Kawasaki ER 500 - Backyard Bike Project - Episode 10 Fork Seals

In this episode I piss around for hours trying to remove a fork oil seal.

[@allanhughes7859]

This is what i like about Matts channel its honest. Most/all the others would have edited out the problem and when we mere mortals get stuck we think they are bloody magic Just like the haynes manual with their clean nuts and bolts. Its good to see how these sort of problems are sorted by those who know how!! I always seem to have one nut or bolt that will not shift. So to see how it can be done is really really good ..Ta Matt !!

[@allanhughes7859]

This is really good viewing cos most folk sort this sort of thing out off camera at least with matt you get to see the fu...n bad bits as well as the good.. I thought i was doing it wrong when i had this problem because all the youtube chaps just seemed to do it after a few hits so well done Matt for showing how hard this bit can be for any future do it yourself mechanics well done fella !!!!!!!

[@a4266]

Coffee time and a great vid to watch while drinking it! I finally got my CX500 trike started btw! Only took me 2 years and the help of someone who knows what they're doing.

[@dirtygarageguy]

Rigal Awesome news you'll have to post a video of it running, thanks for the comment

[@lv0ll9]

i've taken out some nasty seals over the years, where i had the fork out and actually had to hand saw(loose blade going back and forth for hours) through the steel ring in the seal. but this is on another level. Good thing you got it out!

[@dirtygarageguy]

don't remind me lol

[@scatcat1994]

17:47 Typical motorcycle maintenance: Start of day: "Couple hour job, no problem" 8 hours later: "Water and fire, with any luck that ought to do it" hahahaha

[@dirtygarageguy]

God I don't wanna do that again, or watch it again for that matter lol

[@scatcat1994]

The Workshop how much would a garage charge? Got 2 fucked seals and haven't even been pulling wheelies. Gutting man

[@dirtygarageguy]

What's wheelies got to do with it? The inner bushing had slipped over the inner seal that's why its a wanker - in this case age

[@paulbudford]

Man that put up a fight! For a while there I did not think it was coming apart.

[@dirtygarageguy]

Paul Ford I had the same fears, I was thinking what I was going to do next, even thinking of rigging something up in the press to pull it apart. Did the other one today, same deal took about 2 hours to seperate. - matt

[@MrKevo0]

I feel the pain, been at it for the last 5 hours. Thanks for the video now going to try burning it out now.

[@keithmartland6463]

I say one thing you have patience, after ten minutes of this i would have slung the bloody thing over the wall and gone to watch the telly! lol!

[@dirtygarageguy]

keith martland well if I did that I'd get nothing done, but trust me they're times lol cheers for the comment - matt

[@aaronpickering5659]

This is the funnest video i seen in a long time

[@dirtygarageguy]

Funny as in look at this dickhead? Or funny as in laughing at me in a with me kinda way?

[@aaronpickering5659]

Pony Power laughing with ya I fee ya pain

[@dirtygarageguy]

Don't remind me, I still feel it now lol

[@bobgibb2781]

Worn bottom bush , worn top bush . Instead of the bottom bush knocking the top bush and the fork seal out they are jamming inside each other . That's why Matt is having to push the slider back down before having another go . In extream cases the bottom bush actually passes through the top bush so at least you can prize the seal out if it remains in place . I would have tried doing this job horizontally while putting some " Bend " on the leg to see if the bushes would catch each other . Tip , if you don't have a vice , stick the leg back in the bike .

[@bobgibb2781]

I've got it all to come in the next week or so . They will either fly out like a cork from a bottle or there will be a gruelling swearathon . 😉

[@David-fl9iv]

This is funny. I hit the exact same issue doing the seals on my hornet. All the vids I watched showed the things come apart easily with a few pulls. I had exactly the same issue where the bottom bush was pulling through the top one. Spent an entire afternoon pulling and hammering at it. End up went to my dads who has a big solid vice, clamped the fork leg tight, heated the thing like you did, and she broke apart after half a dozen good yanks. A good solid purchase and some heat solves all. My 02 Honda hornet stanchions look identical btw. Identical bushings and internals. All look the same as that ER. Interesting.

[@ybasti8072]

Thanks for the video Matt, that really looked like a major pain in the ass. I just disassembled my forks yesterday on my BMW F650 and one side (the side pissing out oil) also was a royal pain to get out. A great tip is to leave the fork tubes attached to the motorcycle for extra purchase, so you can just whack it down with your whole bodyweight. After going at it for about half an hour, I honestly began to think I was crazy because no tutorial I could find described any problems like this. In the end, heating the slider and going full mental on it did the trick and it eventually budged. Like in your case, the bushings were the problem - I did chew away about half of each bushing trying to get the fucking oil seal free..

[@NorthCust]

I feel like this is much more likely to be my experience when I do my seals vs the other fork seal changing videos I watched where it all came apart easily. Thanks for covering the extreme case :) found this video via the-workshop.net search.

do you know the outer dimension of the seals? I dont want to buy from kawasaki since they are too expensive. I wonder if I can find the same seal from another manufacturer

[@dirtygarageguy]

Dude you wanna buy the kawasaki ones - Ive had many aftermarket ones fail within a year.

They are terribly expensive here in my country. I was just wondering if another bike from honda yamaha etc uses the same seals. I dont want to buy aftermarket parts also but i am about to give up.

[@CalmBiker]

That took a bit of work! New fence required now!

[@dirtygarageguy]

Not my backyard lol

[@motorcyclerefurbishment8162]

That's the problem with old bikes, everything you touch becomes a nightmare,,,,,.....with the water and blow torch I was expecting Titanic to hove into view....heheheh.........no sign of any drinks of tea........but plenty of whacking.....

[@dirtygarageguy]

ROY Dean plenty of whacking, completely knackered me out, but at least its done now. Just the other one to strip. I hope I've paid my dues and this one will just pop apart.

[@motorcyclerefurbishment8162]

I think Dream On is the message...heheheh

[@reasonsvoice8554]

Fucking about with 2 lighters man after my own heart 😘🤣

[@PlebMotovlog]

Much better way of undoing the damper rod. I followed a guide the first time I did fork seals which said to take the spring first. Then to jam a long stick to hold the damper rod. Fun was had. One thing I will never do is get anywhere near stanchions with anything pointy and metal. Put a little nick in the compression are which tore the new seal (I didn't notice the nick until the brand new seal started to piss again). That was an expensive mistake. Thankfully I didn't have an issue splitting the forks. But as always if in doubt set it on fire.

[@dirtygarageguy]

"as always if in doubt set it on fire." - its the best way lol

[@unokarpa4405]

для облегчения работы можно вставить ось и встать на ось ногами, тогда можно дёрнуть двумя руками одновременно, это усилие более чем в два раза чем одной рукой.

[@unokarpa4405]

to facilitate work, you can insert the axle and stand on the axle with your feet, then you can pull with both hands at the same time, this effort is more than twice that of one hand.

[@PetRatty]

just about to do mine now I've got them off, and getting the mudguard off, well got 3 of the bolts out, the other has rounded off. Anyway, what can I do if the insides are spinning with the allen bolt? I took the dust seal and snap clip and there was a circular spring too off first, maybe I did it in the wrong order?

[@malcooool]

plenty of action there mate, was gonna do mine,,but -uck it,,will take it to shop lol

[@mariusm5187]

Do you know what size allen key did you use?

[@dirtygarageguy]

Mariusmssj M off the top of my head I think it was an 8mm but I'll check for you - matt

[@mariusm5187]

Pony Power It would be really nice if you could. I plan to change my fork seals this weekend. I want to get an allen key for an impact wrench that's why I wanted to know the size :) watched your fork videos like 3 times, feeling quite confident on doing the seal replacement!

[@robertbrandywine]

You either weren't describing what you were doing, or I couldn't hear you. What were you unscrewing at the 1 minute mark? Is that what holds the slider to the tube?

[@dirtygarageguy]

lol no thats the bolts that hold in the damper tube, which in turn stops the stachion from coming out when fully extended. This is just a project video not a fork explaniation video, which will be coming up soon. - matt

[@Racing_Fox]

Had to replace the seals on my H100A and fuck me they were not easy ... Well the second one was but the first one was fucking horrendous took two of us about 3 days to undo that bottom bolt

[@krzysztofplich1223]

super anglik podziwiam Cie!!!

[@dirtygarageguy]

Thanks for the comment dude - matt

[@blameabletulip9829]

Fme if you saw dell do this now you'd rip him to shreds haha

[@dirtygarageguy]

Saw him do what?

[@oliverabdulov6437]

2:28 , sounds like delboys comment section LMAO

[@dirtygarageguy]

LMAO!

[@servantofgod5642]

you need yu mate Delboy to help with an extra pair of hands

[@PlazmaBambi]

damn man, you could have put the wrench before and step on the wrench and pull with hands.. you will look silly like on a pogo stick, but that's how i usually get the job done while disassembling hydraulic cylinders or bike forks.

[@18donson]

no Assembling video ?

[@dirtygarageguy]

Not yet mate, but it coming up soon

[@servantofgod5642]

and if the flame isnt aggressive enough , throw the fork and the whole fookin bike over the ñeighbors fence.

[@deepdoubts]

Looks like a Fucking Nightmare ..

[@dannyducatimonster5218]

ahhahaha PIMP IT UP

[@timlake3081]

total hack job...you would never be allowed to work on one of my bikes

[@dirtygarageguy]

Says someone who never had 2 bushing ride over wach other...