Fork Seals.. Has anyone tried this?

martin_csr wrote: 1981 KZ650-CSR. upper tubes = 36mm & lower tubes = 56mm.
.

What do you think? Think these will fit?
www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-race...covers-716-1004.html

If not, maybe I'll just get these? Both are at a great price.
www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-race...oots-pm716-1001.html

LH

Guys, I'm having a problem getting these allen bolts out from under the fork bottoms. Gonna try a breaker bar tomorrow. Ugh.. my work schedule keeps me from getting real time on it. I tried compressing the springs (almost to bottoming out) while my dad tried popping the bolt loose. What's this broom trick some of you talk about it? This is the last thing to do before getting back on the road.

Oh, one more thing, what can I clean the insides of the fork tubes and bottoms with? The old oil was fairly thick and grey. Seemed odd... but it was my first time changing the oil.

Luc

See the link below for info on removing the allen bolts. Ed

www.kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/594863-f...k-dissasembly#639855

Usually, the easiest way to remove the bottom allen bolts is to use an impact gun & 8mm hardened allen socket or brake caliper socket. You could apply heat w a propane torch beforehand.

Fork holder tool. It's possible the head of the inner cylinder looks just like a 12-pt 19mm socket.
KZRider topic ---- Front fork dissasembly --- see photos --- the 550M1 forks might be the same. ???

Rake handle. carve it into the shape of a wedge or cone, then jam it in there. The first time doing the job I went with the cone shape & kept it jammed in place w a long woodworking clamp; and along w a pipe wrench on the rake handle & wood blocking here n there, I loosened the allen bolt by stomping on the ratchet handle. kinda red-necky but it worked.

Solvent. Before disassembling the forks, I poured in some lacquer thinner, reinstalled the fork caps, inverted a few times, then dumped it out & proceeded w the job.

Well I finally got my forks completely disassembled. I took my forks to a friend who had a n impact gun laying around. I would've gone before, but we've been a bit busy. Now that they're apart, I noticed my fork seal retainer clips probably need replacing. I've only found round retainer clips in the stores around here. Do you guys think those would work? I guess since they're just doing the job of keeping the seal in place. Opinions?

I'm just glad I got the forks apart, My fork gaiters are split here and there. I'm so close to done, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Hey guys. I got my seals done. Came out great. I did notice one thing. Only one of the allen bolts on the bottom had a washer. I am pretty sure that I'm the only one who has replaced these seals. Does that sound odd to you? I'll hopefully find a right sized washer tomorrow before adding the oil. Anyway, thank you for the help above. This site rocks.

Luc

WAIT.. The washers on the allen bolts aren't regular washers. They are made of copper so they crush and seal. I'm pretty sure Kawasaki still sells them. Ed

650ed wrote: WAIT.. The washers on the allen bolts isn't a regular washer. It is made of copper so it crushes and seals. I'm pretty sure Kawasaki still sells them. Ed

Right! I forgot to say that... they are crush washers. I heard NAPA sells them in various sizes. Hopefully they will have one. If not them, hopefully our local Kawasaki shop will have one. If not. Ugh. I'm dying to get back on two wheels.

Still weird that only one leg had that crush washer.

The missing gasket may be stuck to the fork leg, inside the allen bolt hole.
Instead of replacing the gaskets, I annealed them, heating 'em w a propane torch then dunking in cold water. I used high temp thread sealant on the allen bolts --- the stuff cures to a thick paste, seals the threads & acts as a thread locker.

PS: the auto parts store didn't have suitable gaskets, hence the non-standard methods. I considered using 8mm brake line gaskets, but they aren't as robust as the stock gaskets.

martin_csr wrote: The missing gasket may be stuck to the fork leg, inside the allen bolt hole.
Instead of replacing the gaskets, I annealed them, heating 'em w a propane torch then dunking in cold water. I used high temp thread sealant on the allen bolts --- the stuff cures to a thick paste, seals the threads & acts as a thread locker.

PS: the auto parts store didn't have suitable gaskets, hence the non-standard methods. I considered using 8mm brake line gaskets, but they aren't as robust as the stock gaskets.

You were right, the seal was inside the fork bottom. I also bought two new washers at NAPA for 99 cents each. Not bad. Too bad work got in between me and my bike. So tomorrow I'll add the fluids, get the wheel back on, and take a little ride around the block.

Again, thank you to everyone who chimed in.

Did you get plain old washers, or are they gaskets?
If they're gaskets, can you provide a part number?
I looked for M8 (8mm) copper & aluminum gaskets but couldn't find any.
The smallest I saw were M10. Thanks.

martin_csr wrote: Did you get plain old washers, or are they gaskets?
If they're gaskets, can you provide a part number?
I looked for M8 (8mm) copper & aluminum gaskets but couldn't find any.
The smallest I saw were M10. Thanks.

They are crush washers in copper. I don't have the part number. I took my old washer to NAPA. They matched it in their parts book. They have a bin full of different sizes. Bought two at 99 cents each. Do you have a NAPA there? In their book, they just lay the washer over the picture. Pretty cool if ya ask me.