Fork noise and seal leak

Hi everyone!

I'm having a problem with the dampener rod myself but no air tools or impact drills to finish the job. Since HotRodSixxer was having trouble getting a 7/8 head bolt to fit, can anyone verify the size of the bolt that is needed in order to make a holder for this?

Mike:

I don't know the size but are the forks off? Unless someone can come up with the size, you might need to take it to your local hardware store to compare.

Or one of the KZ forums might help?

Regards.

T.

Hi Mike, I ended up putting a broom handle sideways in a vise with some cloth on the end of it then pounding the fork onto it with a rubber mallet. Then, as I held as hard as I could against it I used an impact gun on the bottom Allen bolt. I tried that 7/8 bolt trick with no luck. Couldn't get it to quit slipping. I ended up putting it together the same way but with the gun set to the lowest setting. Torqueing is pretty much impossible!

I had the same problem with my forks and took them to a bike repair shop hoping they had the correct tool but they just used an impact gun.

A few years later I bought a proper Kawasaki tool for the next time I have to strip them but that day hasn't arrived yet.

To the best of my knowledge the tool is a 3/8" socket fitting with a long square profile taper to go in to the bottom of the fork inner. I'll try and find it tonight and post a photo - might be wrong though - the tool may not be for our forks even though it was advertised as such.

Thanks guys. Looks like this one will get dragged out a bit.

That's okay, though, it gives me a chance to finish a few other odds and ends while I have the front apart.

Last night I tried using a wooden handle from a toilet plunger. Banged it in real good with a hammer and attached vice grips. When I spun it with a drill the end of the handle got rounded off so no go there. Tried a metal handle with a rubber end from one of my hydraulic jacks too. It fit tight enough to the point where I could hammer it in but that got rounded off as well...

Tried some copper tubing about 1/4 inch and it twisted... This is really making me wish I had bought some air tools on my last payday . I'll be trying different web searches at work today to see if I can come up with better ideas.

It looks like with a properly sized nut you could get it to fit in there but without being able to get my caliper down there I can't get a good measurement. I'm considering using some kind of putty or something similar to stick down there and take a measurement of the impression that gets left so I have a better idea on what to use.

I suppose worst case scenario I break down and buy the special tool. Would have to wait till the end of the month though . Thanks for the suggestions guys!

I had the same problems with trying to get a good bite on it. Of course, it has had oil on it so that doesn't help. Also, doing it this way will only work with the impact gun. One idea I had but didn't try was an easy-out big enough to get a bite on the damper. If you know any heavy equipment mechanics they may have one this big. Good luck, Jake