Fork maintenance failure
- Thread starter gixxerjasen
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gixxerjasen
Well-known member
When I get through this, I will never touch FJR forks again.
gixxerjasen
Well-known member
Four or five solid whacks and it came right apart. I was pretty pleased till I noticed the seal still in the lower and me with the upper in my hand and no lower bushing.
I managed to get the seal out gently and nicely, but I have three bushings in the lower, two of the solidly in there and one loose at the bottom.
MCRIDER007
Well-known member
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HotRodZilla
GOD BLESS AMERICA
The temper tantrum I would have thrown would have dislodged the bushings and bent the shit out of that lower. Nice job holding it together.
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Just checking in to say that I am stumped as to how this could have happened. Theoretically it should be impossible for the bottom bushing to have come dislodged from its seat in the inner tube while still being inside the bore of the lower tube. The tolerance between those tubes is supposed to be much less than the thickness of the lower bushing.
As for proceeding, now that the inner tube is already out you should be able to extract the bushings with relatively little force from a puller. Work on the upper one first since you'll be able to see it easier. Something like a blind bearing puller would make the job easy. You might have to custom fab something like that on a long threaded rod to reach down to the middle bushing.
Seems if you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all.
As for proceeding, now that the inner tube is already out you should be able to extract the bushings with relatively little force from a puller. Work on the upper one first since you'll be able to see it easier. Something like a blind bearing puller would make the job easy. You might have to custom fab something like that on a long threaded rod to reach down to the middle bushing.
Seems if you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all.
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RaYzerman19
Go Wings!
The middle bushing is seated in a machined area with a lip on the bottom and a small lip on the top. It's going to take something special to generate enough force to remove it. I am not envious of this situation......... and don't know how the lower came off........ I wouldn't blame you for feeling a little helpless right now.
Blind Squirrel
Well-known member
I would box everything up and ship them to a company that deals with forks. May cost some $$$, but in the end it will probably cost less than if you continue to try and fix this by yourself.
08FJR4ME
-WYNPRO-
Words of wisdon here,
Jason it is time to quit this and package that fork up off to an expert. Something doesn't seem right here. That lower bushing shouldn't have come off and if it did you have some kind of issue that isn't right. I don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling about this.
Dave
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
I wish I could help you out on this one my friend. Sadly, I would be just as uselessly aggravating if I were there as I am here. I will not be making fun of you, I refuse to kick a friend while he is down.
I think that the advice about sending them off may be sound. You have done more already than I would have done. You have posted before on work you have done to your bike so I know you are fairly competent with your wrenches. There is no shame in getting help.
As our friend??? Zilla suggests, the explosion that would have occurred here would have knocked houses off their foundations and done irreparable damage to the fork components had this happened to me. You are doing well.
I think that the advice about sending them off may be sound. You have done more already than I would have done. You have posted before on work you have done to your bike so I know you are fairly competent with your wrenches. There is no shame in getting help.
As our friend??? Zilla suggests, the explosion that would have occurred here would have knocked houses off their foundations and done irreparable damage to the fork components had this happened to me. You are doing well.
not2shabby
Well-known member
I'm with Fred, how the fook could the bottom bushing come off the inner tube?! Didn't it have a recessed groove to fit into? Doesn't make sense...
I'd say there were some pretty poor tolerances on those parts. There's no way that should of had happened.
Don't be too disheartened Jasen, as long as those tubes are apart, there has to be a way to remove the bushings.
Don't be too disheartened Jasen, as long as those tubes are apart, there has to be a way to remove the bushings.
The lip on the bottom has to be considerably less than the thickness of the bushing so the lower bushing can whack it from behind. I was not aware of any lip on the top. If there is a lip on the top that is just plain stupid. No wonder everyone would have so much problem getting that bushing out.
On the 1st gen (and I'd assume same on the 2nd) the lower bushing is supposed to be in a recessed area with a lip above and below (so it can't come out). The upper one has a lipped edge below the bushing but not above it.
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Donal
Well-known member
Just to be clear (very difficult with all the OT diversions)!
The one lower you bought came from Extreme Marine (known provenance).
You re-used one of your recovered lowers (known provenance).
The two uppers you bought came from Hong Kong (who knows).
Where did the new bushings come from?
Is that about right?...
The one lower you bought came from Extreme Marine (known provenance).
You re-used one of your recovered lowers (known provenance).
The two uppers you bought came from Hong Kong (who knows).
Where did the new bushings come from?
Is that about right?...
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gixxerjasen
Well-known member
New bushings were factory yamaha parts. Extreme Marine just provided the ebay link, didn't come from him.
You guys are right, I'm one step ahead of you though. Been working on preparations to get new parts in, bushings and seals, since I'll consider them fooked or will be when they are finally out and I don't want anything holding me up any more. Then they'll all be boxed up and sent to Traxxion who I've been in contact with. I freaking hate throwing in the towel on something that I should be able to accomplish but really, I'm done.
I'm thinking I'll keep an eye on ebay and see if I can score some forks so when it's time again I can pull mine and ship them off and have some forks to pop on the bike to keep me riding. The big killer in all of this has been the downtime, which is the big thing I was trying to avoid in the first place. My commute sucks, but it sucks worse in the car. Top that off with the fact that riding my bike, no matter if it's twisties or commuting, is a big stress relief for me. Not being able to ride combined with the stress of the maintenance things going wrong has not been good.
As for the temper tantrum, didn't happen. It's one of those things where you are beyond the tantrum, where you just smile that sick twisted smile and go "Well, of course that happened, can't have cake without the icing, right?"
You guys are right, I'm one step ahead of you though. Been working on preparations to get new parts in, bushings and seals, since I'll consider them fooked or will be when they are finally out and I don't want anything holding me up any more. Then they'll all be boxed up and sent to Traxxion who I've been in contact with. I freaking hate throwing in the towel on something that I should be able to accomplish but really, I'm done.
I'm thinking I'll keep an eye on ebay and see if I can score some forks so when it's time again I can pull mine and ship them off and have some forks to pop on the bike to keep me riding. The big killer in all of this has been the downtime, which is the big thing I was trying to avoid in the first place. My commute sucks, but it sucks worse in the car. Top that off with the fact that riding my bike, no matter if it's twisties or commuting, is a big stress relief for me. Not being able to ride combined with the stress of the maintenance things going wrong has not been good.
As for the temper tantrum, didn't happen. It's one of those things where you are beyond the tantrum, where you just smile that sick twisted smile and go "Well, of course that happened, can't have cake without the icing, right?"
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
Good for you my friend. Keep your chin up.
If it makes you feel any better, my ST is still not fixed and my GMC is in the shop as well. I will be commuting tonight on the ST with a bad ECU.
If it makes you feel any better, my ST is still not fixed and my GMC is in the shop as well. I will be commuting tonight on the ST with a bad ECU.
Donal
Well-known member
Thanks for the response. I completely understand your desire to get this whole episode behind you and get back on the bike. The reason for my questions was to try and establish what went wrong & where. Seems to me, it all comes down to those fork uppers and is nothing to do with you. Your only mistake was to leave a washer out and when you tried to rectify that, you discovered that the lower bushing was not fixed/locked to the fork tube as it should be.
Life could have been a lot more exciting if you had discovered that on the road...........................
Life could have been a lot more exciting if you had discovered that on the road...........................
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gixxerjasen
Well-known member
Well, I will also add this. I'm getting some theories here on my stuck tube. You see, I can't see how it's possible for the middle bushing to wedge into the upper. No matter how I try with the ones out, I can't jam it in there. However....the lower one is closer to being able to be jammed into the others. I'm wondering if the stuck one didn't have the lower jam into one of the others and come off the upper tube. Then I pounded the tube all the way down trying to free it but it wouldn't come out. Just a theory at this point, one of many.
RaYzerman19
Go Wings!
I agree your middle bushing did not wedge into the upper, nigh on impossible, and the upper should have come out with it... unless the seal was really stuck, but you can pry seals out. It is more likely the lower is jammed inside the middle bushing, and when you pounded it back down, the middle one missed expanding into it's seating area, now it's all jammed into the bottom. I still think it will all come out with the right method.
The lip where the middle bushing seats is not big, just enough to capture the bushing. The lip on the top side isn't very big either, maybe smaller than the lower I don't know, but it's there to keep the middle bushing from moving up and down inside the tube. Normally when you bring the lower up to hit it, the middle bushing should unseat with the slide hammer action, with a little bit of force, maybe a couple of tries.
Seems none of us can understand how the lower bushing came off the new tube.......
The lip where the middle bushing seats is not big, just enough to capture the bushing. The lip on the top side isn't very big either, maybe smaller than the lower I don't know, but it's there to keep the middle bushing from moving up and down inside the tube. Normally when you bring the lower up to hit it, the middle bushing should unseat with the slide hammer action, with a little bit of force, maybe a couple of tries.
Seems none of us can understand how the lower bushing came off the new tube.......
08FJR4ME
-WYNPRO-
The only way I can see this happening is if the bottom of the fork tube is damaged. If they are the original upper forks the edge may have been rolled over and shaved down. Don't ask me how but I can't see any other way.
Jason can you take some pictures of the bottom of the upper tubes where the lower bushing fits?
Dave
