TOPIC:

Shdwdrgn post=848160I checked the parts diagram again, and I think I see the allen bolt you're referring to (literally under the bottom of the tube).  So I just take those out and the lower tubes should drop off?  

Yes, and no.  There are three main parts to the forks.  The chrome upper tube, the lower aluminum tube, and a damping rod inside.  The damping rod goes down in from the top, like the springs.  It extends out of the chrome upper and the damping rod is what that allen socket head bolt threads into.  The damping rod can spin freely inside, so once you loosen the bolt a small amount the damping rod often starts to spin and you can't get the bolt out.  Kawasaki made a special tool that reached down in from the top to hold the damping rod.  On some models this actually fit into the rod, and some it was just a cone shape that pressed on the damping rod.  The easiest way I know of to do this is to just use the wooden handle of a broom stick.  But you still need to spin the bolt pretty quickly to get it to move if it's stuck.  Using an L-key is probably not going to cut it.  Most folks say to use an impact gun, but it doesn't have to be an impact.  It could be a drill with a socket adaptor.  They key is to spin it quickly, while jamming the broom stick down the top of the upper tube.  

As for removing the seals, some have an internal steal ring.  I've found these to be very hard to remove from the lowers.  Some of the aftermarket seals don't have the ring, which makes everything easier.

Eesh, I have to keep going back and re-checking the thread, it seems like every time I type up a reply someone else posts at the same time and I keep missing things.   And I need to check those videos.  So ok, it sounds like maybe I can leach the upper tubes mounted to the bike but I'll need to pull the top caps and remove the springs, and of course drain the remaining oil before starting.  I'll also need to hose everything down really well before I start, to try and get most of the oil splatter off the forks.  Then I can wash them down a little better again once everything is reassembled so that I can see if they're still leaking or not next time I go for a ride.  I do have a small air ratchet and can easily pick up a metric hex head if I have any trouble getting the allen bolts free, thanks for that.

Meanwhile I also had to pick up a new rear brake caliper off ebay.  I discovered last year the current one has a groove inside the cylinder wall and when the pads wore down the cylinder would catch and wouldn't release.  It never locked up on me, but I started noticing some occasional significant drag.  Figured I'd just swap the whole caliper, I wouldn't sure if that was even worth trying to repair.  Got a big storm heading in this weekend though, with temps moving back towards the 40's (and possible overnight snow!), so I won't be missing any good riding weather while waiting for parts to arrive.  Other than these two issues the bike has been running pretty decent.  I forgot to store the battery in the garage this Winter, but still had plenty of juice to try and get it started up last weekend.  I love it when things just work.

Can't see the bike very well in your profile. NEED PICS 
Steve

No problem, I have 29 pages of pics.  What would you like to know?

kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/590969-1981-kz1000-j-to-k-build

You did all that but never did forks before? wow. Forks should be easy. The only really hard part sometimes is removing the bottom allen bolts, but that can also be easy.  maybe the bolts are stuck, maybe not.  If you need a holder tool, it helps to know what the head of the damper rod looks like &/or what size bolt fits into.  Mine are 19mm.  I used a LH 1/2" bolt which has a 3/4" head. 3/4" = 19mm. 

The fork caps can be stuck as well but you've already had yours off, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Pulling the seals should be easy.  I do the job with the forks disassembled & pull the seals w an off-the-shelf seal puller from the auto parts store w a piece of milk jug plastic to protect the lower tubes.  In case you aren't aware, when pulling the seals you need to hook the metal ring of the seal that's encased in rubber.

Yep, I believe I stripped it down to every last nut and bolt except for the front forks (and now that I think of it, I haven't pulled the tach apart to paint the shell yet either).  Every bearing was replaced except the two big ones in the engine, and I ended up with multiples of a number of pieces so I picked the best of everything.  Between two complete wiring harnesses I managed to make a full LTD harness without a single splice.  I rebuilt the carbs and synced them with a single vacuum gauge (come to think of it, Martin, wasn't that your article I referenced?).  And yet I barely touched the forks.  They scare me... or rather the thought of what happens if I screw them up scares me.  Even welding on the frame wasn't much of a concern because the spot I did that in wasn't structural.  But if the forks fail, I die.

Huh... there's a seal puller tool?  I've always just pried seals out with screwdrivers or driven them from the back side.  I guess I'll be heading down the street to Harbor Freight.

Some guys use a big ole' screwdriver, but a puller probably makes the job easier & maybe lessens the chances of gouging the tubes.

When I do forks I take out the bottom bolt before anything else (drains the oil too), take off the dust seal and snap ring, then use the upper tube as a slide hammer to pull the old seal out. I'd recommend a dedicated seal driver for installation, DIY is a huge pain.

By the way, I wouldn't worry about failure on forks - they're pretty simple. My first rebuild I put the oil seals in backwards, lost all the oil in a week, and rode like that for another month...it didn't feel good but it's still a bike.

If you have any pitting or rust on the upper tubes, I've used plastic wrap and rubber grease to get the new seal over without damaging it - but I've also just used fork oil and slid the new seal over with no damage. I think fork rebuilding is unnecessarily mythologized.