TD Update

[Steve Bass]

So, following my first TD in eons which also doubled up with the initial outing of the recently acquired 1098, a few wrinkles appeared which need resolution prior to the next day out... Hopefully the fast as F track at Mosport... gulp!
Anyhoo, the last day was going great but the front end felt like it could be better.. upon inspection it turns out both fork legs were spewing so much oil they nearly called in Red Adair (if you know.. you know )
Having no one closer than 400kms who will work with Ohlins forks, I decided to take a leap of faith and DIY... how hard can it be?
Fortunately, a bit of YT'ing got the show on the road and once the obvious became obvious, the forks were apart in a matter of minutes.
Waiting now for the seals, wipers and oil to arrive and I can start reassembling them....
Feels good to take on something I usually farmed out...







And yes, before anyone says anything, my workbench is a shambles.. too much going on in parallel

[Krikkit]

Your workbench looks like a surgical table compared to mine most of the time!

I did the Ohlins in my Tuono this year, very impressed with the quality, obviously designed to be easily serviced. For the same price as sending them away I now have all the tools and knowledge, so I see that as a bonus.

[Marquezs Stabilisers]

Ohlins are a lot easier to do the seals on than others - the cheap Showa forks on budget Hondas being a case in point. I do however loathe doing fork seals as a job: I can't, but I'd rather not.

Well done on giving it a crack.

[Steve Bass]

Krikkit said:

For the same price as sending them away I now have all the tools and knowledge, so I see that as a bonus.

Kind of my thinking.
Except for the price of the seal driver kit abovethenormalreplacementparts, this is costing me nothing but a little time. And saving a ton of aggravation given it's 400kms to the nearest Ohlins road suspension technician.... and with costs here being through the roof it's a no brainer.
Fortnine (yes, the interweb channel) are an excellent parts retailer so all the necessaries are arriving tomorrow and we'll give it a go.
My Ducati man in SA is confirming the recommended air gap for these units and I found my fork oil syringe hiding in the garage so I'm all kitted out... and of course the opportunity to learn something new doesn't hurt either.
Watch this space....

[Bob_Defly]

I would love to have a go at forks, but it looks like a dark art.

[Marquezs Stabilisers]

Bob_Defly said:

I would love to have a go at forks, but it looks like a dark art.

The biggest bit is remembering to be gentle when you have to be, then bounce the buggers around to get the air bubbles out...

[Krikkit]

Bob_Defly said:

I would love to have a go at forks, but it looks like a dark art.

Find a service manual, follow it to the letter the first time, you'll be fine. Very straight forward if a bit messy.

[Steve Bass]

Marquezs Stabilisers said:

Bob_Defly said:

I would love to have a go at forks, but it looks like a dark art.

The biggest bit is remembering to be gentle when you have to be, then bounce the buggers around to get the air bubbles out...

Very much this^^^^^
Keep everything nicely lubed and make sure you slide the seal and wipers over a thin plastic bag kinda thing to stop any damage from the bushing grooves etc.
It's a bit of a messy job as the forks seem to never stop giving up the oil but quite a rewarding experience actually.
And being able to play with air gaps to adjust the air spring effect and oil mixing of viscosities is quite cool.....
Seals are a fairly straightforward process but getting into the valving is another step up....