How to disassemble and re assemble your WR suspension in the kitchen!

A friend came to me asking if I could change the oil in his forks and give
them some new seals, I took on the job.

Having never touched my own I had to do a wee bit of research on how to
go about it with out all the especial tools referred to in the owners manual.
After a lengthy search of the internet I found there was nothing of any help
for the WR owner, so I was on my own.

With the forks on the bench I proceeded by removing the top cap and
removing the spring and draining the oil.

Then the owners manual said insert special tool 1million-XYZ and screw the
bottom valve out with special tool 2million-XYZ. the pictures in the
workshop manual showed a long rod(1million-XYZ) reaching to the bottom of
the fork tube and locking/holding on to some thing so you can turn the
bottom valve out with that 2million-XYZ tool.

I was stuffed and could not figure out how to do any of this wiv out
scratching/scoring/damaging the vital internals of my forks wiv some thing
I was going to dodge/fabricate up.

After a few beers and some time thinking...

I realized I could put the spring back in and top cap back on then
compress/squash the fork down. This then held what ever it was inside so
I could turn the bottom valve out with the 2million-XYZ tool.

I then found some scrap hex bar laying in my shed and ground it down to
the size of the huge hex socket that was on the bottom of the fork leg, this
was my version of the special tool 2million-XYZ. I then inserted this hex bar
into my rattle gun and was able to spin the bottom valve but I could not
get enough pressure on the spring by squashing the fork to hold what
was inside and screw this bottom valve out.

Another beer...

BINGO!

Tie-down, was the answer...

I lashed a retched tie-down around the fork and hung the hook ends of the
axle bolt to free up the bottom of the fork leg to get at the bottom valve with
my custom hex/allen-key & rattle gun.

I then cranked up the pressure on the tie-down to apply enough pressure on
the spring inside holding the internals still so I could screw the bottom valve out.

bingo I had the freaking thing disassembled, well down to a point that every
thing els in the work shop manual could show me what to do

From hear I precoded to replace the fork seals and dust caps before reassembling,
again compressing the forks the same way to install the bottom valve again.

I later found I could have bought the hex/allen-key tool of eBay that screws the
bottom valve in/out for $15 witch I would have been happy to pay for.this tool
and my ground down hex bar can be used with a normal ratchet so you don't
need a rattle gun if you don't have one.

There a plenty of posts on the internet for custom made seal drivers such
as PVC pipe cut in half to replace the $60-80 special tool you will find on eBay
so I will not go into seal drivers and seal removal/replacement.

I have added a few photos bellow to show how I used the tie-down to compress
the fork and the special tool you can buy of eBay to remove the bottom valve
as reference.

I hope this post inspires some one to go ahead and give it a go, if you have the
littlest bit of patients and some basic tolls you will be FINE!  

I hope this helps some one as it would have made me feel better knowing a
novice had done it before me wiv little or so problems.

Oh yeah, my mates bike rides fine after my bush mechanic skills had taken me
through his forks

Good luck and enjoy

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