50mm shiver (self inflicted) issues

[jpgibson]

2008 te450.leaking rhs seal-thought i'd change it.Rounded off the fork cap.seriously.
Anyone know if i can buy new ones or should i bite the bullet and get better forks ( can get soem for 1400aud-which is a lot more than fork caps(i'd hope).
cant believe it.oh, and still couldnt change the seals on the other fork.
so after 2 hours: one rooted fork and the other leaking.win win i'd say!
thanks

 

[Dirtdame]

Sounds like you need to bite the bullet and get some good quality tools that fit your fasteners and won't round them off. I'm sure you can order a new cap from your dealer. That would be a pretty expensive bullet to bite to buy different forks. the stock forks will perform quite nicely with the proper re-valving and oil level and would cost considerably less than shelling out for new boingers.

 

[ioneater]

Yikes, did you have the top triple clamp bolt loosened? If not, that may contribute to difficulty removing the cap. Ouch! Sounds like you have them removed from the bike now?

 

[ghte]

Take the cap to an engineering shop, I am sure thay could rig up something to fix the rounded end cap.
The forks on the TE are excellent for trails work, they are not MX forks. That said there is tons of inexpensive mods that can be done to them to dial up a prefered fork action at a fork specialts.
The seals are easy to replace, Look at the video on Rocky Mountain ATV MC for open cartridge forks and away you go.
Where in Sydney are you.

 

[jpgibson]

newtown. thanks for the replies guys.

 

[jpgibson]

righto.bought new cap~220AUD , lucky for me R&D had one.Next issue, the Marzocchi manual says nothing about having to take the cap off-which you have to to get the fork apart. First, I needed a punch to get the cap loose and then it was a MASSIVE pain to get it disconnected from the damping rod bizzo.Anyhoo, I eventually did it.Didnt use a seal driver, used the old seal as a driver.Oil everywhere.
Anyway, job done, couldnt be bothered doing the other(non leaking) side.I did not enjoy the experience.Interestingly, both forks drained way less than the 770mL theyre meant to have.
I asked Stefan at R&D about the 'notorious' leaking seals.He said he thought the problem was to do with poor welding of the front axle puller.Some have a huge blob underneath, which when the axle is tightened, pushes the forks slightly out of alignment and as such the seals.When he's ground off the excess weld ( so it sits nicely), no more leaks.Having said all of that, mines fine but the seals still leaked!!
Now, if only my back was OK , then I could ride the f'n thing.
out!

 

[husk husk]

I'm guessing these forks are different to the Factory 50mm shivers for motocross?? We had a pair on our CRF450 and kept them for 3 seasons. Best forks we've ever had, and not 1 leaky seal, and thats with the bike being ridden hard most weekends by a an expert rider.

 

[Anthony_1978]

I'd love to khow to do my fork seals myself
stuff paying the shop $150 for the job

 

[HUSKYnXJnWI]

the Marzocchi manual says nothing about having to take the cap off-which you have to to get the fork apart.

The dounloadable Marzacchi Shiver manual I saw was for dual cartridge forks- (for TC and TXC)
the Husky manual states as follows for the TE/SM's:

We recommend loosening the fork cap a little before removing the fork leg from the fork yokes.
• Remove the fork leg from the fork yokes according to the procedure in the motorcycle owner’s manual.
• Clamp the fork leg in the vice.
• Remove the fork cap ( 48 ) with the 19 mm spanner.
• Slowly lower the slider on the stanchion tube.
• Push the guide spring cap ( 20 ) and the spring ( 21 ) downwards, so that you can reach the locknut ( 23 ) with the 19 mm spanner.
• Holding the locknut ( 23 ) with A 19 mm spanner, use another 19 mm spanner to unscrew the fork cap ( 48 ) completely.
• Remove the fork cap ( 48 ), the guide spring cap ( 20 ), the spring ( 21 ) and the preload tube ( 25 ).
• Remove from the rod’s edge ( 32 ), the adjustment return inner rod ( 31 ).
• Free the fork leg ( 5 ) from the vice and tip it into a container of a suitable size to drain the oil; pump the fork to help the oil flow out.​

I would add to ensure you loosen the top tripple clamp bolts prior to attempting to loosen the cap, and if you do this in a vice- to ensure you protect the leg with a proper jig of some sort and don't mar or crush it- and don't attatch the vice so that it is squeezing the leg near the cap you are loosening.

I asked Stefan at R&D about the 'notorious' leaking seals.He said he thought the problem was to do with poor welding of the front axle puller.Some have a huge blob underneath, which when the axle is tightened, pushes the forks slightly out of alignment and as such the seals.When he's ground off the excess weld ( so it sits nicely), no more leaks.Having said all of that, mines fine but the seals still leaked!!
Now, if only my back was OK , then I could ride the f'n thing.
out!

Thanks for sharing that- something to look for.

Glad you have it all worked out now

 

[jpgibson]

I'd love to khow to do my fork seals myself
stuff paying the shop $150 for the job

mind you , me doing my own cost:
Motorex fork oil $28x2 ( each fork 770mL)
Seals/scrapers $80
Fork cap: $210
4 hours of cussing:$ priceless.
Most people prolly wont need the fork cap though!

 

[Michael Ryan]

If your worried about the performance of your forks I suggest you get them revalved and resprung to your weight, massive difference. I have an 09 TE 450 and sent my forks and rear shock off to "shocktreatment". They revalved the front and rear and placed lighter fork springs in the front. They also machined the inner fork tube leg to get a better smoother action...dont ask me about the machining process but apparently it makes a difference. All up was only $880... not a bad mod and the difference is huge, well worth it if your pushing the forks through their paces..