Upcoming Tech Day list

[Milo_357]

I am going to the North Florida tech day next month, and hope to fix the seals on my front forks, and rebuild my front calipers.

I know I can get a caliper kit online from numerous places (I may even have some someplace), but what DON'T know is what all I need to fix my front forks.  1982 R65.

If someone could give me a list of parts to order, I would appreciate it.

Thank you,

Milo in Tallahassee

[montmil]

Obviously, you'll need a pair of seals! If you run the small, rubber boots there's a felt wiper inside each that gets oiled with the install. You may want to take along a pair of the nylon bushings to replace the often disintegrated OEM parts. A couple of the wire circlips that tend to fly out the top of the fork legs during disassembly. A pair of new crush washers for the drain plugs. Your choice of fork oil. And take along about 14-inches worth of 1/4"-drive socket extension plus the Allen wrench for the bottom screw in the fork lowers. Required sockets will probably be on hand.

OK, I'm working on memory only with a beer in hand. What have I missed? Oh, yeah... another beer.

[Luca]

I'll throw in new crush washers for the damper rods/bottom nuts too, and a graduated beaker with a piece of tape marking the 190CC mark (makes it much easier to measure the second cup of oil).  You might want to take along some o-rings for the big slugs that hold the springs at the top of the fork too.  If worn out they can be a cause of water intrusion.

[Milo_357]

Thanks guys.  I don't have the boot covers on my forks.

Guess I better get my list together!

[Bob_Roller]

Here's a link to RealOEM, the parts number should be correct .

Prices most likely are not current, but usually not too far off .

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=0364&mospid=51897&btnr=31_0296&hg=31&fg=42

You'll need two each of item numbers 4 a crush washer under the bolt at the top of the fork and number 7  o-rings on the plug that goes into the top of the fork tube .

Item number 5 is a snap ring, each fork gets one, I've seen the rings get very rusty from water that can sit in the area, you may want to have some around, in case they are not reusuable, they hold the fork springs in, they are kinda important .

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=0364&mospid=51897&btnr=31_0297&hg=31&fg=42

You need two each of item numbers 2 and 4 .

If you remove the damper from the lower tube, you will need two of item number 16, they are aluminum crush washers .

[Milo_357]

JUST out of curiosity, I still have the front forks of my LS that I've been pilfering parts from.  

Just eyeballing them, they look just fine.  Could I successfully transfer pieces from the LS front forks to my standard front forks?  The seals look good, there's no visible lubricate, and I'm assuming they are still in good shape.

Except of course being in a wreck.

What do you guys think?

[Bob_Roller]

The forks are the same, there were some changes in the damper over the years, but the parts will interchange beween the forks, on twin shock bikes .

[Luca]

Could I successfully transfer pieces from the LS front forks to my standard front forks?  The seals look good, there's no visible lubricate, and I'm assuming they are still in good shape.

I wouldn't re-use the old seals, especially since they are prone to damage during removal.  Even bad, leaky seals can look fine.  You might not notice them leaking until you start using the suspension.

Fork oil seals on airheads are much, much cheaper than on most other machines; $7.50 a piece from the dealership.

[Milo_357]

I forgot to ask.  What kind of oil/lubricatant will I need to refill the tubes?

Thanks!

[Luca]

Fork Oil, which you will probably only find at motorcycle shops/dealerships or online.

There are no independent standards for fork oil viscosity, so it is usually advised to pick one brand of fork oil and stick with it.  That way if you decide that a particular oil is too heavy or light, you can go to the same manufacturers next oil weight.

I've always been happy with Bel-Ray products.