Nighthawk without front legs . . .

[Larry Fine]

Oh, well, state inspection time, and correctly told I need to rebuild my front forks. The labor at my local Honda service department was around $260, plus about half of that in parts. So . . .

I went parts shopping, and ordered new fork and dust seals, a set of new bushings with other internal parts, a pair of front wheel seals, and a set of new ceramic brake pads while at it.

I'm trying to decide whether to stick with the recommended 10-weight fork oil, or try 15-weight oil, thinking that clearances and orifices are greater than when the parts were new.

So, until the parts trickle in so I can reassemble it, here are a few pics, including how to hold up the front of a bike (unless you need to pull the gold van out of the driveway):

 

[brianinpa]

That is a pretty goo way to keep the rear planted! Automatic Transmission Fluid is another option for fork oil - states it right in my Honda Service Manual and it is a lot cheaper than fork oil.

 

[Kynan C.]

I have also heard that about trans oil being used in place. I also think it is the age ol' debate! On the XS forums I have seen pages and pages on trans vs fork oil. I just sent my folks to Race Tech and they rebuilt them and put in the Gold Valve Emulators and all that wazoo stuff. The bike does ride like a dream now. It was not cheap, but was it worth it? I think so....

 

[Larry Fine]

According to my Clymer manual, I should use Pro Honda Suspension Fluid SS-8 or equivalent, 10-wt.

 

[Larry Fine]

Parts is parts:

 

[Kynan C.]

Not much to it huh? Just some metal and springs. Looking good!

 

[Larry Fine]

Most of the parts have arrived: wheel bearings and seals (the bearings are okay, but the whole package was cheaper than seals alone), the fork seals and wipers, and ceramic brake pads.

Still waiting on the fork-tube and bushings, and little aluminum cups called "oil stop pieces", whatever they do. They live at the bottom of the sliders, cupping the bottoms of the dampers.

One of them got chewed up a bit. The tube bushing kept wedging inside the slider bushing, making it hard to pop them apart slide-hammer style. I ended up prying out the seal manually.

 

[Larry Fine]

Well, I now know what the oil lock piece does. It acts as a final constrictor for the fork oil at extreme compression of the fork, to minimize bottoming out. It sort of overrides the normal valving.

 

[brianinpa]

Not too much different from a Wing.

 

[Larry Fine]

The 'Hawk flies again! I just got finished putting the forks back on, taking a test ride, and then putting the Rooster back on (plus cleaning up, putting tools away, and washing hands.)

So far, the ride seems a bit stiff, but I imagine that's normal for a newly-assembled front end. It started drizzling before I could go for a headlight-adjusting ride, so that'll have to wait.

 

[steppenwolf]

My front end is mush right now with an oil seal as a dirt catcher but on older bikes you have to expect that

 

[Larry Fine]

Well, after riding a while, the fork tubes were completely dry, so the seals seem to be, well, sealing.

I did pull the dust seals up and drip about a teaspoon of fork oil atop the seals, and drip a tiny bit of oil atop the dust seals after replacing them, then wipe dry after working them a bit. The ride is MUCH smoother now, and I can see the fork respond to little bumps much more readily.

Over all, the ride is much improved, and the bike seems to handle curves much better and easier. Feels "more planted" as they say.

 

[Kynan C.]

Very cool Larry, glad everything is smooth again.

 

[GMan81]

I did a fork rebuild on my wing a few months ago. A previous owner had replaced the seals but not the bushings. One of the bushing broke so the whole thing had to be rebuilt. Went ahead and put progressive springs in it. And man what a difference it was with new spring and rebuild forks.

 

[Larry Fine]

Thanx, AV.

Being frugal (cheap), I reused my springs, but only after confirming that they exceed minimum spec in length by more than 1/4", and they match. I used All-balls bushings and seals. The bushings on one side overlapped when I tried to separate the tubes, so I ended up having to dig the seal out on that side.

I had a bit of pitting and light scoring on the overlapping section of the tubes so, after cleaning and polishing with wadded aluminum foil and chrome polish, I filled the pits with super-glue and carefully scraped the surface smooth after drying. (Tip found on internet.) It's neat to see but not feel the pits.

The new seals sealed so well that the fork tubes were extremely dry even after 100 or so miles. The ride was still so stiff from stiction, so I added a bit of fork oil beneath the dust seals, and then a smaller amount on top. Now they're moving smoother and more easily. The whole bike rides much better now.

 

[GMan81]

I couldn't reuse my old springs. They were just too old and worn. The front end would bottom out on a small speed bump. I figured since I needed new ones anyway Id go for some of the best. With the way the front end feels now you wouldn't know its a 30 year old bike. Larry I see you're in Richmond, Ever make it down to Newport News? I'd like to meet someone else with vetter equipment. I've only seen one other vetter equiped bike around here.

 

[Larry Fine]

It's been known to happen. It happens that I bought the bike from someone down there. Plus, my sister lives in Va. Beach, near Mt. Trashmore.

We could always arrange a meet-up at Pierce's BBQ in Williamsburg.

 

[GMan81]

Ah cool. My fiance is from VA Beach. A meet up would be great. I would have to check my fiance's work schedule first though. Never been to Pierce's before. How's the food?

 

[Larry Fine]

Never been to Pierce's before. How's the food?

Only the best barbecue around. As testimony, over the years, we've seen license plates from most of the east coast, plus Canada. http://www.pierces.com/

 

[GMan81]

Looks real good from the website. Reasonable prices too.