I noticed on the parts diagram for the front forks it looks like there is a bolt that screws into the bottom of each fork tube. I'm not talking about the pinch bolts (the ones on the bottom of each fork - 2 on each side), but there is a hole on the bottom of the fork...facing the ground. The diagram shows a screw and washer that appears to go into the bottom.....but I don't even see any threads in those 2 holes.
Anyone have any insight on this?
thanks in advance!
[image: View Post]jmundy, on 31 March 2011 - 07:22 PM, said:
I noticed on the parts diagram for the front forks it looks like there is a bolt that screws into the bottom of each fork tube. I'm not talking about the pinch bolts (the ones on the bottom of each fork - 2 on each side), but there is a hole on the bottom of the fork...facing the ground. The diagram shows a screw and washer that appears to go into the bottom.....but I don't even see any threads in those 2 holes.
Anyone have any insight on this?
thanks in advance!
It is the fork oil drain bolt and it is what holds half of the guts of the fork into the fork tube
so is it something that screws in above the axle where it runs through the forks?
[image: View Post]jmundy, on 31 March 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:
so is it something that screws in above the axle where it runs through the forks?
Yep
[image: View Post]Earthshake, on 31 March 2011 - 08:14 PM, said:
[image: View Post]jmundy, on 31 March 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:
so is it something that screws in above the axle where it runs through the forks?
Yep
Cool, thanks! 2 less bolts to buy!
Those 2 bolts are not drian bolts but what hold the fork tube cartridge in place. If you are going to rebuild you forks you'll want to have 2 new bolts and washers to reinstall. Otherwise no need to mess with.
You would never use those bolts to drain the forks, but you need to remove them if you want to fully rebuild the forks or to re-valve the cartridges by fitting Race-Tech Gold Valves, for example.
The bolts are M8, but have a reduced head height, which makes it easy to strip the heads. The reduced height is necessary to clear the large-diameter side of the axle. It is not required for the other side (i.e., you can use a standard M8 socket cap screw on that side if you want), but Honda spec'd the same bolt for both sides for some reason.
Oh, if you do want to remove those bolts, you will need a long 6mm Allen key, preferably attached to an air wrench. At least 33.3% of the time you remove those bolts they will loosen and then spin in the bottom of the cartridge, and the air wrench is the only sure way of getting them out. The other thing to remember, if the bolts won't come out, is that in order to put pressure on the cartridge you need to put the fork under "extension", not compression. I've heard of pros using special tools that reach down to the cartridges to keep them from spinning, but I've never seen one.
Ciao,