Hitchcocks Forum

Can any one give me details how to replace the fork gaters on my 2003, sixty five

Cheers all


Guru

All depends on if the seals need attention. If they do then there's a "how to" in Technical notes on the left of this page. If not you can take the fork leg off complete. Wheel out, mudguard off, top caps off, slacken lower yolk pinch bolt. You then need a 1/2" hex key to unscrew the leg from the top yolk. On the classics the footrest spindle is the right size but I'm not sure about the Sixty-Five. The hex socket is inside the top of the leg through where the chrome caps come off. Try changing the oil for something lighter for an easier action. I use ATF which is about sae5 or proper folk oil.

Hi guys,---- PETE, may I add a bit more to that ??....... The '65 is the same as the Classic 500's, ie the forks dismantle in the same way... The standard '65 gaiters however are a plasticky-type material which are prone to hardening and cracking.... Maybe that's why GURU is needing to change them ??..Yes, the footrest spindle IS the right size but you don't need to take it off---- all that muck 'n stuff !! YEUK !! Either,---a) Buy/Borrow the tool that our hosts supply OR ( Better/cheaper)---b) Buy a new footrest shaft, saw it in half and make a tool for you AND your mate as well !!.. But BE WARNED }---- If this is the first time the legs have been removed then you will find they are screwed into the casquette VERY TIGHTLY INDEED.... In the last few years I've done 3 sets and ALL of them were T-I-G-H-T !!!...I actually have a 1/2" drive, double depth hex. by BRITOOL and needed a 2ft extention on it before removal was achieved. ---- Remember to screw clockwise. ----- Recently I replied to MATT about his gaiters,and will come back here later with the thread title for you. It has some photos and dimentions that you might find useful... Meanwhile GURU, definitely change your fork oil to an ATF-type as PETE says...Just doing that alone will improve your riding experience.

Hello again GURU,--- if you paste this heading into the top, R/H white box }---- "These gaiters are causing me problems" ....... clik search and follow the headings, you will find some useful information.

----------just noticed---- don't include the "asterisks" in your copy and paste or it won't work.

On the other hand..........mine unscrewed relatively easily. I bought a short length of 1/2" hex bar off Ebay which did the job nicely with a socket and normal 12" handle on top.

Alan - do I read correctly that the fork should be undone by turning the top nut CLOCKWISE ie a LH thread, or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

Mike

Mike, they are right hand threads but you are turning from the other end of the thread, so clockwise from the top is right. Just imagine screwing the tubes out from under the top yoke

Hi Mike after removing the top nut in the normal way the stanchion needs to unscrewed from the casquette looking from above it unscrews clockwise but is a normal thread and unscrews downwards.

Hi guys----------hello PETE, yes--I take your point----I wish all my 3 had been like that as well, LoL !! But I would still recommend the footrest bar or extended socket hex. as they are of a tougher material than stock hex(usually a mild steel), and less likely to twist in the event that the legs are in tight....on the one occasion even MrH's "Special Tool" started to twist !!!--- so that's when I decided to use the Britool extended hex. tool and extension tube......YAMAHA 1}-----I agree with all the other postings... Looking down from on top you turn it CLOCKWISE and the stanchion will move DOWNWARDS.( ie it's a R/H thread). Be VERY careful when replacing, --- it's a fine thread and you don't want to cross-thread them !!---- I open up the lower yokes by removing completely the clamping bolt and expanding the yoke by tapping a taper shape in, eg the start of a flat bladed screwdriver etc.... The stanchion should be a nice "floppy-fit" (All those years as an ONC/HNC Apprentice and it comes down to this ???--LoL.)--- so you can get plenty of feed-back as to whether the thread is starting or not..... take your time and have several dummy runs until you are confident that all's well....