Hi all after selling the triple I bought wee project bike to keep me on road,so far have bought standard bars to replace the gay pink rentals and new braided lines,not much else bar removing stupid rim and bodywork tacky stickers so looking decent,forks are soft but one had leaky seal and after using a seal mate gadget is now leak free,but was going to replace oil and maybe seals problem is one of the top bolts is rather chewed up despite trying good fitting Halfords socket it’s just slipping,what apart from buying used forks at about £100 is my best option to get top bolt out to enable fork seal/oil change all suggestions welcome apart from put a match to it hah
Mole grips or a slightly smaller socket ‘persuaded’ on. Or file some flats back to take a smaller socket.
Hi Chuk, what you need is an Irwin bolt grip nut remover expansion set. Toolstation sell these sets for under £21
It shouldn’t be massively tight. I don’t think you need to buy any special tools. I’d leave the fork in the bike and loosen the top yolk clamp bolt, leaving the lower one tight to hold the fork and stop it revolving. Then use either a pipe wrench, molegrips, or as suggested file some flats so a smaller six sided socket will go on. If it’s still a bit stubborn you could remove the top yolk completely and apply some heat to the top of the stanchion to expand it a bit and consider some penetrating oil(prior to any heat) on the joint but bear in mind there’s an o ring in there so any oil won’t get far.
That sounds like the best option I will loosen the top yoke bolt and raise the for up to get a decent grip for pipe wrench,I will see what cost is of new or replacement cap as it may not be worth replacing,like any other project need to control expense as bike was not expensive at £1300,it was a good six sided socket I used but it was a tad chewed but my dumbass made it worse hah!
Actually yes that’s a better idea. Raise the fork through the top yolk so it too can hold the fork more securely making sure when you retighten the bolt it’s well clear of the threads of the nut. Good man Replace the knackered fork top when you’re all done.
Thanks folks just get that done then fit hoses brakes are lacking a tad,but compared to brembos on the triple that’s going to happen
Hi Chuck, Have you managed to get that fork cap off yet? If not a few tips that might help, make sure that the fork is clamped in the yokes, make sure the socket is as good as you can get and when attempting to undo it use equal force on both sides of the nut i.e. use a 'T' bar rather than a ratchet which only pulls on one side. Using a ratchet or breaker bar pulling on one side is the easiest way to damage these caps. They seem to be very shallow so they don't go very far into a socket. I have found that the best way to loosen these nuts is with a 'windy' gun or other impact wrench, making sure that you keep downward pressure on the gun so it does not slip. Best of luck!!
Hi Chuck, Have you managed to get that fork cap off yet? If not a few tips that might help, make sure that the fork is clamped in the yokes, make sure the socket is as good as you can get and when attempting to undo it use equal force on both sides of the nut i.e. use a 'T' bar rather than a ratchet which only pulls on one side. Using a ratchet or breaker bar pulling on one side is the easiest way to damage these caps. They seem to be very shallow so they don't go very far into a socket. I have found that the best way to loosen these nuts is with a 'windy' gun or other impact wrench, making sure that you keep downward pressure on the gun so it does not slip. Best of luck!!
Another trick I've had success with on chewed up hex heads is to find a suitable sized female Torx socket that will hammer on nice and tight.
