tube and the fluid drained.)
This first tool is just a 2X4 board about 3 feet long with a 1.5" hole drilled on the 4" side close to one end (center about 1.75"-2" from end). Then use a saw to open that hole up to the end of the board. Then a 3/8" hole is drilled through that board on the 2" side such that it passes through the two "legs" on each side the first hole. This tool is used to compress the spring. The way to do this is to stand fork up about 2 feet in front of a chair or bench or something about the same height as the fork. (I used my wife's porch swing with plastic pan turned upside down on it to get it to match the height of the fork.) Put the opened end of the 2X4 around the sleeve above the spring and place two bolts (the two axle pinch bolts from the bottom of the fork work great) through the holes in the side of the 2X4 such that they go just slightly into the holes in the side of the spring sleeve. Set the other end of the 2X4 on the chair/bench, with you standing between the two, facing the fork, and straddling the 2X4. Now just sit down on the middle of the 2X4. Your weight should completely compress the spring. Then loosen the top bolt and remove and then slowly take your weight off the 2X4. Do the opposite to reinstall. (You will need a piece of wire or something to hold the damper rod up above the springs sleeve.) Notice no helper is need, since your butt does the spring compression and both hands are free to do the other work.
(You'll notice in the photo that I drilled the 3/8" hole through the 2" side on the same center line as the 1.5" hole. That worked, but in 20/20 hindsight, I would drill this slightly closer to the end. With the current location, the 2X4 has to be pretty much perpendicular to the sleeve. If the hole were a little closer to the end, then the 2X4 could pivot slightly and the chair/bench height wouldn't have to be as close a match to the fork height.)
Note, if you don't have the adjustable forks, the spring is fairly easy to compress, and you could get by just having a helper. But this tool (or the OEM tool) makes it a lot easier. But if you have the adjustable forks, it's pretty much impossible to compress the spring well enough to work on the top bolt without a tool. (This is my opinion, others' opinions may vary. :-) )
The next tool is just a 1X6" board about a foot long that has a 1.75" hole drilled in the center. The board is then cut in half lengthwise, using whatever saw you have available for this. The last "tool" is the old fork seal that you just removed. Use a saw or some means to cut through one side of this seal. A band saw would work great, or a reciprocating saw or jig saw with a vise or vise grips to hold the seal. These way these two tools work, is you slide the old (cut) seal on the fork tube before the new seal (between new seal and dust seal). I don't think it matters much, but I put it on in "backwards" from the new seal. (I saw slight advantages to this way.) Once you have the bushing in the outer tube and the new seal sitting square against the outer tube, sit on the ground with the fork in your lap, with the end of the outer tube in touching your gut. Put the two halves of the 1X6 around the fork (the wood shouldn't scratch it) between the old seal and the dust seal. Then grab each end of the reassembled 1X6 and pull toward your gut, forcing the seal into place. You may want a rag or something on the end of the tube to distribute the force on your gut. The old seal will be almost all the way in the outer tube, but there will be enough sticking out that you can pry it out with a pick or knife or small screwdriver. Don't scratch the inner tube! Now just twist the old seal as shown in the photo and remove. Don't let the cut edge scratch the tube!
Note, if you have a helper, instead of pulling the tube into your gut, you could just stand it up on the ground and press down on the 1X6 tool. The problem with this approach is keeping the inner fork tube from sliding down while you work. A helper could hold that tube up. Hmmm, I guess there would be no harm in just letting that rest on the dust seal resting on the top of the 1X6.
Note, I didn't use the 1X6 to press in the bushing, I just did this with a small piece of wood. But if you had something to use as a spacer you could use the 1X6 for this also. I guess you could press the bushing in at the same time as the new seal. I didn't try this.
I hope this helps someone wanting to change seals (without scratching their fork tubes) without buying tools,
Ray
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