Bro I feel you!!! I do all my own work! Nothing ever goes as easy as it could! Same when I’m working on my car. Neighborhood probably hears me cursing my balls off. Save a lot of money though!!!
You forgot to mention spring orientation! Make sure you follow spec and put the thicker spaced on the top. Linear, progressive, & dual rate are the different types. For progressive and dual rate, the tightest coils go down, loose coils up. :D
Coil orienration doesn't matter. Matt from the workshop did a nice video to rule that myth off. Coil response was exactly the same regardless of its orientation.
@@tomasguerrero9622 fully agree, the spring will behave the same as it is compressed from either end regardless of which way up it is. The only consideration here is the tighter wound coils represent the heavier end of the spring which should be at the lower end for better centre of gravity or at the upper end to reduce the unsprung weight for better suspension performance. However, the gains recieved from either oriantation are maginal at best and probably won't even be noticeable when riding. So rule of thumb should be, whatever way up you decide to have your springs, make sure they're the same way up in each leg! other than that, anything goes....
@@roythearcher My counter to this is that the daily weight fluctuations of a rider +\- 3-4lbs will have a much greater effect on the handling than rotating the springs would
If I eat a lunch that weighs 3.5lbs and ride with the thick part of the coils in the up position, is that the same as skipping lunch and riding with the thick part of the coils in the down position?
Absolutely professional and clear explanation for that sensensitive fork.. 5 years old video and I didn't find any other video that clear and useful. You make it possible.. Thanks a lot.
OH MY GOD! That little device (seringe) you made for getting out the excess oil at the exact right amount is AWSOME! I was really laughing out loud of joy. Seriously thank you! I was always fiddeling with a caliper. U guys of MC garage are the best
Ari and the team, your videos are amazing, so informative and detailed, you take the time to really explain everything, thankyou, I have managed to do alot more for my motorcycle than otherwise I would ask my mechanic to do. Head and shoulders above your competitors keep it up 👌👌👌👌
Really appreciate your work MCGarage 👍 accurate, informative and bugger all filler while staying friendly and fun. And I'm talking about all your videos... Cheers 😎✌️
This video literally answered all my questions and was so simple, looking at all the pieces in the shop manual was tough but you just kept it super simple, Thanks!
I think there should be a separate episode just for that oil height device Ari rigged up. Like what? Let me just pull up this handy thing I made to make my life easier.
May I suggest after installing the damper rod also slide in the spring. Then stand it up on the spring so that damper rod is fully extended through the inner fork leg. Then you can put on the bottom out cone and slide on the outer fork leg. That way all of it stays lined up when you install the bottom fork screw. I also like to use ether vacuum or pressure to remove all the air in the oil. Air causes cavitation and rises the temperature in the oil. Simply ether push the inner fork leg in, place your hand on it and pull the fork leg up to apply vacuum. Or if you like to apply pressure rise the inner fork leg, place your hand on it and push the fork leg down. Both cases do not let air to scape until you are done.
Great video. I just might add that once you have rebuild the thing up, fork oil level should be measured with the coil off and while the fork is fully compressed. If you added emulators or orher inertia valves which weren't part of the original setup, you should measure the oil height with those parts in, since they take volume that otherwise would be filled with oil.
For those trying this out, use heat before undoing those allen bolts at the bottom. Heat it up to a ridiculous hot temp to degrade the thread locker. Otherwise, you *will* absolutely strip those bolts. And, it's just an unpleasant time. Ask me how I know!
Here's my recent experience on removing the damper bolt from the bottom of the fork leg. I was able to "crack" the bolt with a hex key with a deep socket and extension piece as a lever on the short arm of the hex key. Only it didn't really crack. I only got it moving and it remained extremely stiff. I started off with the spring in and then took the cap off to see what was going on inside. No photos I found on the web, looked like what the inside of my fork looked like and I remained doubtful that any of the tools I found online would be remotely suitable. The cup on the bottom of the damper is basically a circle with 4 flats on it, with a small gap of only about 1/8". Any tool to hold it would have to be a very close fit. I tried shocking the bolt with a hammer and also applying heat with a heat-gun. I would say both these approaches are pretty worthless. I mean how much heat it going to make it all the way thru to where the bolt meets the damper - not much! And I really can't see it doing much even if it did. There's no corrosion in in an oil-filled fork for a start. It's just thread pressure. Likewise with shocking it with a hammer. How hard can you hit it in any case. And again, it's not a shock issue like it might be with a seized thread. I tried whacking the hex key lever with a hammer to get it to rotate quick and break free. Didn't do a thing. I wanted to have a go with an impact driver but how to do that for a deep 8mm hex bolt? I'm sitting around thinking and I remember my 3/8" socket driver for the impact driver. I keep forgetting about that sucker, but that won't do it.... but, hey, if you go 3/8" socket driver to 8mm socket to cut-off hex key, you've got it! That did the job pretty quickly. I did have to slide a metal rod with a chamfered end down the fork to hold the damper once the thread got towards the end. TBH, I'm kind of surprised that most experiences I've read about, seem to be that the bolt comes out easily with a hex key and a bit of a heave. My experience would be that you either have to hold the damper with a special tool or use an impact driver, especially if the damper has been installed with a holding tool as I imagine it is when it's first put together. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the first to take these forks apart in 18 years!
Sup man. I'm doing the fork seals on my bike as well right now and I ran into this issue. At the bottom there's a hex bolt which I got loose but however it just keeps spinning when I try to continue opening the bolt. On the inside of the fork theres a round hole but i just dont know what to use to hold it in place so that I can open the hex bolt. At this point I'm loosing faith in the internet since there's no video or and instruction or tool for this fork seal replacement. Just thought I'd give my 2 cents since I saw you were having the same problem
This is good stuff to know. I may be replacing the front fork seals in my Stryker soon. Got home today and just noticed the dryrot cracks on one and dried up oil all over the left stanchion. It's outdoors year round. Considering parking in my house like I used to
Another elegant way to drive the seal in is to carefully wrap electrical tape to the proper radius about 6" up the fork and use that as you would use the ABS segment.
Hi Ari. As always, great video (I've recently stumbled on your channel and am doing some binge watching). This one is certainly more higher-grade than most. I won't try it on my R1200GSA, but awesome to know for a project bike! Thanks again.
I teach motorcycle repair at a technical high school. My students better not spray any aerosol cleaners into the same pan where we drained the oil into, because it contaminates the oil to the point where it cannot be hauled off for recycling. Just a note for folks that must recycle oils. Bill Ross - Region 10 Technical High School - Brunswick, Maine
about the only thing I would add; wear safety glasses when spraying cleaner from a rattle can. I noticed that you squinted and turned your head, indicating you were getting a little back splash. that's why I mentioned it. anyway, thanks for the good info.
Amazing video, it's really hard to find proper videos that show you explicitly and explain clearly what you have to do. But can I ask what track you use in the background, I would love to add it to my workshop playlist for some ambient background music haha
Good video! It would cool to see this done on inverted (upside down) forks as well. Maybe not a complete rebuild but maybe just something simple like fork oil change. This is what I have and what I'm looking to do this fall.
“You should be able to spread the Bush with your fingers and slide it onto the stanchion.”
Bless your heart
What you SHOULD be able to do and what I actually HAVE to do are two entirely different things
@@RapidRedRiderno experience with spreading bushes eh?
@@ryantogo8359 touché
"Spread the bush" - Ari Henning 2015
Good work, sir.
No way! That's so cool! If you ever make it out this way again let me know. We can cruise Rt. 6A!
Is that the same MB5 you did the 24 race with a few years back? I could only imagine that bike on Cape Cod roads. I'd be terrified.
+ThatGuyFromNantucket "Use your fingers to spread the bush"
I had to rewind to make sure I was hearing that correctly. haha
@@TheJoshRed Yeah don't forget to use a screwdriver
Gotta love how the pros make it look so easy... I see this and say "8 hours" because for some reason I can make anything easy much harder LOL
Man you weren't kidding!
I started my fork rebuild at 11 am and it is currently 7 am, all tools put away all ready to ride and everything!
@justultrra3568 seriously? 20 hours? What bike you're working on?
@@augustaverbianI think he means 7 PM*
Bro I feel you!!! I do all my own work! Nothing ever goes as easy as it could! Same when I’m working on my car. Neighborhood probably hears me cursing my balls off. Save a lot of money though!!!
I can’t ever get the dampener bolt out. Ever.
5 years on and it is still the best video on servicing fork seals on UA-cam.
8 years after it was posted and I’m gonna attempt to do this myself on my zx6r. Just gotta wait for my first paycheck at this new job 😂
@@OGMochaHD literally same 😂 wish us the best
@@ernstcummings9515 good luck mf 🫡 I replaced my forks completely cause they were bent asf 😭
Dude, that was probably the fastest EASIEST way to explain it. I’ve never done it myself but man you made it seem simple. Thanks man.
I like how smooth this is going for you. I can't even do little jobs without losing my temper and swearing.
The first time is almost always a pain in the a*s, whether it's an oil change or lubing the chain.
@@user-hs2hd7wp9g pain in the HAAS, (F1 situation)
Wow must had the same teacher
When he said "you're halfway done" I about lost my shit before realizing he meant doing the other fork.
Daily X Danger 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 same is what I thought
And re assembly of the hole thing?
@@dennis1802Reassembly is the least of it.
@@firefox3249 yeah i’m learning that the hard way right now 🙈 but pretty sure it will be up and running again
I now know how to spread the bush. Thanks MC garage.
This has to be one of the best "how to" videos I've ever seen. Straight, clear and to the point.
crazy to think that this vid has been around for almost 3 years, and I dunno how many times I've rewatched it but I always enjoy it. really.
You forgot to mention spring orientation! Make sure you follow spec and put the thicker spaced on the top. Linear, progressive, & dual rate are the different types. For progressive and dual rate, the tightest coils go down, loose coils up. :D
Coil orienration doesn't matter. Matt from the workshop did a nice video to rule that myth off. Coil response was exactly the same regardless of its orientation.
@@tomasguerrero9622 fully agree, the spring will behave the same as it is compressed from either end regardless of which way up it is. The only consideration here is the tighter wound coils represent the heavier end of the spring which should be at the lower end for better centre of gravity or at the upper end to reduce the unsprung weight for better suspension performance. However, the gains recieved from either oriantation are maginal at best and probably won't even be noticeable when riding.
So rule of thumb should be, whatever way up you decide to have your springs, make sure they're the same way up in each leg! other than that, anything goes....
@@roythearcher My counter to this is that the daily weight fluctuations of a rider +\- 3-4lbs will have a much greater effect on the handling than rotating the springs would
If I eat a lunch that weighs 3.5lbs and ride with the thick part of the coils in the up position, is that the same as skipping lunch and riding with the thick part of the coils in the down position?
wow, I would never ever do this myself. but well done you, very professional. Great video ;)
By far, the best ‘how to’ video I have found for this job. Thank you!
I honestly believe you are Top 3 motorcycle channels online. Awesome videos man!
Miss you Ari. You were awesome.
I have done this job before. If I saw this video back in the day I would have had a lot more confidence doing the job. GREAT video!.
Absolutely professional and clear explanation for that sensensitive fork.. 5 years old video and I didn't find any other video that clear and useful. You make it possible.. Thanks a lot.
saved me a load of money as this video allowed me to do the work myself. Thank you
Amazing video man. You just made the mechanics in my country lose a customer lol.
Thank you so much for the instructions and the effort.
So useful. So well presented and edited for teaching something. Keep them coming!
Have just done mine thanks to this and saved a small fortune. Thanks so much!!
Watching this on repeat to build up my confidence to do this over the weekend. Got fork cartridges for my ninja 300!
This is the best video I have seen on forks.
Very well explained. No wasted verbiage - right to the point!
I LOVE U BRO, BEST FORK REMOVAL VIDEO ON THS ENTIRE INTERNET
Videos like this are making my life so much more enjoyable with my newly acquired 1989 Katana. Thank you for everything!!!
OH MY GOD! That little device (seringe) you made for getting out the excess oil at the exact right amount is AWSOME! I was really laughing out loud of joy. Seriously thank you!
I was always fiddeling with a caliper. U guys of MC garage are the best
the cleanliness of the fork being serviced is ridiculous ... very nice tutorial !
Ari and the team, your videos are amazing, so informative and detailed, you take the time to really explain everything, thankyou, I have managed to do alot more for my motorcycle than otherwise I would ask my mechanic to do. Head and shoulders above your competitors keep it up 👌👌👌👌
Thanks Ari, I'm at the verge of replacing my fork seals and your vid sure helped a lot! Cheers mate..
can you make a video on fork alignment/installation?
That was incredibly helpful and will save me £200 next time my forks are due a rebuild. Thanks very much indeed
The mechanic in my country took $4 btw. For forks of a 150cc aprilia derbi stx clone.
Great job, bro. Very comprehensive. Thanks for sharing.
Really appreciate your work MCGarage 👍 accurate, informative and bugger all filler while staying friendly and fun. And I'm talking about all your videos... Cheers 😎✌️
This video literally answered all my questions and was so simple, looking at all the pieces in the shop manual was tough but you just kept it super simple, Thanks!
all this talk about, rods, spreading the bush with your fingers, and lubing the inner lips!
+Wayne S. And you should wear rubber for security. ;-)
And stroking
Those nuts were really hard tightened.
Make sure to spill all the oil out.
These comments... lol
sir i promise to invest for my tool so i can practice all of your videos here... Thank you so much...
You've got to keep the fork up to drive the bush home. Is that right? LOL. Nice job Ari! Really informative video, seriously.
Great video! Would love to see a brake episode from you guys. Bleeding the brakes, brake pads and cilinders replacement/refurbishment etc.
Awesome video.
Completely rebuilt mine today following this and it was perfect!!
This may be the best how-to video I've ever seen.
This guy works hard. Pretty educational video 👍
Great video, always very informative and you explain everything so well.
Made it look easy as always, thanks Ari
request to do same maintenance video for rear shock springs
Bookmarked for later! Thanks, Ari Henning !
You have great videos. Thanks so much for all your work. This one has the best detail and instructions for the fork rebuild I have found.
Great "how to" videos Ari! Keep'em coming please.
These how to videos are awesome! Thank you for doing them
I think there should be a separate episode just for that oil height device Ari rigged up. Like what? Let me just pull up this handy thing I made to make my life easier.
It's basically just a syringe with a tube attached to it.
This is incredibly useful. Cheers!
May I suggest after installing the damper rod also slide in the spring. Then stand it up on the spring so that damper rod is fully extended through the inner fork leg. Then you can put on the bottom out cone and slide on the outer fork leg. That way all of it stays lined up when you install the bottom fork screw.
I also like to use ether vacuum or pressure to remove all the air in the oil. Air causes cavitation and rises the temperature in the oil.
Simply ether push the inner fork leg in, place your hand on it and pull the fork leg up to apply vacuum. Or if you like to apply pressure rise the inner fork leg, place your hand on it and push the fork leg down. Both cases do not let air to scape until you are done.
Great video. I just might add that once you have rebuild the thing up, fork oil level should be measured with the coil off and while the fork is fully compressed. If you added emulators or orher inertia valves which weren't part of the original setup, you should measure the oil height with those parts in, since they take volume that otherwise would be filled with oil.
very nice..love your videos Ari
rohan patil iI
EXCELLENT! Dude..that was awesome.
Very well laid out and informative video. Thank you.
Really quality and easy followed content. Thanks, Ari. ;)
Thank you MC garage you have definitely taught me something today...that its better to pay someone to do this..
Very good tutorial...... Keep up the good work
Excellent video, precise and informative.
Would have been great to see this 2 weeks ago when I had a shop refurbish my Triumph forks.
You make it seem so easy I feel like I want to take my bike apart lol
I'm about to do my first fork seal change and I've been soaking up all these vids, it looks easy but dammit I'm gonna get it done 🙏
I really hate professionals, this guy made this job look super easy lol. Nall I'm playing, great job buddy on explaining.
Great video, Ari. Thanks for a great how-to!!!
thx dude 4 this awesome tutorial!! it helped me very much
Seriously great vid , going to tackle it will confidence.
this is well explained. both hands up for this video.
For those trying this out, use heat before undoing those allen bolts at the bottom. Heat it up to a ridiculous hot temp to degrade the thread locker. Otherwise, you *will* absolutely strip those bolts. And, it's just an unpleasant time. Ask me how I know!
wish I've read this comment 3 weeks ago lol
Here's my recent experience on removing the damper bolt from the bottom of the fork leg. I was able to "crack" the bolt with a hex key with a deep socket and extension piece as a lever on the short arm of the hex key. Only it didn't really crack. I only got it moving and it remained extremely stiff.
I started off with the spring in and then took the cap off to see what was going on inside. No photos I found on the web, looked like what the inside of my fork looked like and I remained doubtful that any of the tools I found online would be remotely suitable.
The cup on the bottom of the damper is basically a circle with 4 flats on it, with a small gap of only about 1/8". Any tool to hold it would have to be a very close fit.
I tried shocking the bolt with a hammer and also applying heat with a heat-gun. I would say both these approaches are pretty worthless. I mean how much heat it going to make it all the way thru to where the bolt meets the damper - not much! And I really can't see it doing much even if it did. There's no corrosion in in an oil-filled fork for a start. It's just thread pressure. Likewise with shocking it with a hammer. How hard can you hit it in any case. And again, it's not a shock issue like it might be with a seized thread. I tried whacking the hex key lever with a hammer to get it to rotate quick and break free. Didn't do a thing.
I wanted to have a go with an impact driver but how to do that for a deep 8mm hex bolt? I'm sitting around thinking and I remember my 3/8" socket driver for the impact driver. I keep forgetting about that sucker, but that won't do it.... but, hey, if you go 3/8" socket driver to 8mm socket to cut-off hex key, you've got it!
That did the job pretty quickly. I did have to slide a metal rod with a chamfered end down the fork to hold the damper once the thread got towards the end.
TBH, I'm kind of surprised that most experiences I've read about, seem to be that the bolt comes out easily with a hex key and a bit of a heave. My experience would be that you either have to hold the damper with a special tool or use an impact driver, especially if the damper has been installed with a holding tool as I imagine it is when it's first put together. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the first to take these forks apart in 18 years!
Sup man. I'm doing the fork seals on my bike as well right now and I ran into this issue. At the bottom there's a hex bolt which I got loose but however it just keeps spinning when I try to continue opening the bolt. On the inside of the fork theres a round hole but i just dont know what to use to hold it in place so that I can open the hex bolt. At this point I'm loosing faith in the internet since there's no video or and instruction or tool for this fork seal replacement. Just thought I'd give my 2 cents since I saw you were having the same problem
quality instructions very clear!
Best way to rebuild forks....new forks XD
This is good stuff to know. I may be replacing the front fork seals in my Stryker soon. Got home today and just noticed the dryrot cracks on one and dried up oil all over the left stanchion. It's outdoors year round. Considering parking in my house like I used to
Revisiting this video and gonna actually try this this time, last two I brought them places.
Great video but didn't u forget the gold valve when putting it back together?
He casually mentioned putting it back after adding the oil
4:43 I usually just spread the bush with my fingers, and then slide it onto the lower side of my 3rd leg.
Another elegant way to drive the seal in is to carefully wrap electrical tape to the proper radius about 6" up the fork and use that as you would use the ABS segment.
Hi Ari. As always, great video (I've recently stumbled on your channel and am doing some binge watching). This one is certainly more higher-grade than most. I won't try it on my R1200GSA, but awesome to know for a project bike! Thanks again.
I teach motorcycle repair at a technical high school. My students better not spray any aerosol cleaners into the same pan where we drained the oil into, because it contaminates the oil to the point where it cannot be hauled off for recycling. Just a note for folks that must recycle oils. Bill Ross - Region 10 Technical High School - Brunswick, Maine
Cool, definitely going to swing at doing my own.
Very good explaining.
Very good detailed video.
Thank u very much
I love this. Bravo and thank you to you guys/gals!
This was waaaaay harder for me than this video made it look. Still thanks for the tips, i had to come back to watch parts about 50 times
Great instructional video. Thanks
I think they're called bushings, not bush - but I'm OK with your version. Gave me good laugh. lol
about the only thing I would add; wear safety glasses when spraying cleaner from a rattle can. I noticed that you squinted and turned your head, indicating you were getting a little back splash. that's why I mentioned it. anyway, thanks for the good info.
Bro!! You studied this somewhere or learned by yourself?? And thank you for this one! Appreciate it.
Excellent video!
Great video!
It seriously feels like watching a cooking show episode
I like when he said spread the bush with your fingers lol
Amazing video, it's really hard to find proper videos that show you explicitly and explain clearly what you have to do. But can I ask what track you use in the background, I would love to add it to my workshop playlist for some ambient background music haha
Greetings from India 😊
Wow, that looks like a lot of work for a newbie 😅😅 but I'll try. I gotta little 👌 skill here ❤
Good video! It would cool to see this done on inverted (upside down) forks as well. Maybe not a complete rebuild but maybe just something simple like fork oil change. This is what I have and what I'm looking to do this fall.
I couldn’t get the damper rod screw to come off, i read that an impact gun would help n it did
I need one of those stands so i can take my front wheel off. Very handy
Good tutorial, would you be able to do a video on upside down forks.
Really good videos. Thanks a lot.
can you do one for inverted forks?
yes I need that too
Me too
Probably the same but upside down?🤣🤣