Front fork disassembly

junk726 · Post by **junk726** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 12:08 am

ok..so the strap wrench and rosin worked GREAT! that was easy! thanks guys! BUT..now i am still stuck! i loosened the chrome housing off to reveal the edge of the bronze bushing..(i got that loose and "out" up the leg..and i STILL can't get the leg out of the lower tubes!? i put leg in vise (at the axle mount) and tried the "slide hammer" technique..and now i am afraid i am missing a step..seems like they are still connected at bottom of tube somehow?..OR because they haven't been apart in 20+ years..maybe just keep yanking at them? i searched forum best i know how..and hate to ask one more dumb question..but also dont wanna risk damaging the forks/springs/etc...i thank u all in advance for any help and your patience! almost there!

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 2:41 am

Sometimes people put overlong bolts in the fender bracket and put a 'pip' on the inside of the fork tube as the bolt bottoms out.

Take a look inside the tube to see if the bottom bush is snagging on something. I had this problem on some CB77 forks and on CL72.

On one set (Cl72 I think) I was able to get a dremel bit inside to grind off the pip, but on the CB77 forks all I could to was drill out the fender bracket hole and get rid of the damage that way.

You might be lucky just pounding on the fork tube (slide hammer fashion) but you will damage the lower fork bush.

Good luck!

G

jleewebb · Post by **jleewebb** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 8:11 am

here's how I got mine apart...careful not to crank down to hard on vise and deform lower tube...

Snakeoil · Post by **Snakeoil** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 2:35 pm

That's a clever solution. One change I would suggest is to clamp a steel rod the diameter of the axle in the vise or place it under and across the jaws and hold the lower thru the axle mount. This eliminates the risk of crushing the slider.

The distortion of the bore from the bolts is an interesting problem, G-Man. You could reverse the problem with a mandrel or steel ball the correct diameter. It would have to be drilled and tapped for a rod so you could drive it down and then yank it back out with a slide hammer. A little heat might help right where the dimple is, but might also distort the slider.

Another possible method if it is within reach of a wrench would be to machine a piece of alum bar to the ID of the slider. Cut it about 1 to 1-1/2" long. then slice it axially so you have 1/2 circle cross section. Now drill and tap it at 90 deg to the axis and use a bolt as a jack to push the distorted metal back where it belongs. You might even make a small cresent shaped anvil for the bolt head to press on if there is enough room. The key is whether or not you can get a wrench on the bolt and swing it enough to turn it to the next flat. I'm not familial with the early steel sliders so do not know the distance from the open end and where the bolt dimple would be.

If you want to try that and my description is not clear, let me know and I'll do a quick sketch and post it here.

Hope that is not the problem here. Hope its just crud.

regards,
Rob

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 5:48 pm

Rob

Interesting solution. If I remember correctly, both types of slider have a fixed internal guide tube inside on which the spring sits. On the CL the top of this guide is below the level of the fender bolts but on the CB the guide comes right up to the top of the slider. I think that your method would be easier on the CL.

The main problem is - you cannot do much until you have extracted the fork tube and when you have done that the problem is less of a problem.....

G

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 5:49 pm

Rob

Interesting solution. If I remember correctly, both types of slider have a fixed internal guide tube inside on which the spring sits. On the CL the top of this guide is below the level of the fender bolts but on the CB the guide comes right up to the top of the slider. I think that your method would be easier on the CL.

The main problem is - you cannot do much until you have extracted the fork tube and when you have done that the problem is less of a problem.....

G

Snakeoil · Post by **Snakeoil** » Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:54 pm

I was just thinking out loud, G-Man. Now that you mention it, I've never had my CL77forks apart. Only been into my S90 forks. I was just envisioning what I thought the slider looked like, inside. But even with an internal bushing, you still have a pinch point that could be straightened and without straightening will make the fork have a lot more stiction with a light rider in the saddle. Yanking the bushing past the distorted area will probably reduce it to your point, but certainly will not eliminate it.

My CL is a '67 model year so I don't have the risk of the issue happening on my forks.

After sending the post and thinking about it a bit more, you would probably have to radius the head of the bolt. And the curvature of the slider would prevent getting a wrench on it. So you would have to put a nut under the head to give you something to engage with the wench. Probably better to use a flare nut wrench as it will provide more clearance in that tight area. Suggest a small bolt like maybe a 5/16-18 or 24.

regards,
Rob