fork lowers 2

[mack]

Well, last night after we got back my wife and daughters were watching chick flicks so she allowed me to go out to the shop for a couple hours. I managed to get the clips, washers and seals out thanx to dremel. It came out as shrapnel though, no big pieces. Good thing I have a full face shield. I'll look closely at the seal chambers today and see how pitted the walls are, if I think it can make a seal, I'll reuse them. Going to measure the travel on my SF forks today to see if the pitting on my bad spare upper will will stay clear of the seal. Looks like someone had attached a tool bag or something to the forks with gear clamps. The surations are pretty deep but should be high enough to clear. All four dust boots were cracked and split so I figure thats how the water got in them. Heck of a mess. Immedialely below the seal is a fiber bushing, can they be replaced? I've replaced the ones on bottom of the uppers on the SF before but never did the lower ones.

[bikerphil]

If you mean the Teflon slider bushing, don't bother trying to replace it. It can be done (I've done it) but it is very difficult. They are pressed in and they have to be correctly sized when installing, and they have to be sourced from an independent suspension builder. If they are totally worn off (bronze showing) I'd just get another set of lowers. Small amount of wear is acceptable.

[mack]

Yes the

teflon coated bushing in the lower was what I was refering to. I cleaned the lowers really well today and put my spare uppers in them and the bushings are pretty good. No play at all. I've ordered the leak proof seals and now it's a waiting game again.
I do have a question though. My SF, I have a second seal under the first seal at the collar. However, when I took the sare SF forks apart and the LH forks a part, they do not have the second seal. Hermes was manufactured in Dec 78 and I've been the only owner/rider so I know his lower fork configuration is stock. My question is, are the others missing this seal or did Yamaha change this in later production runs to save money?

[bikerphil]

All that is needed in there starting at the bottom is..

Washer, oil seal, washer, aditional spacer if necessary, retaining clip.

[mack]

At the risk of seeming needy

So anybody have a source for the spacer? (if required?)

[bikerphil]

I made my own out of 1 1/2" PVC pipe. It can be easily shaped to size with a bench grinder. Gotta get creative sometimes, a lot of these parts are NLA.

[mack]

Whats really

is that it doesn't show up on the parts fiche. I got looking through my clymers and there it was. Checked the fiche and nope. So when you made yours did you just delete the cup washer thats supposed to be under it?

[bikerphil]

IIRc, I have washer, oil seal, then the custom spacer, then the snap ring.

[bikerphil]

Here is a custom 3.5mm thick spacer (the one I'm holding) that I had to make at one point. Mack, remember if you intend to use the Leak Proof seals, make you follow the special instructions that comes with them. They need to slide up and down slightly unlike the press in normal type.

[mack]

Thanx Phil

I hope you didn't go out and tear one of your lowers off just to send me a picture. Thanx for the heads up on the new seals, I'm going to make a few spacers anyway, but won't put them in until I see how the leak proofs work out. I appreciate you enlightening me. Strange how the newer lowers didn't have the spacer though. Not sure if it's a PO perfect storm or if they were never installed in the first place. I know the seals I pulled out were all the press in style.