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Tony1M

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  1. Tony1M
    Paul, Fantastic! I'll rig up something like that. With that head size, there may even be "bolts" out there that are 36" long. ___________________________________________________ Here are two parts from the service manual that I think are significant for our bike: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/manual1.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/manual2.jpg In the first photo, the manual calls for two wave washers and one washer. I've got one wave washer. Nice. I wonder if Yamaha still has those washers? To me, the second photo from the service manual suggests that the 84 VR may very well have had OEM progressive or dual-rate springs. What do you think? I could not get that lower 10 mm bolt out of the bottom of the tube on the driver's right fork tube. The bolt turns, but does not loosen enough so that it can be removed and the tubes separated. It's still fairly snug, but rotates. In short, I need that long tool to go down to the hold the damper rod. So I'll have to get my thumb out and make that tool, or I'm done riding for the summer. After I get the thing apart, it looks to me that the only things I have to buy are two seals, those washers (if I can find them), fork oil and perhaps those custom-made maybe-1" spacers, correct? (Can a just use two equal-height stacks of snug-fitting washers on top of the springs as spacers?) Thanks again, all. Edit: The service manual shows two collars and THREE spacers. None of these were on top of our springs, but I'm not sure that our springs are OEM. I've got a bit of a conumdrum here.
  2. Tony1M
    Here's a photo of the top of the driver's right fork tube and spring, just after I removed the cap: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/springintube.jpg I measured the distance from the top of the spring to the top of the tube - a little LESS than 7/8". I measured the cap from top to bottom - a little OVER 7/8". So when the cap is completely screwed in, the spring is being compressed just a very little. When I put eveything back together, I suppose I could put a 1" spacer in there just for the heck of it, but I'm open to any other suggestions. Thanks. Tony
  3. Tony1M
    Here's a photo of the 1/2" threaded rod with its nut sitting in the machined end of the damper rod: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/nutvsdamperrod.jpg As you can see, the nut is waaaay too small to fit in the 12-point socket of the damper rod. I measured from a small "flat" to the small flat opposite and parallel to it. Almost exactly 1". But that's meaningless, really. The question is: what size nut, IF ANY, fits that socket. Actually, the socket strongly resembles a huge female torx. Anyway, tonight I'll continue disassembling the other fork and tomorrow I'll try to find something to fit that socket. I'm thinking I might make a nice-fitting cardboard template for the socket, transfer that to the surface of a large, thick washer, and grind the shape. But I'm open to all suggestions on this one. Thanks again, guys.
  4. Tony1M
    MiCarl, Thanks for the information! Because the inner tube is still installed in the bike, I cannot "turn it over" (if that is what you meant), so I'll shove the damper up through the inner tube using a dowel and remove it from the top. Here are the parts I have so far: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/partarrangement.jpg When I removed the outer tube, the two parts on the left remained in the bottom of the separated tube. (The other four to their right remained on the surface of the inner tube. Then I removed them. The leaking seal is the rightmost. The dust cover and the metal washer beneath it are still temporarily taped to the upper part of the inner tube. I've got the locking wire ring sitting on a table.) As I said, the two parts on the left end of the group slid off the damper rod and remained in the outer tube as I removed it. When I tipped the outer tube upside down to get those two parts out, the leftmost, much-larger part came out first. Then I shook the tube a bit more and the very thin washer came out. I'm not positive which goes over the end of the damper rod first, but I'll figure that out from diagrams, etc. (As far as I can tell, there are no more parts inside the outer tube.) The top of the spring was not poking out the top of the tube. I believe the spring was just touching the bottom of the screw-in cap when it was fully inserted. I can always pick up a one or two-inch long piece of what, 1-1/4" diameter aluminum or steel rod and stick it in there before I put the cap on, but, as I said, the bike handles great without any spacer, so I don't know if that is really necessary. Thanks for the tip about the nitrile glove. Thanks again for the help.
  5. Tony1M
    I placed a big, long-handle 1-1/8" open end wrench on the larger flat sides of the outer tube where the axle pinch bolts go through. Then I used a rather long 10 mm allen wrench and attached a long adjustable wrench to the allen wrench. Squeezing the two wrenches together finally broke free the bolt. Yikes! Then then free-spinning bolt finally unscrewed itself from the inner piece. Here's where everything is right now: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/underoutertube.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/innertubebottom.jpg I can now see why a special tool is needed to reach down from the top and prevent the piece into which the 10 mm bolt screws from turning. No doubt this will be most important when re-assembling everything. What is holding in place that piece that is dangling down from the inner tube? To examine it, is it OK to push it up from the bottom using a dowel, or something, so that I can grab it from the top? Thanks again, guys.
  6. Tony1M
    My springs are amost 3" longer than yours. Do I still need the pre-load? (BTW, as far as I can tell, our front suspension never bottomed out, even over some pretty deep potholes.) I just broke a pneumatic 3/8" to 1/4" socket adapter trying to loosen that 10 mm hex bolt inside the bottom of the outer tube. The PO must have really put the loctite to that bolt. The strap wrench is incapable of holding the tube while using a simple lever. Can I re-install the fork brace in order to have that prevent the outer tube from turning as I attempt to loosen that hex bolt with a breaker bar? Thanks again.
  7. Tony1M
    Condor, Thanks! No need to spend money on new springs! (You know what that means.) I have no spacer on top of the spring. Should I stick something in there when I reassemble? BTW, the uncompressed length of the spring is 20-3/4". (Pappa, at the top of the spring there are 13 coils per 3". On the bottom there are 8 coils per 3".) The nuts on the 1/2" threaded-rod tool are apparently too big. When I put the tool down into the tube, I hit a stop, but the tool spins freely. Should I grind down the faces of the nuts a little bit? I can probably grip the outer fork tube with a strap-wrench and use our electric impact to remove the allen-head bolt. Is this OK? Thanks for the help, guys. Tony
  8. Tony1M
    Well, it was a real battle to break the fork cap free, but finally I did. I hope that the driver's right side is easier! Here's a full length photo of the spring: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/spring1.jpg Here's the top: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/springtop.jpg Here's the bottom: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/spring2.jpg I don't think the photos do justice to the visual difference between the top and bottom of the spring. I'm guessing it's a progressive spring. I'm anxious to hear if I'm wrong. (BTW, there was indeed zero pressure in the fork. When I removed the drain screw, the oil just dribbled out. As I said before, even with zero pressure, as far as I can tell, the bike handles great.) I'm now ready to remove the outer (lower) tube. Wish me luck.
  9. Tony1M
    I suppose that this would be an excellent time to upgrade the fork brace, correct? Condor, are there any left?
  10. Tony1M
    Great idea, Condor. I'll do the same if I can't find a 17 mm bolt. Well, here's my progress so far. (You can see on the floor where the fork oil leaked.) I had other stuff to do, so I did not have time to drain the fork oil. That'll be first thing tomorrow, before going to get those necessary tools. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/progress1.jpg While cleaning the fork tubes, I could not help but notice that the driver's left outer fork tube rotates (a bit) noticeably harder than the right. Is this significant? If I had all the parts I needed, I could probably get the whole thing back together tomorrow and maybe even go for a ride, but because I'll likely have to order parts, that's going to be impossible, especially if I decide to get the progressive springs. BTW, what parts absolutely MUST be replaced so the fork doesn't leak? (Will Yamaha likely have these in stock?) Which parts are also DESIRABLE to be replaced? (Will Yamaha likely have these in stock? Will parts from other years and models fit?) And while I'm asking questions, am I going to have enough space between the floor and the fork tube so that I can slide the outer tube off the inner? I sure hope so! Again, thanks very much for your help, folks.
  11. Tony1M
    Thanks, guys!
  12. Tony1M
    THANK YOU! Unfortunately, as you might be able to see in that last photo, to have enough room to get at the top of the fork and the fork pinch bolts (particularly the driver's right one which has a hazard switch bolted to the right "grill"), I had to remove the large plastic pieces of the "dash" into which the radio/intercom and CLASS control consoles sit. (Yes, the bike needs some coolant in the expansion tank.) http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/progress.jpg So I'm going to assume that the pressure in the front fork is indeed zero as the CLASS previously told me. After I remove the front wheel, I'll remove the drain screw very slowly and pray that it doesn't come flying out of there with a stream of oil right behind it. Unless there is another way to do it (please tell me there is), I'm going to have to go somewhere tomorrow to buy a 1/2"-drive, 17 mm male hex socket in order to remove the fork caps. That means I'm not going to be able to get the springs out tonight, so tomorrow will be the earliest I can post photos of the spring. Tonight I'll try to get the brake calipers, front wheel and fender off the bike. Sites like this are invaluable to us owners of obsolete (but absolutely fantastic) machines, don't you agree? Thanks very much for the assistance. I really appreciate it.
  13. Tony1M
    See for yourself. Our bike's front fork has no air valve. None under the removable plastic cover, and none anywhere I can see on the fork or tree. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/noairvalve.jpg Now what? Did some 84s not have air suspension front forks, even though there is "front" seemingly available on the CLASS display? Thanks for any information.
  14. Tony1M
    There is zero psi in the front forks. I did not release pressure, so this is the way it has been for at least this year and probably long before. (I assume that this, together with the fact that the bike's front end does not seem to bottom out, at least somewhat supports the notion that the bike may already have progressive springs.)
  15. Tony1M
    Thank you all very much for your information, directions, and advice about riding. I guess I will not ride the bike until I do the maintenance, so this means I've got to get my butt in gear and get the job done.. The first thing I'm going to do is de-pressurize the fork. To tell you the honest truth, I don't know if there is even 1 lb of pressure in there! But I will know shortly after submitting this post. I have to admit that I am intrigued by the following post: 5bikes, I assume that the fork still has to be disassembled in order to install the new ones on top of the old ones, correct? Is the primary reason for doing this that the "stacked" seals (new seal on top of old seal) will not leak for a longer period of time, or miles, into the future than simply replacing the old seal with a new one? If that is indeed the case, then I would be interested in doing this, but I have a couple of additional questions that I hope you will answer. 1. Why do the new seal and dust cover have to be super glued when neither the old seal nor the dust cover had to be super-glued when they were originally installed - in the case of our bike, possibly as long as 25 years ago? 2. To me, a good picture is worth at least a thousand words. Do you happen to have a photo or two that you could post on which you show exactly where to put the super glue? Again, thanks very much for the assistance, guys. If I remove the spring, I'll post a photo of it. Then maybe you can tell me for certain if it's progressive or not.
  16. Tony1M
    My wife and I own a 1984 VR that we bought almost 4 years ago. It's a fantastic machine that my wife and I ride only a few hundred miles during Edmonton's short summers. The bike has 74K MILES (US-spec'd bike). Yesterday I went to ride the bike and saw some oil on the floor underneath the end of the left fork tube. I determined that there is a slow leak at the left fork tube dust cover. If you look closely, you an see the oil track down the center of the tube. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Tony1M/leftforkleaking.jpg I've never worked on a motorcylce fork, so I read Freebird's excellent tech library article: [ame=http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=496]Fork Seal Replacement - VentureRider.Org[/ame] I think I understand how to do the job, but, before I start the job, I'd like to determine if our bike already has progressive springs. The previous owner was very conscientious about maintaining the bike (it still looks in near-new condition), so it is quite possible that he installed progressive springs at some point. As I said, my wife and I ride the bike. I weigh about 285 and she about 130 (her precise weight is a closely-guarded national-security secret), so the bike is carrying 415 lbs of passengers. As far as I can tell, the travel of the fork does not bottom out during normal driving over some fairly substantial bumps. In short, the bike handles beautifully. How can I tell if the bike has progressive springs? I assume that I should also replace seals in the side that is not now leaking. Tell me if I'm wrong. How long should it take a savy newbie to replace the fork seals? How much longer, and how much more effort, if the springs are also replaced? (FWIW, I've rebuilt the carbs and the bike runs great, and I personally perform all of the maintenance on our 92 Accord [that we bought new], so I have some mechanical aptitude. I also have the "official" Yamaha service manual for the bike.) Also, I would say maybe 25 mls of oil have leaked. How much oil can I lose without noticing a change in handling? Can/should I still ride the bike while waiting for parts? Thanks for the advice.
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