Jump to content

A guide to stripping USD forks apart


thefatman

Recommended Posts

Posted

Just thought i'd post this up to show a few people what to do if you perhaps put a little bend in your fork stanchion. You can buy replacement tubes and its not impossible to do. Also handy if your swapping over from normal brakes to radial brakes if making a mix of fork bits.

I've only ever done mountain bike forks before but looking at them theres no difference so here we go.

The mounts are held on with super strength loctite, so heat will help. Some are threaded on to the tube, possibly with a grubscrew to stop them turning. Others are simply pushed on, like the ones here.

First you need to clamp the fork tube in the vice to stop it turning. Soft jaws otherwise you'll mark the tube which will ruin the seals. Even better would be an alloy clamp, split in half to go around each side of the leg.

Next a bar the same size as the axle, you could use the axle if its fairly solid but modern ones are a bit light for it so a bar is better.

Last is heat to break the bond of the loctite. A heat gun will work perfectly for this, unless yours is broken and you only have gas to hand.

A very simple process - Remove grubscrew, heat up the casting, unscrew (may need a small extension bar).

img0444a.jpg

img0443njp.jpg

img0447o.jpg

img0448f.jpg

Job done. Now you can replace your bent fork tube, send it of to have it rechromed or nitrided, get the castings powder coated, or fit those flash radial brake bottoms you've bought for your forks.

There we go, all finished

Posted

Nice write up. Is that sambuca in the top of the fork leg?

Posted

Great how-to. I got some bent yzf 750 forks waiting to be repaired. :tumbleweed:

Posted

Nice one theFatman, another masterclass explained for the ordinary dimwit like me :eusa_think:

...just had a thought, GP doesn't read these does he, no, but if he did, he wouldn't, would he? :icon_blackeye::icon_pale:

:eusa_dance:

Posted

Excellent, was there no adjuster for compression on that leg? if so what did you have to do with that?

Posted
Excellent, was there no adjuster for compression on that leg? if so what did you have to do with that?

Wouldn't this come out when you took the cartridge out?

Posted
Wouldn't this come out when you took the cartridge out?

Unscrew it first!

Posted

That's awesome - and great timing - I might need to do this.

Just a couple of questions...

Guessing you need to drop the fork oil out first?

When putting back together I'm guessing its important to replace the loctite-type glue with something. Would loctite do it?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Rich

Posted
Guessing you need to drop the fork oil out first?

Would loctite do it?

Yes out with the oil, red loctite should be fine.

Posted
Yes out with the oil, red loctite should be fine.

nice one - thanks for that!

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Eh, how do you put a fork tube back in the fork bottom btw? Don't kayaba/showa use some special glue?

Posted
Eh, how do you put a fork tube back in the fork bottom btw? Don't kayaba/showa use some special glue?

If its a screw on bottom then screw it back on, push fit then use a press.

Loctite will do, heavy duty stuff not threadlock.

  • 4 years later...
Posted

Excellent post.

I now won't be scared of taking this job on myself now.

Thanks

  • johnnymack63 unpinned this topic

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...