Author Topic: C5 Fork Tutorial  (Read 56247 times)

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JVS

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Reply #90 on: June 26, 2013, 02:18:45 pm
I've had the forks off twice on my B5. Both of the times I have been unable to open the top caps. Next time I am planning to use a heat gun to kill them forks. I've had enough haha. I think the factory or dealer prep made use of excessive loctite type of solution to ensure the tightness of those caps..at least on my forks. Oh well!

Oh and I would go with 190ml per leg just to be on the safe side. Either way, 190 or 195, it will be more than the lame black sluggish thing that seeps out.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2013, 02:24:43 pm by JVS »
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mattsz

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Reply #91 on: June 26, 2013, 02:34:44 pm
Ah, that's why you were asking how I managed.

Don't take this the wrong way, JVS, but... Scotty points out that the cap is a reverse thread - you weren't tightening, were you?  Sorry, but I had to ask!  ;)

To battle!!!


JVS

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Reply #92 on: June 26, 2013, 02:56:25 pm
Don't take this the wrong way, JVS, but... Scotty points out that the cap is a reverse thread - you weren't tightening, were you?  Sorry, but I had to ask!  ;)
To battle!!!

Yes sir. Reverse thread...still didn't budge.

Anyways, just some advice before you start off -

Please get another person to help you out if possible. Especially when you are trying to get the fender off. It is a tad tricky and you have very little room to take it out against the forks. You have to tilt it and move it gently towards the bottom to clear the forks. In this process you can easily add a few scratches/scuffs to the fender. So either cover it up properly with something, or have a second set of hands available for precise removal of said fender. Or both.  :D

Good luck.
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Ducati Scotty

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Reply #93 on: June 26, 2013, 03:04:00 pm
Yes, 200ml per side.  The C5 uses 195 because people on the Indian sites were blowing seals at 200.  Not sure if the B5 fork is taller than the C5 or not.  195, 200, either should do fine.  I expect you'll get between 135 and 165 out.  That's part of the problem, under filled at the factory.

Scott


Blairio

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Reply #94 on: June 26, 2013, 03:36:43 pm
Scotty,

that's a fine piece of work.  Do you know how much of this is applicable to G5 forks? I have compared the parts diagrams of [2009 500cc Electra EFI (E5 & G5)]  and [2010 500cc Bullet Classic EFI (C5)] forks on the hitchcocks site, and there seem to be significant differences.  For instance, the C5 fork has a rebound spring, and the G5 fork does not.

Cheers,

Blair


mattsz

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Reply #95 on: June 26, 2013, 04:46:32 pm
JVS-

Thanks for the advice.  My fender and fork covering tubes are already ruined from a bad dealer installation, so I tried a couple of different removal dances and found one I like.  I'll take care when putting the new ones on...

I'm taking a lunch break, in the middle of the job right now.  I've got the forks off the bike with the caps off.  I thought I'd add my $0.02 while I'm here...

I printed Scotty's tutorial, and have it in front of me in the garage.  Everything is exactly as he's said so far.  I'm using the cut-off long end of a 12mm allen wrench -  I took a couple of additional protective steps which seemed to help.  First, I removed both ends of the clutch cable from the lower arm and handlebar lever, pulled a couple of inches up through the nacelle, and tied the upper cable end back out of the way towards the handlebar mounting plate, to get it further away from the rotating allen tool, and in case I did damage the casing, I could wrap it with tape and slide it back down inside the nacelle, out of sight and ostensibly protected from the weather.  That was good, because the allen wrench quicky chewed through my rags and just began to scuff the cable housing.  Then I wrapped most of the length of the allen tool with some electric tape to soften the corners, removed all of the rags so I could see what I was doing, and I found that I could take a single turn of triple-thickness rag around the tool itself and let it rotate with the tool against the cables rather than let the tool rotate against the rag.  Worked a treat, and all I had to do when I was done was wipe some rag lint off the cable housing and rubber grommit it passes through.

The removal of the clutch cable gave me the additional advantage of being able to brace against the left side of the handle bar while I tried to break those difficult reverse-thread fittings - standing at the left-front of the bike, tool in two hands for strength and stability, the handle bar against my hip.  Worked great.  The fork legs weren't all that tight; I had no trouble loosening them.  The caps were tight, but I was just able to break them loose using my 18" breaker bar while bracing the handlebar against my hip.

Full disclosure: I mistakenly completely removed both legs before I loosened the caps, so I had to go back a step and clamp them back into the triple tree to get to the caps.  Since the uppers appear to be exactly the same, I used the left-side triple tree mount to loosen both caps, so I could take advantage of my left-side handle bar bracing trick.

When I removed the fork legs, I found the top caps free of the threads, but also popped up free beyond the o-ring, just sitting there for me to pick up - if I tip the fork, it'll fall right off.  It feels like an internal spring is pushing it.  I don't know if that suggests anything, good or bad, about springs or oil quantities or whatever, but it's one less little hurdle..



mattsz

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Reply #96 on: June 26, 2013, 05:14:30 pm
Also: my caps are steel, not aluminum.  Just sayin...  ;)


mattsz

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Reply #97 on: June 26, 2013, 05:43:57 pm
I don't know, guys.  I've emptied one fork - it's full of a dark oily liquid that smells a lot like the new oil I have.  Accounting for what's still dripping out onto the newspaper, I'd say I had very close to 200ml.  Where's my under-filling of nasty green sludge?  I hope I'm not wasting my time here!  ;)





Ducati Scotty

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Reply #98 on: June 26, 2013, 06:08:39 pm
Mattsz,
Excellent idea to remove the clutch cable and get it out of the way!  I'll have to add that.  Mine is chewed up too, I just put some heat shrink over it.  The oil in there is low quality, and it looks like you've got not quite 180ml.  The extra 20ml you add when you put it back and the fact that almost all aftermarket oil is better quality should make a difference.  Interesting that your top caps are steel.  All my bikes have been aluminum but one on the C5 loses a thread or two every time I take it out.  I wouldn't mind a more durable piece.

Blairio,
The G5 fork is fairly different.  If you just want to change the oil, you don't need to remove the legs since you can drain from the bottom, then refill by simply removing the top screw.  If you want to take them apart for service or chaging springs I think you can do it with the legs still in the nacelle.  I think the top caps are permanently attached, you you can get the guts out of the bottom with a special tool.  I had worked on a friend's G5 and was told I just needed a good hammer blow to get past where I was stuck and pull it all apart, but it wasn't my bike and I didn't want to risk it.  I just buttoned them back up and put in new oil.

Scott


mattsz

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Reply #99 on: June 26, 2013, 06:14:35 pm
Scotty-

Thanks!  The old oil seems to be the same viscosity, and odor, as the new Motul "medium 10w" fork oil I'm replacing it with.  Doesn't mean it's the same quality, though, of course!  I let the fork drain for awhile onto my paper-covered work surface and easily left another 10ml sitting there.

Never mind.  Even if I don't notice a difference, there's the possibility that my forks were badly filled, seeing as so many are, and I'm learning another something new!  I enjoy doing this stuff!


Ducati Scotty

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Reply #100 on: June 26, 2013, 06:19:25 pm
Honestly, that's the first fork on any bike I've ever seen disassembled that was within 30ml of the factory spec.  I don't know why, but every make, every model, they all seem to be underfilled with crappy oil.

Scott


Bulletman

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Reply #101 on: June 26, 2013, 06:39:25 pm
JVS-


I'm taking a lunch break, in the middle of the job right now.  I've got the forks off the bike with the caps off.  I thought I'd add my $0.02 while I'm here...

I printed Scotty's tutorial, and have it in front of me in the garage.  Everything is exactly as he's said .
Whaaaat! You Printed the tutorial.....Younshould only use a iPad for reference and that too the newest generation, that will ensure no mistakes Matt... ;)
Good Job Matt, I did my forks using Scottie's tutorial Via iPad bout 8 months ago, you will notice the difference.
Cheers
"A Blast from my Past"
Black C5 2011


Ducati Scotty

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Reply #102 on: June 26, 2013, 06:56:39 pm
I need a garage iPad.  I don't think my wife would appreciate my greasy paw marks all over hers.

Then again, the manuals I love the most are the ones I have with all the greased up, dog eared pages.  Still something to be said for paper.

Scott


Blairio

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Reply #103 on: June 26, 2013, 10:51:48 pm
SCotty,

thanks for the heads up on draining / refilling the G5 / Electra forks.  That is pretty much all the fork maintenance I am planning on for a good few years.  The gaiters on the G5  / Electra should give the fork seals & stanchions a pretty easy time of things.

Is it just me, or does the model name 'Electra' sound much more romantic than 'G5'?   There are too many numbers in modern vehicle names. Which sounds better 'BMW 1 Series' or 'Alfa Romeo Giulietta'?


Ducati Scotty

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Reply #104 on: June 26, 2013, 11:21:44 pm
The US totally got the boring name scheme.

Scott