front forks

hello to all anyone know where i might pick up a set of useable front forks that i can bolt straight in my 96 cb500 ?

Welcome Ian, out of curiosity whats wrong with your existing forks?

hi my left fork leg ( not caliper side ) as corosion just where the fork seal is so the seal is leaking badly also the chrome as worn off around that area so thought it might be cheaper to source a replacement set rather than get them rechromed and rebuilt..????

A new stantion would be alot cheaper than a whole new fork leg.

I believe people have had success with a layer of araldite to smooth over the pitting but haven't tried it myslf (yet) & it would still be visibly marked.

I have used the araldite method to repair pitting on a previous bike and, yes, it worked.

Before you apply the araldite you need to remove any corrosion and polish the remaining crome.

Once the araldite has set any excess can be removed with a sharp knife (like a craft knife or something) leaving the surface of the fork tube relativley smooth (ie. the hole filled by araldite).

I wou;d suggest that you use the 'normal' Araldite (Araldite Prescion as I think it is now called) and leave the glue alone for 24hrs to set before removing any excess.

On a slightly more cheery note:- Have you tried taking the fork leg apart and cleaning off all the corosion etc and then replacing the seal anyway (just to see how long it lasts)? Might not be as bad as you think.... worth a try for the cost of a pair of seals and some oil.

not heard of the araldite solution before sounds very interesting thanks for that, will prob try and get them as smooth as poss and replace seals wish me luck fingers crossed....

I recently refurbed my forks on the cb, first time I'd ever undergone such a task and cant believe at how simple it was to do. Also what an immense difference to handling it made by changing the fork oil etc.

I had this guide as a reference

CB500 Fork Seal Replacement



Both my fork seals were leaking so I just stripped them down totally.

I bought Araldite Precision which is the slow setting stuff....blue and white tubes

Araldite piccy


I rubbed down the areas on the fork tubes that had raised edges from where its flared open with stone chips. I then applied the araldite......Best if you can keep the fork legs indoors where its warmer. I kept mine in the cupboard where all my heating pipes are and left for it to set for well over 24hrs.

Then I used a fine file and rubbed the araldite down until I was just about there, then I just got some 1200 grit wet/dry and finished the job off. Feels so smooth now....you can still see all the pitting but its now filled with epoxy and rubbed down flush.

I have went the full hog on mine....bought new upper/lower bushes and oil and dust seals too.

Heres 1 fork ready for reassemble, Ive went with 10w and 150mm gap in the rebuild. (ROAD USE)

Plus I thought I'd try a little experiment.

I noticed there was a gap between where the dust seal and the fork seal is. This is just a shite collection space so I got a face sponge and made another seal to sit in this void.

Ive soaked the sponge in Fork oil too so it keeps a lube on the fork, My thinking is if anything gets passed the dust seal i have a secondry barrier in place to protect that oil seal. Plus its easy to change out....just pop up the dust seal....and with a splice in the new DIY sponge seal re-install new one.

I also ordered fork gaiters from Wemoto and fit perfectly and help protect all that work I had done on the forks.

GAITERS LINK









All the parts were from David Silvers at a fraction over a well spent £50 and the transformation in handling is just like night/day compared to the way it was.

Thanks for the walkthrough Octane.

Think I'll be trying that out on my spare forks.

brilliant idea didnt expect this much response thanks to everyone very helpful.

ok ive managed to remove the dust cover and retaining clip how do i remove the actual seal any ideas ??????

OK THANKS I WILL GIVE IT A GO.

yes got them out thanks very much for your help, is there anyway of getting the new ones in without buying a forkseal driver ??????

You can use a 'normal' drift (ie. not a circular one) and to tap it in. You need to:

a. be carefull

and

b. move round the seal as you tap it in to ensure that it goes in straight

you will know when you've got it in the right place because the noise it makes when you tap it will change.

Good luck!

I always put the old seal over the new before I drift it in; that way there is no chance of damaging it. A large box spanner does the job nicely!
I must paint the bottom tubes on mine, they are a furry mess at the moment