Kawasaki Vulcan 900 - fork seal replacement, part 1

[@garynardelli9981]

Not a good idea to use terms like tear it apart. Disassemble might be better

[@muddyfences5559]

You win. Most ridiculous comment ever. Congratulations.

[@jnavy81]

There should be a law that keeps people like you off the internet, Gary.

[@patrickburton4195]

What a weird hill to die on.

[@joeshow8815]

after 3 minutes of watching I am giving you 20 thumbs up for clear instructions and no background /foreground whatever music.I have watched instruction videos on different repairs and yours is best of all of them. You give very important suggestions to watch how things are mounted before you take them off so you know how to put them back together when you reassemble them. It is extremely important advise.

[@muddyfences5559]

20! I'm not worthy haha. Thank you and I appreciate the feedback. Take care.

[@MasterNick86]

Just replaced my seals today after putting it off for a year. Thanks to your video I felt confident in trying it myself. The bike is so much smoother and no more fork oil all over the front of my tank. Thanks!

[@peteenns67]

I need to replace my seals on my 2011 900 custom SE, this video has given me the knowledge I need to be confident in my ability to do this repair myself. Bike shops want over 600 in labor to do this job

[@spelunkerd]

It's refreshing to see a professional systematic work flow coupled with good camera angles and commentary. I watched it a 2X speed. I'm sub'd, looking forward to more motorcycle repair videos.

[@muddyfences5559]

spelunkerd Thank you. I appreciate the comment and the sub. Take care.

[@bluesman8869]

Thanks for this great and very detailed video. I always try to do work myself and videos like this provide the confidence I need.

[@muddyfences5559]

bluesman8869 Thank you for the feedback. It's great to hear that my videos are helpful. Good luck on your repair job.

[@58gennaro]

hopefully, this will transfer to a Nomad i just bought. great video and i did use it 7 months ago to put a lowering kit in a 900. the mistake i made was not automatically replacing the seals. of course one is leaking now.

[@corneilcorneil]

8:57 that looks real clean. Most bikes have a abnormal amounth of rust under that cap. Better fill it with greace before you put the caps back. Real nice upload, good information is rare on YT. Mostly i find not complete or even total wrong information, even narcissistic attention seeking. Nice job, thanks! 👍🏼

[@chuckcarter7200]

I have vn900b7 with fork plug rusted...any other way of filling with oil. Seals changed

[@chuckcarter7200]

Mines rusted stuck

[@muddyfences5559]

@@chuckcarter7200 That's a tough one. It may be possible to invert the fork and fill it from the drain plug. This of course will be slow, and practically impossible to check the final fluid level. Make sure you measure out the oil accurately before filling. Good luck.

[@chuckcarter7200]

@@muddyfences5559 it's all good now...14.2 ounces of oil in each...thanks for the advice

[@muddyfences5559]

@@chuckcarter7200 My pleasure. How did you go about filling the forks?

[@crispernator]

Another good informative video mate im sure your helping a lot of people save a heap of money .

[@muddyfences5559]

crispernator Thank you for taking the time to comment. It is a lot easier to pay someone to fix these, but not nearly as satisfying as it is to fix it yourself.

[@corneilcorneil]

Congrats, this is a perfect "how to" upload, you have a new subscriber. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@muddyfences5559]

Thanks Den, for the compliment and the sub! Take care.

[@corneilcorneil]

@@muddyfences5559 i gona do a fork revision real soon. After 50.000km it needs some maintenance. I have tons of hidden rust under the top caps. Seems to be "normal" for this model.

[@muddyfences5559]

@@corneilcorneil Rust under the cap is definitely a concern. You might have a broken cap, or a bad o-ring. A small bead of silicone would work as as poor mans o-ring. Good luck.

[@corneilcorneil]

@@muddyfences5559, both caps are fine. You can find a lot VN's with this problem. The cap design is not that good, no rubber inbetween and water can drip in. I gona change my fork oil and replace the clip, o ring and 'cylinder' on top.

[@cardmancalvin549]

I love the way you explain things you do a great job

[@muddyfences5559]

Thank you.

[@michaelcookson2111]

Awesome video, super thorough. Much appreciated.

[@markdougherty6591]

Thanks for great video! My 2006 Vulcan 900 Classic repair manual suggests removing steering stem head before removing forks, which I think is similar to your “triple tree”. Looks like my 2006 has an extra chrome cover. Anyone know if I can remove forks without first removing steering stem head on a 2006? Thanx

[@alangrimoldi9496]

Thanks alot for the details. I'm looking into replacing my 05 kawasaki vn800 for seals. This is great help.

[@muddyfences5559]

Alan Grimoldi I'm glad this is helpful. I suspect there are a lot of similarities. Good luck.

[@SYS1936]

Thanks for this great video, it helped me a lot

[@muddyfences5559]

You're welcome. Thanks for the feedback.

[@corneilcorneil]

Real nice upload, but that spring lenght in inches 😭😭😭😭😭 I have one here with shorter springs and aprox 8cm plastic cylinders on top. Like to know the oem lengt

[@goobyugebun1288]

I'm doing a step by step using this video. What is it you pull out of the tube at 12:02?? Because mine doesn't have whatever that is

[@muddyfences5559]

It is a sleeve that goes over the dampening rod on this model. If you keep track of each component and its orientation, you should be good.

[@120010859333]

Great video and good help. Thank you !

[@ralphaelconfer9719]

Thanks for responding but I was inquiring about the chrome clamp cover for the black portion of the signal light attached to fork

[@muddyfences5559]

Those are stock as well.

[@josetavares5223]

Thanks for video. I would like to know what type of oil to use and to know how much oil should be in forks.

[@davidelle6130]

Thanks for the video! I'm about to replace my fork oil, seals and bushings on my Kawasaki Vulcan 800 '05 . There is a minor leak when I go on a long bumpy ride. There is oil on one of the forks but it has only stayed on the forks. But I can't find the sizes if what I need to get... it's hard to know what you need without actually taking it all apart! Any information you (or anyone) have on the sizes of the seals would be very much appreciated

[@muddyfences5559]

I ordered mine on the internet, and used the make, model, and year for the search. Everything fit perfectly. If you are hesitant, you could find a Kawasaki dealer in your area.

[@davidelle6130]

Just in case anyone is as paranoid as me and likes seeing the website actually say "this part fits your bike" here is where I FINALLY found it: www.motosport.com/all-balls-fork-bushing-kit?mmy=kawasaki;vn800a;2005&variant[ABL000E]=ABL000E-X001-Y051

[@gaborkovacs1816]

Thanx for nice video !! Very fine info !! All the Best !!!

[@muddyfences5559]

Thank you, and take care.

[@tommarvoloriddle1346]

Thank you! couldnt have done it without

[@muddyfences5559]

Awesome to hear. Thanks for the feedback.

[@chacovaldcont9402]

I can't remove the iron seal that is under the plastic seal, any advice?

[@corneilcorneil]

Real nice upload, but that spring lenght in inches 😭😭😭😭😭

[@bakarkechkhuashvili6488]

Thanks for video. Very helpful. When will be part 2? I need to know how much oil should be in forks.

[@muddyfences5559]

You're welcome, and thank you. Part 2 is in edit. It should be up next week or sooner.

[@bakarkechkhuashvili6488]

Then please answer how much oil should be there? I have disassemble it today and have to assemble it again tomorrow.

[@Kainiel1]

Is it possible to change the oil/rebuild seals without removing the bottom bolt and crush washer? I can't find a replacement crush washer or its size spec in the manual and don't want to take it apart if I can't replace that. Could I follow all the steps except that one.amd dump it out from the top?

[@muddyfences5559]

@@Kainiel1 It is possible to drain and fill from the top. There is also a good chance that you can reuse the crush washer as well.

[@teaguejelinek4038]

Thank you sir I am now submissive to your videos

[@muddyfences5559]

Thanks.

[@Jtopdog123]

I have a 2006 Kawasaki 900 Vulcan Classic if you got time I got a question or two

[@AnthonyMelbar]

Great video

[@danielreigada1542]

How did you jack up the bike? I have a hydraulic motorcycle jack, a triple tree stand and a rear wheel stand. The front wheel is too big for the triple street stand, but I was able to use the triple tree stand anyway by setting them on some cement blocks. I question how stable the bike is using my jack and triple tree stand.

[@danielreigada1542]

Whatever setup you have, it appears to be very stable.

[@muddyfences5559]

It is a hand made lift from a couple of 2 x 8 boards that are screwed together. A piece of pipe on one end serves as a lever to cantilever the bike up on the edge of the wood. I wish I could remember the KZbin video that I got the idea from.

[@Kainiel1]

Great video! Im gearing up here to do my first rebuild. What rebuild kit do you recommend? And what size are those crush washers? Im just trying to get all the parts together before diving in

[@muddyfences5559]

@Kainiel1 I have had good results from all-ballz products. I don't know what size those crush washers are. You may need to get them OEM , or see if you can get the size off a spec sheet.

[@zzz181085]

Thanks, I can now clearly see that I have no tools for this procedure. lol

[@58gennaro]

You taught me too well. I recently bought Baron's front fork lowering kit. Horrible instructions. No pics and one paragraph. Said to disassemble forks. I thought. No Problem, there's a great you tube vid. Turns out it was not necessary to remove fork legs. I found that out too late and the last metal ring would not come out and would not allow the tube to reinstall with the little metal band at the bottom of the tube. It's that band that makes you have to tug on the tube to remove it. I ended up installing one tube without the band. Allow me to ask one question that you may or may not have the answer to. Since my forks are 1 1/2 inch lower, wouldn't it be over filling to put the 14 oz back in? Barons says fill it. I have my doubts.

[@muddyfences5559]

It is probably needed, as the forks dampen from the spring and the oil. Without enough oil, they will likely be too soft, and bottom out when you take the big potholes.

[@58gennaro]

@@muddyfences5559 Thanks for the response. Excellent video, by the way.

[@muddyfences5559]

@@58gennaro Thank you. I appreciate the feedback. Take care.

[@ralphaelconfer9719]

Hello, can you share where you got the chrome clamps for your front signal light

[@muddyfences5559]

Those are stock (OEM) turn signals. You should be able to order them without any difficulty.

[@duroxkilo]

would replacing the oil in these forks have any benefit? i know that the springs get a little shorter over time, but does the oil age too? great video.

[@muddyfences5559]

I would say that it depends on the miles and the road conditions. I'm sure the manufacturer has a recommendation for changing the oil, I just don't know what it is off the top of my head. Thanks.

[@duroxkilo]

@@muddyfences5559 thanks, cheers!

[@setrasdimesjon]

Thank you! 😁👌

[@muddyfences5559]

My pleasure.

[@IanDangerfield]

Great video thanks!

[@muddyfences5559]

Glad you liked it. Thank you.

[@TexasP00nTappa]

Will this video work for an 07 kawasaki vulcan mean streak special edition 1600?

[@muddyfences5559]

It should get you close. There's always the possibility of some minor differences, but the process should be very similar.

[@ZaneSeki]

What tools did you use for this job?

[@corneilcorneil]

Maybe turn the volume on? It is a metric bike.

[@ZaneSeki]

@@corneilcorneil metric or standard ...oh...im sorry i mean Harley Davidson, it really doesnt matter about what kind of bike. Some of us ask about the tools used because its never listed in the video, description or comments. Also not every metric bike has only metric nuts, bolts and/or parts.

[@corneilcorneil]

@@ZaneSeki "Stamdard"? I know not one metric bike with imperial size bolts/nuts, just not one. Oposite, i know a fiew imperial bikes with metric bolts... because they are made in Japan and Thailand for example. I am real happy with this uploads, maybe you can write the needed metric tools in the comments? Takes 2 minutes. The lower hex gona be a 5mm i guess. 👍

[@Neobaneo]

Does anyone know if this all applies to the Vulcan 500?

[@muddyfences5559]

They should be similar.

[@m.v.p8187]

nice bro thx for video

[@muddyfences5559]

Thanks, and you are welcome. I'm glad it was helpful.

[@abraxas5386]

Thank you!!!

[@muddyfences5559]

You're welcome Jimmy

[@79sketches]

I made this almost a year and a half to my Vulcan. And now the seals are leaking again. It is normal that this happens so fast?

[@muddyfences5559]

Not even remotely normal, unless you are really hard on them.

[@79sketches]

@@muddyfences5559 i was checking again your videos. And maybe if i put upside down the seal. I will be sure when i disassembly them again in two weeks. I do not have the bike with me now

[@muddyfences5559]

@@79sketches That would likely cause a leak. Good luck Alberto.

[@79sketches]

@@muddyfences5559 i will update the tread when i check the forks. Thank you!