Dent in fork...

[Chouch]

Recently noticed a little dent in my upper fork slider, near the top (under the top triple clamp)

We noticed it during the install of the GP Suspension cartridges, while bleeding the oil, trying to remove the air from the new oil.
A hard point got our attention, so we decided to took everything apart again and double check.


And we found something like that, just a little bit smaller. (this is not my fork here, but a very close shot of my issue)




The dent is so up on the upper fork, that I highly doubt it will ever compromised the new seals.

A new fork tube is listed at 650$... not an option.
Is there any way to remove that dent ?

[el tardo]

something of this skill level you need to call someone like GP or racetech

i would bet they have a press that could get it out or even a new tube laying around for sale

[08hyper]

Originally Posted by Chouch

Recently noticed a little dent in my upper fork slider, near the top (under the top triple clamp)
A new fork tube is listed at 650$... not an option.
Is there any way to remove that dent ?

Back when I was a young Moto-cross racer, dings in the fork leg would sometimes happen, and not having much money back then, (even now) so I had to fix it myself.
I remember that I used a stiff metal rod, wrapped a small cloth with some fine wet & dry sandpaper and taped it on the tip, and carefully "sanded" down just the "high" spot, I started with approx 320grit and ended with 600grit for a smooth finish, worked great for me, and saved me a lot of money. Aloha Alex

[Chouch]

Thanks Alex.
Dave Hodges from GP Suspension also told me to get it fix before installing the cartidge, as it could damage the bushing.

The dent is not very big, so I might give it a shot this weekend with sandpaper.

I'll get back with pictures

[alounacara]

That happened to me the first time i jumped the snake river canyon

[ICustomxXXI]

This happened when I high sided mine. The bump stop on the frame dented the fork. Never had any issues with it.

[johnchypermotard]

wtf alex!? no duct tape in this fix? and you call yourself a redneck? really!?

Originally Posted by 08hyper

Back when I was a young Moto-cross racer, dings in the fork leg would sometimes happen, and not having much money back then, (even now) so I had to fix it myself.
I remember that I used a stiff metal rod, wrapped a small cloth with some fine wet & dry sandpaper and taped it on the tip, and carefully "sanded" down just the "high" spot, I started with approx 320grit and ended with 600grit for a smooth finish, worked great for me, and saved me a lot of money. Aloha Alex

[Jmartin]

damn

[08hyper]

Originally Posted by 08hyper

Back when I was a young Moto-cross racer, dings in the fork leg would sometimes happen, and not having much money back then, (even now) so I had to fix it myself.
I remember that I used a stiff metal rod, wrapped a small cloth with some fine wet & dry sandpaper and taped it on the tip, and carefully "sanded" down just the "high" spot, I started with approx 320grit and ended with 600grit for a smooth finish, worked great for me, and saved me a lot of money. Aloha Alex

Originally Posted by johnchypermotard

wtf alex!? no duct tape in this fix? and you call yourself a redneck? really!?

Yes JohnC "duct" was used here too... Aloha Alex

[Chouch]

Originally Posted by johnchypermotard

wtf alex!? no duct tape in this fix? and you call yourself a redneck? really!?

Na, there's alsways duct tape involved.
Used some in the process of rebuilding the fork leg without the dent, at the top of the inner leg to prevent any damage on the new seals.

And we used tape in this fix aswell (masking tape this time), to attach a flashlight in the tube to get the best possible view of the inside.



We decided to go for a 3 step plan :
1/ Dremel with very soft paper.
2/ finishing with 2000 grit sand paper
3/ buffing

With the fix over exposed, it looks bad, but the dent is gone, and it's all very smooth.
We'll assemble the leg back this weekend, and see if the fix has been good.