Disassembly of air assisted front shocks ?

Hi Folks,
I'm getting my 1982 Spectre 1100 back on the road. The first thing I changed was the seat. I had it refoamed and re covered to eliminate the lowered operator position. I now have a bench seat that allows me to sit anywhere I like.
My next revision will be to swap out the buck horn mini ape bars for something that doesn't cause me to bend my wrists down at an uncomfortable angle. I don't mind the height but I want a bar that presents a straighter pull. Any suggestions?
That brings me to my real issue. The front forks are leaking and I'd like to understand how these forks come off the triple clamps before I attempt removing them. I've replaced forks seals plenty of times but I've never worked on a set of forks that have that balance air tube just above the lower triple clamp. Just how do you slide the fork tubes out of the triple clamps with that air tube that is apparently connected to the side of the upper/inner fork tube?
I'd appreciated any input from a member who's ventured here before.
Thanks
Bill/KZQ

I've never done that type of forks, but the diagrams should help. and EB pics.
The air assy slides onto the fork tubes which have holes drilled into them >> the air assy fits over the holes & is sealed with o-rings.  
I didn't look for the 1100 stuff on EB, but there are some ZX750 forks that show the holes.
The o-rings probably will be stuck to the tubes, so you might want to spray something to help break the bond. 
After loosening the fork clamps and maybe removing some stuff, I'd try twisting the tubes. 

1982 KZ1100-D2 Spectre >>  www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/motor...front-fork-kz1100-d2

1983 ZX750-A1 >>  www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/motor...-zx750-a1/front-fork

1985 ZN1300-A3 Voyager >> www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/motor...zn1300-a3/front-fork

I just did mine recently , but it's from 82 KZ/GPz750. Anyway, Yeah, if you never touch the balancer, it's a pretty good chance that it's probably bind/stuck to the tube. I've used Kroil to loosen it up. Give it more than a few twist. Just keep shooting it with your favorite lubricant until you're satisfy. When you're comfortable how loose it is, just pull it out. Mine had fairly new o-ring so I had to keep shooting with Kroil.

Be careful with that air holes in the tube. make sure they are at the top of the rotation or you're going to have a messy oil spill. I usually shoot the area with brake cleaner as soon as I see the hole, and just use duct tape to cover the hole. When you're ready to re-install them, I take the tape off, clean the area with acetone or something, just to make sure I don't have any tape residue.

I actually got the Spectre done, except for the bars. The forks came apart easily enough. I elected to replace those internal O rings for the balance tube. Pushing the fork legs through the new O rings took a lot of twisting and force.
On the expense side, all I had to do was apply $1,000.00.
New tires
Fork seals
Front brake pads
Modified seat
I'm pleased with the result so far and plan to use it as a daily rider instead of my 1300 this year. I haven't weighed it but this is one heavy bike.

 

Bill

Looks good 

KZQ wrote:

I actually got the Spectre done, except for the bars. The forks came apart easily enough. I elected to replace those internal O rings for the balance tube. Pushing the fork legs through the new O rings took a lot of twisting and force.
On the expense side, all I had to do was apply $1,000.00.
New tires
Fork seals
Front brake pads
Modified seat
I'm pleased with the result so far and plan to use it as a daily rider instead of my 1300 this year. I haven't weighed it but this is one heavy bike.

 

Bill


 

I found a set  of bars on an old kz900 I have just to hang parts on. I swapped them for the buckhorn bars on the Spectre. Oh what a difference. This bike's a rider now.
A friend who does 10 track days a year told me about a phenom or issue that track racers have to deal with and i think it describes quite well why I found the original bars so uncomfortable.
He says that while really hanging off on right hand turns you have to raise your right elbow so high that it's difficult to control the throttle. Racers call it screwdriver throttle. I know what it feels like and I don't like it. Any way a set of bars from an older KZ made the difference.
Realizing that this thread is going off topic, I'll ask for a bit of grace while I tell you about the tires I chose.
I went with Avon Cobra Chromes and it was a good choice. Not only do they have good grip and are described to have good wet grip but their turn in is very quick and smooth. These tires like to turn. I've got 'em on my Valk and my Roadliner also.
Bill