how do you remove front suspension valves?

thestuz · Post by **thestuz** » August 12th, 2009, 3:32 am

tried unscrewing the hex head bolt under the bottom of my 01 cr5 . but as i turn them anti clockwise, they turn but are not coming out??? what gives?

yota · Post by **yota** » August 12th, 2009, 11:33 am

with the spring in and top cap on turn the fork upside down and push down hard against the floor applying pressure on the spring while turning the nut. a butterfly air wrench helps.

thestuz · Post by **thestuz** » August 12th, 2009, 1:26 pm

cheers, will try that tonight when i get home from work.

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 12th, 2009, 5:51 pm

the special tool makes it alot easier.

Post by **AlisoBob** » August 12th, 2009, 6:26 pm

yota wrote: a butterfly air wrench helps.

Yup.....

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 12th, 2009, 6:53 pm

you guys sure like doing shit the hard way. if your too cheap to buy the tool, you can make one easy enough.

CR500R7 · Post by **CR500R7** » August 13th, 2009, 1:17 am

While you are spending money on tools, you don't have money to spend on your bike.

thestuz · Post by **thestuz** » August 13th, 2009, 1:25 am

all good, i just used a rattle gun to get them out. took them to my tuner for a revalve and my suspension tuner said they had no slow speed dampening in them. just all high speed. he took out some high speed shims and replaced them with some low speed ones. well i just got the forks back together and its feeling much plusher. taking it out to the track on saturday for a test. will keep posted on how they ride.

yota · Post by **yota** » August 13th, 2009, 7:03 am

100hp honda wrote:the special tool makes it alot easier.

what tool? never needed anything special to get the bottom nut loosened before, done KTM's, YZ's and Showas, twin chamber and regular. I do have a few special tools to get the internals out of twin chamber forks once the bottom nut is loosened.

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 13th, 2009, 6:28 pm

i think the technical name is T handle tool / damper holder. its basically a piece of pipe with 4 prongs on one end and a T handle on the other. you take off the top fork cap and spring then put it inside and it holds the back side of the bottom bolt. it made life alot easier for me, no tipping the forks upside down, while trying to compress the spring, while trying to turn the bolt. someone may have been in your forks previously and didnt tighten the bolt back to the proper torque and thats why yours came out easy

. there was a fork tutorial on the internet that mentioned to do it your way.....i tried it but the bolt is supposed to be 58lbft on the newer forks....... i quickly realized it was easier to use that holder tool rather than fuck around. to each their own i guess

DonDDR · Post by **DonDDR** » August 15th, 2009, 10:35 am

Where do you get that tool????? I need one real bad.

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 15th, 2009, 10:48 am

i got mine from a fork shop, i cant remeber which one right off hand. check back tonight and ill get you some info on how to make your own or ill get a link where you can buy one.

DonDDR · Post by **DonDDR** » August 15th, 2009, 11:33 am

That would be great. My bike has been apart for a month while I try to figure this out.

DonDDR · Post by **DonDDR** » August 15th, 2009, 11:37 am

Looks like parts unlimited has one for the CR but it says not for 91-2 model years, which is the year of my forks.

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 15th, 2009, 11:53 am

i think '91-'01 uses the same tool. take a look.

http://www.racetech.com/page.aspx?id=70&menuid=57

DonDDR · Post by **DonDDR** » August 16th, 2009, 11:56 am

That tool might work but there is some kinda valve half way down the tube in the way of getting the tool to the bottom. I need to just throw them away and buy later style forks. My bike has been apart all summer over this crap.

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 16th, 2009, 8:14 pm

throw away your forks because you cant figure out how to take them apart ?

. i was looking in the honda manual and it appears they come apart pretty much the same way as the newer forks and it says they both can use the same holder tool, race tech website also says '90-'01 uses the same tool. taking apart and putting back together the forks is a fairly easy job, usually couple hours with the help of a honda manual (some people maybe can do it quicker but thats what it took me). if you had a manual, you would of been riding your bike along time ago

. $40 is a pretty small investment, considering it explains every detail about the whole bike.

DonDDR · Post by **DonDDR** » August 16th, 2009, 11:34 pm

For what I will have into these forks I can buy a nice set of the later cartridge style, dialed for my weight/riding style, thats where the the throw away thot comes from. The manuel doesnt address the problem I have. I am a service advisor at a Yamaha dealer and none of my techs know how to get around the problem and I sent them across town to the Honda dealer and they didnt know either. Posted several times about this and got no answers. Or maybe Im just soopid, laugh..... Thanks for your replys tho.

100hp honda · Post by **100hp honda** » August 17th, 2009, 8:54 am

sorry i couldnt be of more help. i cant imagine what would be inside your forks that prevents you from taking them apart. i have the manual in front of me and there should be no secret tricks. if it stumps a yamaha tech then it must be complicated i guess

. anyways good luck with a newer pair

BannedCR500Riders.com

how do you remove front suspension valves?

how do you remove front suspension valves?