Wilsons Sandbox

----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Harfenist To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 7:12 AM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Adding fork oil question Hi Folks, Time for my semiannual query, in which I reveal myself as the rank beginner that I truly am. Soooo....here I am touring Bulgaria, 25k miles into a long meander thru Europe on my 2007. Following rough roads recently, Moldova and Romania, one of my fork seals started leaking copiously, coating my left boot, front disc, soft baggage, etc. with slimy stuff. Handling got bad. Braking got worse. I manage to locate the best motorcycle supply shop in Veliko Tarnovo. The owner speaks no English, but we figured how to look up my bike, determining that he doesn't have the seals and can't or won't get them....and his mechanic is on vacation. This takes, approximately, all day. Today I tried the "clean the grit from underneath dust and oil seals using an old phone card without dissembling the fork" trick. I don't know whether this worked, however, because I cannot get the fork cap off to add fork oil. It's aluminum, right, and frozen quite solid in place: I tried a little 19 mm wrench, then a big 19 mm wrench which I had to go out and buy locally, then vice grips with the big wrench wired on as a cheater, all sorts of wd40 and whacking with various objects, etc. etc. etc....nothing doing, except that I now have a very mangled fork cap. I was able, however to get the air chuck piece out of the center of the fork cap: the threaded brass insert. So here's my impeccably ignorant question: can I add fork oil through this hole without removing cap, spring spacer and spring? Does it somehow end up in the correct place within the fork? I recognize that I am proposing to do everything totally inadequately, probably exposing myself to grievous bodily injury....what I really want to know is whether this might tide me over until I can find a mechanic, parts, knowhow, etc. I do not intend that I, or my KLR, spend the rest of eternity in this particular location. Clear as mud? All responses welcome. Please do try to identify for me your degree of actual expertise in such matters. And if you happen to know a good motorcycle mechanic, preferably English speaking, in Veliko Tarnovo or Varna or points nearby, I will promise free beer, cognac, single malt or the adult beverage of your choice in return for contact info. Thanks. Anyone needing information about, well, almost anywhere in Europe, just ask away freely. enjoy, Mark [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>Adding fork oil question > Posted by: "Mark Harfenist" markharf@... markharf > Date: Thu Oct 9, 2008 6:12 am ((PDT)) > >Hi Folks, > >Time for my semiannual query, in which I reveal myself as the rank >beginner that I truly am. Soooo....here I am touring Bulgaria, 25k >miles into a long meander thru Europe on my 2007. Following rough >roads recently, Moldova and Romania, one of my fork seals started >leaking copiously, coating my left boot, front disc, soft baggage, >etc. with slimy stuff. Handling got bad. Braking got worse. > >I manage to locate the best motorcycle supply shop in Veliko >Tarnovo. The owner speaks no English, but we figured how to look up >my bike, determining that he doesn't have the seals and can't or >won't get them....and his mechanic is on vacation. This takes, >approximately, all day. > >Today I tried the "clean the grit from underneath dust and oil seals >using an old phone card without dissembling the fork" trick. I >don't know whether this worked, however, because I cannot get the >fork cap off to add fork oil. It's aluminum, right, and frozen >quite solid in place: I tried a little 19 mm wrench, then a big 19 >mm wrench which I had to go out and buy locally, then vice grips >with the big wrench wired on as a cheater, all sorts of wd40 and >whacking with various objects, etc. etc. etc....nothing doing, >except that I now have a very mangled fork cap. > >I was able, however to get the air chuck piece out of the center of >the fork cap: the threaded brass insert. So here's my impeccably >ignorant question: can I add fork oil through this hole without >removing cap, spring spacer and spring? Does it somehow end up in >the correct place within the fork? > >I recognize that I am proposing to do everything totally >inadequately, probably exposing myself to grievous bodily >injury....what I really want to know is whether this might tide me >over until I can find a mechanic, parts, knowhow, etc. I do not >intend that I, or my KLR, spend the rest of eternity in this >particular location. > >Clear as mud? > >All responses welcome. Please do try to identify for me your degree >of actual expertise in such matters. And if you happen to know a >good motorcycle mechanic, preferably English speaking, in Veliko >Tarnovo or Varna or points nearby, I will promise free beer, cognac, >single malt or the adult beverage of your choice in return for contact info. > >Thanks. Anyone needing information about, well, almost anywhere in >Europe, just ask away freely. > >enjoy, > >Mark

> Hi Folks, > fork cap off to add fork oil. It's aluminum, right, and frozen > quite solid in place: I tried a little 19 mm wrench, then a big 19 > mm wrench which I had to go out and buy locally, then vice grips > with the big wrench wired on as a cheater, all sorts of wd40 and > whacking with various objects, etc. etc. etc....nothing doing, > except that I now have a very mangled fork cap.