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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> question about fork tubes /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1353554781 Message started by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 19:26:21 |
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Title: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 19:26:21 hey guys, been a few months since i have been on here asking questions. now that the cold season is upon me and maintenance is required to the scoot i have a question or two or more ::). i pulled my front end off to replace fork seals and bearings and noticed that one of my tubes are pitted pretty good. i have some raised spots on the tubes also. question is can i get rid of raised spots without destroying tubes and will pits effect new seals that i will be putting in? the pits are not huge in the sense that they look like the grand canyon but they are close together, so i wasn't sure if that would have any effect on them or not. another question is, will a wide glide front end work on the savage? a buddy has a wide glide front end that he probably wont use(procrastination at its finest) just curious if i would have to do a lot of modding to get it to work. making things are not an issue as i work in a machine shop, just want to know if anyone has tried it or not. thanks in advanced for the input and help. oh and congrats to dave and bot for making moderators 8-) |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/21/12 at 19:33:23 HOw the pit is shaped is the thing, IF it chews on the rubber, then the seals are gonna die young, Odds are, theyre not okay. High spots? On a Tube? Im not seein that as okay,, How does that happen? Only thing I can imagine is theyre next to a pit & its corrosion building up under the chrome. Its not a good picture.. When I was rebuilding cylinders on the backhoe. one had been abused & was scored & pitted. I filled the areas with JB weld, so far, its not leaking, |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 19:43:01 the best i can explain high spots jog, is that it looks like a blob of chrome plating. not very big but it doesnt have to be to ruin new seals. the pits kind of look like bug spots unless you look at them with an eye loupe. then they look like pebble pits. just dont want to have to replace seals twice if you know what i mean. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/21/12 at 19:51:24 just dont want to have to replace seals twice if you know what i mean. Boy do I.. This could be a really good time to step to a better front end & tubeles setup. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by Gyrobob on 11/21/12 at 19:56:54 If this were an aircraft, you'd replace anything pitted that would touch seals. Those bumps are just rust bulging underneath the surface,... future pits. Sorry to be so pessimistic, but I'd scrap the parts with pits, bite the bullet, and just replace with new parts or unpitted (serviceable) used ones. Putting new seals on pitted tubes is like polishing a cracked windshield, or putting new rings in a scored cylinder, or buying a new bikini for your 65 year old 250 pound wife,..... the improvement will be fleeting at best. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 20:00:24 if your speaking of springer front end, i am all ears. would love to have a springer on my bobber, just have to find one on the cheap. what mods would a springer entail to get to work or is it an almost direct replacement? |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 20:04:39 gyro, thats not the image i wanted about a bikini clad anything, but the message is loud and clear. i work in the aerospace industry. looks like i am in the hunt for new tubes or a different approach to a front end. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/21/12 at 20:06:09 springer on my bobber, just have to find one on the cheap. HaaaahahahaHaaaaahahahahhaaaa Look GUYS! He used Springer & Cheap in the same sentence! Yea,, I sure like the look too,, but dang, I SEE lots O stuff I like. Ill never have it tho..cant pay for it,, There are some good, easy swap front ends out there, brake upgrade, mags, real tubeless,, cheap. I think Versy has done it, |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 20:10:35 yeah yeah, i know dreaming of a cheap springer, but hey dream big if you can. not fond of mag wheels on a bike, let alone a bobber. which leads me to the question of a wide glide front end. would it work? and how much modding would have to be done? |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/21/12 at 20:28:50 Man,,, IM not the guy to ask that kinda stuff,,Others have torn the thing apart from end to end, BUmmerr your forks are a mess, but. It does give ya the options on How to fiz it, |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/21/12 at 20:47:38 ahh its cool jog, im just trying to get different opinions and insights as to what my options could be. im open to any suggestions on the front end. nothing is ever written in stone with this bike. i have changed the look of it for the last three seasons that i have owned it. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by Serowbot on 11/21/12 at 22:41:45 Okay,... I'm really cheap, so take that into account... (if you buy $300 mufflers, $400 shocks, and $150 handlebars, ignore this)... ... but,.. bumps have to be added material, likely bug guts... buff them off... 0000# steel wool at most, try cleaner first.. Pits,... may have cratered edges from pebbles?... smooth them with wool... Bumps will buff off,.. and craters, with edges smoothed won't cause any more damage.... maybe some light weeping... If the weeping is too severe,.. you need tubes... But,.. I'd try it.... 'cause I'm cheap... Did I mention,.. that I don't like to pay a lot?... :-?... |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ToesNose on 11/22/12 at 04:03:16 66706261787F70657E6320282621110 wrote:
If you have to look through a loupe to see them well I'm with Serowbot in I'd take the chance and work them and do the new seals. Any chance of a nice clear pic Ohio or are the blemishes too small for that? |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 11/22/12 at 04:34:47 did some buffing and removed the raised areas and the pits feel smoother. some of the raised areas looked like dings and pinch points. but got them smooth. here is about the best pic i could gethttp://https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/530903_3999969356889_1937577397_n.jpg |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by Gyrobob on 11/22/12 at 05:26:00 152E24320F2E3224410 wrote:
If you have to look through a loupe to see them well I'm with Serowbot in I'd take the chance and work them and do the new seals. Any chance of a nice clear pic Ohio or are the blemishes too small for that?[/quote] Fuggedabaddit. Those raised areas weren't there when the tubes were made. When things started to rust years ago, what are pits now were initially raised areas caused by rust building underneath,.... embryionic pits. Go ahead,.. smooth it all up, put in the new seals, and enjoy the lessening of the leakage. Maybe you can sell the bike before everything starts leaking a lot. Again. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by Serowbot on 11/22/12 at 06:14:51 I guess a big question is,.. are these bubbles.. rust, under chrome popping up,.. or hard debris, dryed to the tubes?... A clue might be,.. are they on the front of the tubes,.. or all around, or mostly in the rear?.. If they're mostly in front area,.. it's likely things that have hit and stuck... you can buff that off... If it's all over, or mostly in the rear, it;s probably rust coming up from underneath,... it's likely to worsen.. You probably will need tubes eventually... :-?... I was thinking dried bugs, and gravel pits... rust don't happen much here in Az, especially not on chrome... |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 12/02/12 at 06:20:09 well i flushed the idea of putting the buffed out tubes back on. seals are cheap, but my time in labor isnt. i have decided to go the springer route. and since DNA is the cheapest i can find, thats the way im going. has anybody had any personal experience with DNA springers? |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by Badass94Cad on 12/02/12 at 08:30:18 I've read mixed reviews on the DNA, generally pretty good. I've never used one, but keep us posted with your swap if you do it. It's something I'd love to do too. :) Here's a link to Installing Girder on 2000 Savage/S40 (http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1213856449) |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by WD on 12/02/12 at 20:13:42 On a light bike DNA is an alright front end. On a heavier bike, forget it. The quality just isn't there. I've ridden a lot of Springer equipped bikes over the years. Knuckles, Pans, CB750s, Brit parallel twins, KZ900 cop shop that had been chopped... There are 2 aftermarket Springers built correctly. Stock replicas from V-Twin Mfg (aka Taiwan Ted's) and any Paughco. A third option if they are still around is CB Customs, Kawasaki Vulcan specialists. They had a 500-750 Vulcan set up that would be fine for a Savage. Good luck, it will be worth the work. I'll always ride a bike with a Springer instead of a bike with a Glide front end if the opportunity arises. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by ohio thumper on 12/03/12 at 02:59:32 sweet . thanks for the input. i will be posting pics as i go along with it. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by Digger on 12/07/12 at 21:03:25 2A3C2E2D34333C29322F6C646A6D5D0 wrote:
FWIW...... I use a knife-sharpening stone and whetstone oil to gently work off any small imperfections on my fork tubes. I just try to remove any sharp surfaces that could cut seals. |
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Title: Re: question about fork tubes Post by LANCER on 12/08/12 at 02:32:52 I've got spare tubes that should be clean and smooth. I will check tomorrow when I get home. If all is well as I anticipate then I think I can make you an offer you can't refuse. |
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