Fork disassembly

[docc]

Can you help me get my spacer off?

 

I have taken the cartridge-spring assembly out of the fork slider. It appears the top cap should unscrew from the blue anodized stop just above the spring. I applied some considerable torque with no sign of it coming loose.

 

The stock spacer appears to be a black plastic affair so I have more confidence using Rich's schedule 40 1" PVC. (Everyone I've suggested this to has given me the hairy eyeball.)

 

Hoping my service manual will arrive in the mail tomorrow (dreamer). In the meantime, flying blind.

 

Thanks for the consideration, docc

[RichMaund]

Doc

They are tight. But mine came off OK. The PVC schedule 40 pipe is thicker walled than stock and may support the load from the spring even better. Not sure why they look at funny. Did you have a spot of grease on your nose?

[docc]

They seem to kind of glaze when I say " MO'- to GOOT'-see" in my best Italian lilt. That and "schedule 40PVC" in the same sentence and their brain just shorts out. You can smell the neurons burning.

 

The PVC is stouter than the stock spacers. If I can just get a good square cut on the stuff.

 

The forks are apart now. The oil that came out was certainly begging to be changed.

 

Rich, thanks for the encouragement! docc

[RichMaund]

Doc

If you're worried about a square cut, use a band saw and guide. Very quick that way.

 

If you lack that, I still have 7 feet of that damn pipe here. (It was about $3 for a 8' piece.) Tell me how long you want each piece and I'll cut & mail them to you for the shipping cost. $4 for Priority Mail. I'll be happy to help you out.

 

The tomato plants aren't in yet. Once they're growing well, this pipe will be used to stake them and I will be "out of stock" of PVC pipe. So let me know in the next couple weeks if you need them made!

[docc]

With some careful sanding and measuring, I made a good set of spacers 17mm longer than stock, added 5wt Silkolene oil ( the most beautiful blue liquid I've ever seen!), and mounted the forks 10mm high in the clamps.

 

A guy working on the house saw the bike on stands, front end all apart, saying, "wow, what happened to your bike?" I said, "nothing, just routine maintenence." Then there it is again: the hairy eyeball. I guess people expect to see things apart in a shop but not in someone's garage.

 

Rich, better go ahead and make those tomatoe stakes out of your spare Guzzi parts. ( Are these bikes wonderful, or what?)