Guys,
Just to confirm suprize said I’ve haven’t need to use a dampening tool on any of my Husky forks for years. I just did my 83 250 Sat &
here’s a quick run thru.
a) Support the bike so front end off the ground, break loose the bottom 13mm headed bolts on the bottom of the fork leg, then break loose the fork caps. Remove the front wheel, here’s a trick you only need to loosen the pinch bolts on the brake cable side clamp & the axle nut. This makes reassembly easier as you don’t have to juggle the axle spacer on both fork legs. Remove brake cable & forks one at a time, so you can position them back in the triple tree without having to take any measurements for the height.
b) Slide the dust boots off, completely remove the fork cap, pull out the spring & drain the oil. Separate the fork halves, by completely removing the lower bolt-make sure you don’t lose the beveled washer in the oil drain pan. Pull the dampening rod out & check your top out washers (black plastic) replace them if there broken. If the dampening rod is difficult to get out -gently tap it out ,this is were people have been know to leave socket extensions, chisels & pieces of pipe. Clean everything, I use spray disc brake cleaner, my fork seals were done last season, so they were still good. Check everything for cracks, scratches etc & repair or replace as needed.
c) If your seals are crap, replace them with Kawasaki Eliminator (40mm) fork ones, only one is needed per leg not the 2 that Husky uses to put in. Here’s were buying a seal removing tool comes very handy. Grease the seals before you drive them carefully back in.
d) Reassembly : lube the top out washer on the dampen rod with fork oil, then slide back in the upper tube. Lube the inside of fork seal & assemble both halves, making sure the bevel side of fork washer faces down or toward the outside of the fork , start the bolt on the dampening rod. Temporally throw the spring back in & fork cap---don’t over tighten, now tight the lower bolt. Check to see the there’s nothing binding by compressing forks by hand. Loose the fork cap again, take the spring out , collapse the fork completely, fill leg 5-6 in from the top with your favorite weight fork oil. I use 5.5 inches & 10weight oil, but this is something you need to work out depending on your weight & riding ability. Reinstall springs, fork caps, fork dust boots, slide back into triple trees, tighten everything. Do the other side.
e) Here’s a good time to check out your front wheel bearings, brake shoes, cable & axle. Also a good time to safety wire & tie wrap your brake cable as shown to prevent it from pulling out.
Husky John
