Hello everyone!

Just helped strip my mates F120 RL as we were sure he needed new internal bushings. The reason for this was that the bike feels like it has a loose headset but it’s in fact fine.

The trouble starts because:

1) the fork’s now clean and they don’t look at all worn, although they haven’t been serviced in 2 years of use.
2) how the hell do you get them out?
3) there’s the top ones and the lower ones (half way down the fork). Which are more likely to be causing the movement because of wear?

Is this swap easy? I can’t find anything on the Internet and someone on here has for to be an expert?!?

Cheers.

Thats exactly how mine were.
I had mine done by LoCo Tuning. Really top bloke. He told me he usually tries turning them through 90 degrees, but he tried on mine & they were still a bit loose.

You can buy them off Ebay for about £30, because I looked at doing it DIY. From what I gather the tool to get them out is a long rod with a washer a bit smaller than the bush dia. The washer has two opposite sides lopped off, & the centre hole elongated so it can flip up to clear as it slides in/ out…if that makes any sense. It acts like a slide hammer for removing them. Just make a note of the depths the current ones are pushed in to.

Takisawa2 speaks correctly, i made my own bushing puller by using a thin M6 threaded bar with a similar elongated centre hole flat washer with the sides filled down so that it would slide through the bushings at an angle then sit on the nut/washer/nut tightened captive at the bottom of the threaded rod – then pull upward on the threaded rod and the bush should come out with a bit of force applied or i used a large heavy socket as a slide hammer and another nut/washer/nut arrangement at the top of the threaded rod for the socket to hit against and pull the bush upwards.

Look at the tool online and it should become apparent.

Oh, and be sure and measure how far down the fork leg the bushes were fitted to start with…the first time i did my own fork bushes i forgot and had to judge it by the stantion wear on my fork legs.

The issue with fitting other than depth is the alignment between all 4 bushes too i.e the pair in each leg must be inline and the other side match too otherwise they’re trying to ‘twist’ the forks when the stantions are inserted and will be sticky.
Along with this the bushes sometimes need honeing to get the best fit for the stantions as well.
It’ll work out cheaper and alot easier to send them in rather than building tools along with the possibility of damaging a set of bushes and/or the lowers.
I do occasionally rotate bushes but this is only for forks that would be a write offs to get a bit more life out of them.
Any queries feel free to give us a call at the workshop. 😀

Which are more likely to be causing the movement because of wear?

how much play is there when the stanchions are put back in the lowers without all the other gubbins ?

Fox forks are designed to have a v.small gap between the stantion and bush to allow a thin layer of oil to be present between the two surfaces for them to run on.
How do they feel if you leave them upside down for 20 mins? If they haven’t been serviced for 2 years they’ll probably be a bit ‘dry’ and/or worn.

I’m sure they will be a bit dry and worn. I’ll try and get them all freshly lubed up and then see. I’m gonna try the 90 degree spin trick if it’s the same though… here’s hoping it will work.

Get them over to Loco yer cheapskate…
🙂

Seriously, great service.

Im in the middle of doing this, so am interested too. Have been putting off putting bushes in

“You can buy them off Ebay for about £30”
You can buy them on ‘normal’ internet retailers for £20-25?

“made my own bushing puller by using a thin M6 threaded bar with a similar elongated centre hole flat washer with the sides filled down so that it would slide through the bushings at an angle then sit on the nut/washer/nut tightened captive at the bottom of the threaded rod – then pull upward on the threaded rod and the bush should come out with a bit of force”
+1
probably M8 and washer (with sides chopped) welded to a nut.
Another nut in vice so the bar below has the lowers dangling by the bush, them tapped the lowers with a rubber ended mallet

“pair in each leg must be inline and the other side match too otherwise they’re trying to ‘twist’ the forks when the stantions are inserted and will be sticky”
Really?
How so?

“pair in each leg must be inline and the other side match too otherwise they’re trying to ‘twist’ the forks when the stantions are inserted and will be sticky”
Really?
How so?

😆

Given Loco used to work for Mojo and now has his own suspension business, I’d be listening to him rather than picking holes in his suggestions and generally being a smartarse james!