motorcycle tire changing videos using a tire changer

[Mark Harfenist]

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

[Fred Hink]

Hey Mark! Try loosening the two pinch bolts on the top triple clamp first. That will allow the top plug to be removed. You could fill oil into the air bleed valve but that small hole would make it difficult or impossible to guage how full your fork oil level is, unless you completely drain out all the oil and fill to the recommended volume. Cleaning the fork seals as you did may fix your problem. I would think someone on this list would have a good recommendation for motorcycle parts closer to you than Moab, Utah. I can express ship you some seals but shipping would be pretty expensive or I can send you some by Priority Mail which would take about ten days to two weeks. If you have an address where you will be then, let me know and I can get some in the mail. Nice talking to you on the phone. Fred http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com http://s1.zetaboards.com/arrowhead

----- 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]

[Doug Pippin]

Mark Yes you can add fork oil through the opening for the Schrader valve. But the real solution is to get new forks seals and now a new cap. Once you have the parts and the forks off the bike you can heat up the area around the stuck cap with a heat gun being careful to not use too much heat and it should break loose. When you install the new fork cap do not tighten it down with a lot of torque as a lot of people do. It's not necessary to apply a lot of torque to the fork caps. Just put a little oil on the threads and snug it down. good luck Doug in NC ---------- At 09:21 AM 10/9/2008, you wrote:

>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

---------- Doug Pippin 828-684-8488 d_pippin_89@... ---------- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Horton Oliphant]

Loosen the triple clamp bolts that clamp the top of the fork tube. They actually compress the the top of the fork tube enough to make the cap extremely hard to remove. Alan A13 Iowa Mark Harfenist wrote:

> 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.

[Tom Zangla]

Motorcycle Tire Changing Videos using a Tire Changer http://www.nomartirechanger.com/video/showcase Tom SW Pennsylvania