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Thread: How to: Front Fork maintenance 2009 Buell XB12Scg : With Pics!

  1. #1
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    How to: Front Fork maintenance 2009 Buell XB12Scg : With Pics!

    Today I'm going to show you how to perform 10000 miles maintenance on the front fork for 2009 Buell XB12Scg since I did not find a good thread with this information.

    To maintain the fork I used:

    - Fork compression tool https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - Oil level gauge (can be just syringe and a tube from hardware store) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - Seal driver (for 2009 Buell XB12Scg it is 41mm seal driver, can be replaced by plastic pipe from Home Depot ) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - 1 Liter front fork oil (I used viscosity W15 this time) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - Tools to remove the fork from motorcycle and disassembling (wrenches, motorcycle stands, screwdrivers, e.t.c)


    Here is parts list specifically for 2009 Buell XB12Scg you probably also will need to replace while front fork maintenance

    - J8138.02A8 GENUINE BUELL FRONT FORK SLIDE BUSHING
    https://www.sphdonline.com/products/...-dust-seal-b1p

    - J8140.02A8 GENUINE BUELL FRONT FORK GUIDE BUSHING
    https://www.sphdonline.com/products/...-dust-seal-b1p

    - 41-7180 ALL BALLS FORK SEAL KIT
    https://www.sphdonline.com/products/...008-2010-xb12x



    Put motorcycle on muffler jack





    Unscrew and remove front wheel fender





    Support the front wheel (I used car jack)





    Unscrew two pinch bolts of the wheel axle





    Unscrew wheel axle





    Wrap the wheel spoke behind the brake caliper with towel





    Unscrew the brake caliper





    Hang up the front wheel on triple tree bracket





    Remove front wheel support





    Remove headlight assembly from front forks to be able to remove the forks





    Unscrew the forks from triple tree clamps





    Slide fork down from the top triple tree clamp, remove retaining ring on the top side of the fork, slide the fork completely down from the lowed triple tree clamp



    Last edited by TPEHAK; 09-04-2017 at 01:21 AM.

  2. #2
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    Secure firmly the fork external tube in vertical position. I used two pieces of wood, a piece of rubber as pad between pieces of wood and fork and a couple clamps to hold the external tube of the fork. The fork external tube must not to be able to rotate





    Turn rebound adjuster (small silver cylinder in the middle on the top side of the fork with slot for flat screwdriver) clockwise until lightly bottom, count number of turns and remember this number. In my case it was 1.5 turns





    Turn preload adjuster (red nut on top of the fork) counterclockwise until lightly bottom, count number of turns and remember this number. In my case it was 6 turns.





    Unscrew the cap from the fork (big black hexagonal interface on top of the fork)





    Put the fork in fork compression tool and compress the fork







    Bend piece if rigid wire like it showed on the picture below




    Pull the fork cap up (it will be hard to pull due to oil resistance) and slide the bended wire under the jamnut like it showed on the picture below to hold the cap





    Loose jamnut and cup using two wrenches





    Unscrew the cap manually







    Remove the bended wire and let the damper tube go down





    Remove the white plastic cap


  3. #3
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    Release fork compression tool and remove the fork from the tool





    Remove the spring tube from the fork





    Put the fork up side down into the oil drain container to drain the oil and to shake out the spring. Pump the fork a few times to drain more oil out of it





    Using small flat screwdriver pry and disconnect the dust seal





    Using small flat screwdriver disconnect the retaining ring under the dust seal





    Using slide hammer movings pull out the internal tube of the fork from the outer tube of the fork with all the seals on it





    Put all you fork parts in the suitable container and thoroughly clean the parts. I used brake cleaner to clean the components, but you have to be careful with rubber o-rings. do not spray too much brake cleaner on them, swipe them from brake cleaner as soon as possible. Inspect the components, especially slider bushing and guiding bushing (two thin metal split tubes), if they have worn layer of plastic and worn layer of copper I would recommend you to replace them. It is also a good idea to replace oil seal and dust seal.





    Measure the spring free length and make sure it is not shorter than minimal allowed length according service manual for your particular motorcycle. For 2009 Buell XB12Scg this length should not be less than 277.5mm. If it it shorter you must to replace the spring.





    Now you can assemble everything back.


    Secure the internal tube of the fork vertically





    Slide dust seal on the internal tube of the fork. Be careful not to damage the seal lip while sliding over the sharp edges of the tube.





    Slide retaining ring on the internal tube of the fork.





    Lubricate the oil seal using fresh fork oil





    Slide the oil seal on the internal tube of the fork. The oil seal internal face has sealing lips with teeth shape, sealing lips with teeth shape must be faced toward the oil (teeth sharp edge is faced up), you can imagine those teeth will scoop the oil from polished face of the internal tube and keep it inside the fork. Be careful not to damage the seal lip while sliding over the sharp edges of the tube.


  4. #4
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    Slide the oil seal spacer on the internal tube of the fork.





    Lubricate the guide bushing with fresh fork oil and slide it on the internal tube of the fork







    Lubricate the slide bushing with fresh fork oil and slide it on the internal tube of the fork on the groove on the top of the tube







    Slide the external tube of the fork over the internal tube of the fork





    Remove fork from the holding fixture. Be careful to not extend the fork too far. Press the oil sear and all part above the oil seal in the external tube





    Using seal driver tool and slide hammer move press the oil seal to the external tube of the fork







    Make sure the oil seal sits all way down, then install retaining ring





    Lubricate outside face of the dust seal and press it in the external tube manually





    Secure the internal tube base vertically. The fork must be fully collapsed like on the picture below





    Fill the fork with fresh fork oil up the the external tube threads


  5. #5
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    Pump the external tube up and down 10 times. Do not move the tube higher than 6 inches





    Wait a couple minutes until the oil will have stopped bubbling and then fish the damper tube inside the fork and pump it up and down full stroke about 10 times until you will feel consistant resistance.







    Take oil level gauge and set necessary oil level depth according service manual for your motorcycle. For 2009 Buell XB12Scg the oil level id 109mm from the top face of the external tube of the fork.





    Stick the gauge in the external tube and suck the oil excess





    Put the spring inside the fork facing the tighter end of the spring down





    Put the spring pushing tube in the fork. Do not forget to attach bottom plastic cap on the tube before it. The bottom plastic cap goes on the bottom of the tube with deformed bump to hold the cap while installation





    Attach guiding ring on the tube





    Put the fork in the fork compression tool and compress it. Do not over-compress the fork, compress it just enough to reach the damper tube jam nut







    Install the damper rod and fork cap together. Screw the damper rod full way up into the cap until lightly tap







    Then turn the rod 3 turns back


  6. #6
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    Fish the damper tube from the fork and pull it up. I use small flat screwdriver to capture the pull the damper tube. Be careful and pull it slowly, it has significant oil flow resistance.







    Put plastic cap in the spring pushing tube. Move the jam nut all way down the damper tube threated area






    Slide bended wire under the nut to hold the tube it this position






    Put the damper rod with fork cap into the damper tube and let it flow down





    Twist the fork cap on the damper tube until it lightly bottom





    Twist the jamnut to the cap and tighten it by fingers





    Turn the damper adjuster 90 deg counterclockwise






    Tighten the jamnut to the cap using two wrenches. Service manual says tighten it to 30-41 Nm, but for me it looks like to much torque for such small diameter thread on aluminum damper tube, and it looks like there is a mistake in the service manual because of next line in the manual is about tightening the fork cap to the same torque, but the fork cap has significantly bigger threated area diameter. So I just tightened it without torque wrench just for my feeling to not overtorque it.





    Turn the damper adjuster clockwise until i lightly tap





    Release the fork compression tool and remove the fork from the tool





    Secure the external tube of the fork vertically


  7. #7
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    Screw the fork cap on the fork and tighten it to 30-41 Nm





    Turn preload adjuster (red nut) clockwise the same amount of turns you did it when you turned it counterclockwise before fork disassembling. In my case it is 6 turns.





    Turn the damper adjuster counterclockwise the same amount of turns you did it when you turned it clockwise before fork disassembling. In my case it is 1.5 turns.





    Maintain the second fork same way. make sure they have same adjustments for preaload adjuster and damper adjuster. Install forks on the motorcycle, attach front wheel and brake caliper, attach headlight back.

    Done!


  8. #8
    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
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    Excellent! Very, very, well done TPHAK A good sticky
    I'd like to add some tricks to help out:

    Once you loosen the upper triple and before you loosen the lower triple is a good time to break loose the upper cap of the fork without the need for clamping it in the wood/innertube thing you made. Your clamp is fine, but it's very easy for a novice to squish and ruin that tube.

    Use a piece of saran wrap or plastic to cover the end of the fork tubes very sharp threads when installing new seals. It's not enough to just "be careful" no one wants to do the job a second time right away

    The seal spring always faces the oil

    If you're buying tools, get the damper rod tool too. You can make one too, it makes life very easy when fishing for the rod and pumping it dry, or bleeding it.


    If you aren't going to remove the damper from the fork tube. (The allen bolt and copper washer are straight up through the axle hole), I would hang it upside down over night or at least until it stops dripping, especially if you are changing the weight of the fork oil.

    Once, again. Nice write up
    Last edited by Cooter; 09-03-2017 at 11:39 PM.

  9. #9
    Senior Member BuellyBagger's Avatar
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    Yep gotta hand it to ya on this one. A much needed how to and a nice write up.

  10. #10
    Senior Member MakingPAIN's Avatar
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    thanks for the good info with lots of pictures



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