Slappy
Well-known member
For the last 6 months or so the suspension on my 07A has been rather suspect. Having just turned over 30K on the odometer I figured it was time to do something about it. At first I was just going to do a fork oil change but then decided the rear shock had seen its last mile and decided it was time to go upgrade the lot. It was to cost prohibitive for me to completely replace the front suspension so I called GPSuspension and just went with a spring upgrade and a Penske rear shock with an upgraded spring. In the end I went with a 1Kg front spring and a 900 lb rear spring under the advice of the head guy at GPSuspension. Being a 6'5 inch and 300lb guy that also rides quite often with my better half that is 5'9 and 150, plus a full givi 52 on the back and two full saddle bags on long trips.
I received my suspension equipment on Friday and call up Johnny80 and head over to his place for some wrench help.
After assessing the situation and the work load as a whole we start with the rear shock. Doing nothing more than putting the bike on the center stand we remove the rear shock. Removing the rear shock is not that hard. I started with the preload switch. Its three nylon cored nuts. Then I removed the rear bolts to the dog bones then the bottom bolt to the rear shock then the top bolt to the rear shock. The top bolt was a tad difficult due to the abs box right in the way. That was Johnnys side. One thing that helped him was uncliping the plastic hose holder that allowed him to move the hose out of the way for the most part. Also the top bolt need a little coaxing to get out. I used the bottom bolt as a punch to push it through. On the abs side of the top bracket there is a sleeve. Make sure you do not lose that sleeve you will need it for the new shock as well. The PITA is the preload switch. When they installed mine they twisted between the wiring to the electrical box that is under the bike. Its tough to reach but I just pulled the wiring plugs and fed the preload switch though to the other side and removed the old rear shock then plugged the wiring back in. DONT FORGET TO PLUG THESE BACK IN. After cleaning all the old grease and road grime we installed the new shock. At first the top wouldnt go in but with just a little manipulation and making sure that sleeve was fully seated it fight right in. Before you bolt the top in make sure you put the reservoir on the correct side of the bike. We lubed with grease the top bolt and installed it then the bottom bolt lubed and installed then the dog bone. All in all this whole process took us about 2 hrs. We had to remove the new shock because I didnt have the reservior on the correct side for the mounting bracket I had, this added about 20 minutes to my install. Over all this is a very easy thing to do. If you can change a thermostat in a bike you can do this but having a second person is highly recommended, almost necessary. Also clean and lube all the bolts. I was starting to get some corrosion on the top bolt. Nothing major just a little pitting and some surface rust. We were also going to remove the threads that held in the preload switch. They are nothing more than pressed in threads. However the plate they are attached to also holds the abs. This was going to be way to difficult they the threads are not in the way so I just left them. You could probably cut then with a dremmel if you really wanted to.
Now for the fun part, but first Johnny80 needed lunch.
The front suspension is not that difficult. There are two things you absolutely need to know and I will touch on them at that point.
Taking the fork tubes off is easy but getting them back on and getting them torqued sucks. If you can figure out a better way than I did by all means do so. In order to get to the lower pinch bolts on the right side you need to remove all of the plastic off the bike included the nose cone headlight assembly. Then you need to remove the battery and battery box. Unless you do this the access to the lower pinch bolts on the right side is a nightmare. So I spent about 45 minutes removing every piece of plastic from the bike. Once fully remove I first broke the seal on the fork tube cap then loosened the punch bolts this is important unless you have a soft vice because you cannot hold it tight enough to loosen the cap without. I started on the left side because I still wanted to think about removing the batter and battery box. Once you remove the fork use a soft vice or a normal vice with a very very thick towel and in the bottom of the fork there is a copper hex nut. Fully remove the two axel pinch bolts to allow access for a socket hex driver. Just loosen the copper screw DO NOT REMOVE OR YOU WILL HAVE A MESS. Next place the fork tube upright and loosen the fork cap. Before you do just to make life easy take out all of the preloads. It just takes tension out of the internal and you are about to have an open container with nasty fork oil. Once you remove the cap from the fork tube you will notice the cap is screwed into a rod. Use a wrench on a nut that is just below the cap and a wrench on the fork cap and turn to remove the cap from the rod. Once you do this it just makes it easier to pour the fork oil out. Once cap is remove you will notice a small rod inside of the large rod. Remove this my simply pulling with your fingers and place is a safe place. DO NOT BEND THIS ROD. Now just pour the oil out. While doing so pump the inner tube and rod to get most of the oil out.
(Special Tool Requred) This is the part that had us stumped. Once all the oil is out I wanted to replace the fork seals. So I removed the dust cap and retaining ring. Now the fork seal is a little tough. This is what I did. I am sure there is an easier way but this worked and did not damage anything. We filled the fork tube completely up with 5w20 motor oil. then put the cap back on. If you look at the shop manual they say use a press. Well we used a pipe clamp and pressed the tube together until the seal popped up slightly and leaked severely. (Oh before you do this retighten the copper hex bolt in the bottom.) Now the seal is loose but not loose enough to remove by hand. (Special Tool is recommended by Yamaha to hold the cartridge while you loosen the copper bolt in the bottom of the fork. If you do not have the special took we just cut the tip of the broom stick to hold the cartridge in place. This is highly not recommended but when you in a pinch you do what you have to. Remove the copper screw and copper washer. The washer may stick to the bottom so make sure you have both. Now comes the scary part and the part that some people have caused minor damage. Put the lower tube in the soft vice and have someone also hold on to it just for added security. Now clean the outside of the inner tube so you have a grease free grip. Push the inner tube in and then jerk out hard. Do this until the inner tube is free. Where people have caused damage is not breaking the fork seal free first. If you do not break the seal free first there is a metal washer that can get bent. If you bend the washer it can be pounded out with a rubber mallet but it is highly recommended that you replace the metal washer if you cause damage to it. Around the inner tube you will have at the top the fork oil seal, then a metal washer then a smaller teflon gasket then a larger teflon gasket then an even larger teflon gasket. The largest teflon gasket at the the very bottom I did not mess with because there was no marks on it. I removed everything else and used brake cleaner and several clean cloths to remove gray sludge from the tubes and components. Once everything is completely clean and dry begin reassembly. I started with the inner tube. I put the two teflon rings back on in order then the washer. Now with the seal. I recommend two thing just for safety sake. 1 get a fork tube bullet to wrap over the end of the fork tube to keep from cutting the seal or if you dont have a bullet the shop manual recommends cover the tube end with plastic. Now that you have all of the components together slowly insert the inner tube into the out tube. Move the oil seal out of the way until the inner tube bottoms out. Now, in a small dish or cup pour a very slight amount of fork oil into the cup. Dip your finger into the cup and lubricate inside the outer tube and along the outside of the fork seal. This will make the next part go much easier. Now here you need a fork seal driver. I found only one shop in all of San Diego that even stocks them in the store. You will need a 48MM fork seal driver. Using the fork seal driver seat the seal as far as you can just using pressure make sure you seat it squarely. After it is squarely seated drive the fork seal down until you see a small indentation where the fork seal clip seats into. Once the fork seal clip locks in place you just add the dust seal and that is that. Now add the cartridge with the aluminum cap into the bottom of the tube and screw in the copper screw and washer into the bottom of the tube. I didnt need to hold the inside in place with the broom handle. Torque to spec. Before adding the spring, pour in 693 ml of fork oil. I went out and got a fork oil device that has lines of measure a tube and a seringe. You tighten a ring around 100mm line and place the metal tube inside. Pull on the seringe to remove any excess oil. Its just as exact as using a measure cup. Now you have the fork oil in, pump the inner tube and the rod going to the cartridge a few time to get the oil in all the important parts. Now add the spring and washer. Now add a short sleeve that holds the washer down and screw on the nut at the top of the rod. Remember that delicate rod I told you not to bend well clean it and put it back into the main rod. Crew on the fork cap and using two wrenches going opposite directions torque to spec. Screw cap back into fork tube and you are done. Once you get the fork tube off this whole process should take no more than an hour. You just have to have the tools before you start. I would highly recommend getting the yamaha tool for the inside cartridge.
I hope this helps someone.
I received my suspension equipment on Friday and call up Johnny80 and head over to his place for some wrench help.
After assessing the situation and the work load as a whole we start with the rear shock. Doing nothing more than putting the bike on the center stand we remove the rear shock. Removing the rear shock is not that hard. I started with the preload switch. Its three nylon cored nuts. Then I removed the rear bolts to the dog bones then the bottom bolt to the rear shock then the top bolt to the rear shock. The top bolt was a tad difficult due to the abs box right in the way. That was Johnnys side. One thing that helped him was uncliping the plastic hose holder that allowed him to move the hose out of the way for the most part. Also the top bolt need a little coaxing to get out. I used the bottom bolt as a punch to push it through. On the abs side of the top bracket there is a sleeve. Make sure you do not lose that sleeve you will need it for the new shock as well. The PITA is the preload switch. When they installed mine they twisted between the wiring to the electrical box that is under the bike. Its tough to reach but I just pulled the wiring plugs and fed the preload switch though to the other side and removed the old rear shock then plugged the wiring back in. DONT FORGET TO PLUG THESE BACK IN. After cleaning all the old grease and road grime we installed the new shock. At first the top wouldnt go in but with just a little manipulation and making sure that sleeve was fully seated it fight right in. Before you bolt the top in make sure you put the reservoir on the correct side of the bike. We lubed with grease the top bolt and installed it then the bottom bolt lubed and installed then the dog bone. All in all this whole process took us about 2 hrs. We had to remove the new shock because I didnt have the reservior on the correct side for the mounting bracket I had, this added about 20 minutes to my install. Over all this is a very easy thing to do. If you can change a thermostat in a bike you can do this but having a second person is highly recommended, almost necessary. Also clean and lube all the bolts. I was starting to get some corrosion on the top bolt. Nothing major just a little pitting and some surface rust. We were also going to remove the threads that held in the preload switch. They are nothing more than pressed in threads. However the plate they are attached to also holds the abs. This was going to be way to difficult they the threads are not in the way so I just left them. You could probably cut then with a dremmel if you really wanted to.
Now for the fun part, but first Johnny80 needed lunch.
The front suspension is not that difficult. There are two things you absolutely need to know and I will touch on them at that point.
Taking the fork tubes off is easy but getting them back on and getting them torqued sucks. If you can figure out a better way than I did by all means do so. In order to get to the lower pinch bolts on the right side you need to remove all of the plastic off the bike included the nose cone headlight assembly. Then you need to remove the battery and battery box. Unless you do this the access to the lower pinch bolts on the right side is a nightmare. So I spent about 45 minutes removing every piece of plastic from the bike. Once fully remove I first broke the seal on the fork tube cap then loosened the punch bolts this is important unless you have a soft vice because you cannot hold it tight enough to loosen the cap without. I started on the left side because I still wanted to think about removing the batter and battery box. Once you remove the fork use a soft vice or a normal vice with a very very thick towel and in the bottom of the fork there is a copper hex nut. Fully remove the two axel pinch bolts to allow access for a socket hex driver. Just loosen the copper screw DO NOT REMOVE OR YOU WILL HAVE A MESS. Next place the fork tube upright and loosen the fork cap. Before you do just to make life easy take out all of the preloads. It just takes tension out of the internal and you are about to have an open container with nasty fork oil. Once you remove the cap from the fork tube you will notice the cap is screwed into a rod. Use a wrench on a nut that is just below the cap and a wrench on the fork cap and turn to remove the cap from the rod. Once you do this it just makes it easier to pour the fork oil out. Once cap is remove you will notice a small rod inside of the large rod. Remove this my simply pulling with your fingers and place is a safe place. DO NOT BEND THIS ROD. Now just pour the oil out. While doing so pump the inner tube and rod to get most of the oil out.
(Special Tool Requred) This is the part that had us stumped. Once all the oil is out I wanted to replace the fork seals. So I removed the dust cap and retaining ring. Now the fork seal is a little tough. This is what I did. I am sure there is an easier way but this worked and did not damage anything. We filled the fork tube completely up with 5w20 motor oil. then put the cap back on. If you look at the shop manual they say use a press. Well we used a pipe clamp and pressed the tube together until the seal popped up slightly and leaked severely. (Oh before you do this retighten the copper hex bolt in the bottom.) Now the seal is loose but not loose enough to remove by hand. (Special Tool is recommended by Yamaha to hold the cartridge while you loosen the copper bolt in the bottom of the fork. If you do not have the special took we just cut the tip of the broom stick to hold the cartridge in place. This is highly not recommended but when you in a pinch you do what you have to. Remove the copper screw and copper washer. The washer may stick to the bottom so make sure you have both. Now comes the scary part and the part that some people have caused minor damage. Put the lower tube in the soft vice and have someone also hold on to it just for added security. Now clean the outside of the inner tube so you have a grease free grip. Push the inner tube in and then jerk out hard. Do this until the inner tube is free. Where people have caused damage is not breaking the fork seal free first. If you do not break the seal free first there is a metal washer that can get bent. If you bend the washer it can be pounded out with a rubber mallet but it is highly recommended that you replace the metal washer if you cause damage to it. Around the inner tube you will have at the top the fork oil seal, then a metal washer then a smaller teflon gasket then a larger teflon gasket then an even larger teflon gasket. The largest teflon gasket at the the very bottom I did not mess with because there was no marks on it. I removed everything else and used brake cleaner and several clean cloths to remove gray sludge from the tubes and components. Once everything is completely clean and dry begin reassembly. I started with the inner tube. I put the two teflon rings back on in order then the washer. Now with the seal. I recommend two thing just for safety sake. 1 get a fork tube bullet to wrap over the end of the fork tube to keep from cutting the seal or if you dont have a bullet the shop manual recommends cover the tube end with plastic. Now that you have all of the components together slowly insert the inner tube into the out tube. Move the oil seal out of the way until the inner tube bottoms out. Now, in a small dish or cup pour a very slight amount of fork oil into the cup. Dip your finger into the cup and lubricate inside the outer tube and along the outside of the fork seal. This will make the next part go much easier. Now here you need a fork seal driver. I found only one shop in all of San Diego that even stocks them in the store. You will need a 48MM fork seal driver. Using the fork seal driver seat the seal as far as you can just using pressure make sure you seat it squarely. After it is squarely seated drive the fork seal down until you see a small indentation where the fork seal clip seats into. Once the fork seal clip locks in place you just add the dust seal and that is that. Now add the cartridge with the aluminum cap into the bottom of the tube and screw in the copper screw and washer into the bottom of the tube. I didnt need to hold the inside in place with the broom handle. Torque to spec. Before adding the spring, pour in 693 ml of fork oil. I went out and got a fork oil device that has lines of measure a tube and a seringe. You tighten a ring around 100mm line and place the metal tube inside. Pull on the seringe to remove any excess oil. Its just as exact as using a measure cup. Now you have the fork oil in, pump the inner tube and the rod going to the cartridge a few time to get the oil in all the important parts. Now add the spring and washer. Now add a short sleeve that holds the washer down and screw on the nut at the top of the rod. Remember that delicate rod I told you not to bend well clean it and put it back into the main rod. Crew on the fork cap and using two wrenches going opposite directions torque to spec. Screw cap back into fork tube and you are done. Once you get the fork tube off this whole process should take no more than an hour. You just have to have the tools before you start. I would highly recommend getting the yamaha tool for the inside cartridge.
I hope this helps someone.
