Hi. I have just bought a beaut little 1984 QR50 for my eldest Daughter on ebay recently, and the front forks are partly seized. They do compress but do not release again. The normally smooth polished steel on the upper section of the fork has some surface corrosion on it, as it's been stored near the ocean for a few years. Any suggestions on how I can free them up and get them moving again?

sometimes you can have the forks polished to fix that problem, but you'll also want to replace the fork seals while you're at it, they'll probably start to leak eventually, so while you have it apart, you might as well do that.
You should also check to make sure the stanchions (inner fork tube) are not bent. This would also cause sticking. If they are bent, just replace the whole assembly from a salvage bike, it will be cheaper than buying new stanchions from the factory.

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Exactly what I was thinking.

If they aren't visually bent then they are usually pretty easy to check/straighten if you have access to a bearing press, vee blocks and dial gauge on a stand.

Greg

Thanks Guys:thumbsup:

There is no oil in those forks thus no seals. They are simply springs, bushings and grease.

forks could be bent, so check that first.

otherwise take the forks apart, polish the chrome best you can and buy new bushings. Then regrease them and ride.