Missing Fork Seal Stopper Ring

[sztandanga]

So I just got around to pulling the forks to change the seals. They weren't leaking and the oil looked fine, but I figured new oil and new seals would be a good idea. When I got the dust boots and fork brace off, I noticed that there was no stopper ring holding the seal in place. It looked like it was a lip on the brace that was actually holding the seal in place. I'm assuming that this is incorrect and I should order the clips. Damn POs. :grief:

Is it possible that there could be some damage to the tubes of other internals from the seals not sitting correctly? I would think that the bushings/slides are doing most of that work, but I'm not too well versed in motorcycle suspension.

I currently have the forks on the bike with about 180psi in the forks trying to get the seals out of there. They're sitting about 1/16" proud of the fork lower, but they haven't popped yet. The tutorial from bikecliff's site says it can take overnight, so it looks like I'm waiting.

Also, the Sonic Springs that I have seem the be around 2" shorter than the progressively wounds springs that were in there. Can this be right?

 

[cowboyup3371]

Yes the springs will be shorter. You will want to follow the instructions on the paper included with the springs and make the preloads

 

[sztandanga]

It turns out that there were two seals installed. The bottom seal was being held in by the stopper ring, then the other seal was pressed in above that. Weird. This explains why the air pressure wasn't doing anything at least.

Good think I took the forks apart though. The oil at the bottom was pretty grimey.

I also noticed that the white coating on the bushing just under the seal was worn through a bit on the frontward side. I don't see this part anywhere on a parts fiche. Is it replacable? And if so how? The slides mentioned in the manual and on the parts fiche are the star shaped bushings, right?

Can I just rotate it? I can see that working since it seems that the bushing is weighted from the pivot action of the fork in this frontward spot.

Edit: I just found a post where someone mentioned part number 51152-45400. Will this work in my bike despite the 850 not being listed on the fitment lost? I also saw mention of a lower bushing too, but I don't see one on my uppers. Should there be one?

 

[sztandanga]

Well, I guess I ran into more issues. There's supposed to be a bushing there in the recess, right? And the chrome having been worn through is a direct result of said bushing missing?

So what I gather, I need:

2 x Upper Bushing (51167-01D00)
2 x Lower Bushing (51152-45400)

Is this right?

And thanks for the confirmation cowboyup. I did read the instructions, but wasn't sure is maybe the forks I had were the originals, and therefore ordered the wrong part. Once I get everything else sorted I get those springs in.