Hitchcocks Forum

Hello all.

Short question - I would like to fit the gaiters to the front shocks.

Has anyone done this? Is it a big job? I'm hoping there is a mechanism to fit them without stripping down the whole setup?

Many thanks

Steve

Hi Steve, I once fitted a pair of gaiters (on another make of bike) by making a slit with a sharp knife, wrapping them round the front forks in the right position and then very carefully super-gluing them back together once in position. It was a really fiddly job and took ages, but it worked. This was on my first bike and I was nervous of dissembling the front forks. Since then I have realised that it is far easier to do the job properly. The procedure will vary depending on which particular bike you have. If you let us know the model you have someone here will be able to tell you exactly how to do it.

Remove the wheel,remove the guard, and take each leg out, very simple job

must aggree with norm except if its an enfield you,ll need to unscrew the forks out of the casket,with either the tool for the job or an improvisation ,not forgetting to slacken off the pinch bolts on the bottom yolk or tripples depending where you hail from,howard how long did the slitty gaitors last?atb paul

No special tool required, the footrest mount is a hex bar same size as that in the fork tops

hi Bryan,i wasn,t sure if slow steve knew how to remove the footrest bar ,i did mention improvisation ,i can,t be arsed to take the footpeg bar out i made a really nice tool for the job (no orders taken ) don,t want to compete with our hosts haha paul.

Hi Paul, the gaiters were still absolutely fine when I sold the bike a year later, a complete bodge of course, but one that worked.

Hi Steve, No need to take the stauncions out. Do as Norm. says then,cut tho cover tubes off carfully with a junior hacksaw about 1 inch below the pinch bolts. Slide the gaitors on and they will fit very snuggly inside the shortened cover tubes, giving a very neat finish to the job.

hi howard, sounds like a great bodge i once saw a cv boot that had to be glued to save pulling the drive shaft out ,if i,d have tried it the glue would probably have stuck my fingers together!! they would have been no V signs then atb paul.

Hello STEVE ----I've just done this not long ago and it's as the guys are saying either------a) Use the slit-it & glue method OR ------b) Remove the leg, cut the upper shroud about 1-2" below the top. Tip}--- wrap a length of masking tape around to give a reasonable straight cut ( it's not important visually as the gaitor will be fitting over it anyway---it just helps to keep the hack-sawing to a minimum. )....... You'll need item No.146167--£5.50 each + VaT + P&P from our hosts.... You might want to take this opportunity to clean, inspect and grease the stanchion and seal......I like to smear a thin layer of silicon grease on the inside of each gaitor---- helps keep the rubber flexible ----- remember to put any breathing holes to the rear and at the bottom. Avoids any rain etc finding it's way in........ Just a thought but if you were thinking of changing the fork springs at any time then doing it now would save repetition later on ???? Finally, my own little favorite }------ why not put some ATF oil in ???? It's worth the effort and gives your machine a bit of the "Professional" look as well................... Enjoy the experience !!