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Author Topic: Time and difficulty to remove forks  (Read 1647 times)

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RayG

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Time and difficulty to remove forks
« on: January 12, 2009, 07:16:41 PM »
I just dropped off my 08 SERK for the 9060 recall.  While there I asked to have my front forks removed so I can send them out to Traxxion for the upgrade.  I also asked them to remove the Bitubo's so I can send them back at the same time to have them checked as one of them is making a gritty sound when making adjustments (not preloaded). They quoted me 4 hours for the front tubes and 1 hour for the shocks. That's $375.00 that I could spend elsewhere. I'm fairly handy but no mechanic by any means.  Is removing and installing the front forks a fairly simple job and how much time should it take? I guess my options are to have the dealer remove them ($375) and send them out to Traxxion, or purchase a jack, which I should have anyway and do it myself if feasible or my last option would be to drive out to Traxxion this spring and have it done there.  By the way, the installation and tuning of the Bitubo's has made a significant improvement in the ride. I have a spine condition that prevents me from working and riding when I have a flare up and the rear shocks have allowed me to ride on days where I normally would not be able to ride, we grow pot holes at a record pace out here.  If the AK-20 kit improves the handling to the front end similar to Bitubo's did for the rear, I should be pretty well satisfied.  I also have the True Track to have installed with the Baker Pan, they alloted 2 hours for that installation which seems fair.  I'm just not sure, on the front forks.  What's your recommendations guys?

Thanks,

Ray G.  
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Re: Time and difficulty to remove forks
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2009, 08:04:04 PM »
Quote from: RayG on January 12, 2009, 07:16:41 PM
I just dropped off my 08 SERK for the 9060 recall.  While there I asked to have my front forks removed so I can send them out to Traxxion for the upgrade.  I also asked them to remove the Bitubo's so I can send them back at the same time to have them checked as one of them is making a gritty sound when making adjustments (not preloaded). They quoted me 4 hours for the front tubes and 1 hour for the shocks. That's $375.00 that I could spend elsewhere. I'm fairly handy but no mechanic by any means.  Is removing and installing the front forks a fairly simple job and how much time should it take? I guess my options are to have the dealer remove them ($375) and send them out to Traxxion, or purchase a jack, which I should have anyway and do it myself if feasible or my last option would be to drive out to Traxxion this spring and have it done there.  By the way, the installation and tuning of the Bitubo's has made a significant improvement in the ride. I have a spine condition that prevents me from working and riding when I have a flare up and the rear shocks have allowed me to ride on days where I normally would not be able to ride, we grow pot holes at a record pace out here.  If the AK-20 kit improves the handling to the front end similar to Bitubo's did for the rear, I should be pretty well satisfied.  I also have the True Track to have installed with the Baker Pan, they alloted 2 hours for that installation which seems fair.  I'm just not sure, on the front forks.  What's your recommendations guys?

Thanks,

Ray G.  

$75/hr's not bad! For the fork legs, you have to pull the calipers (not the hydraulics) and wheel. You have to remove the front fender. You have to remove the headlight and take the Nacelle apart. You have to remove the handlebars from the risers (Everything on the bars stay on them). Everything should now be accesible to be able to remove the legs from the trees. It'll take you more than 4 hours to do the forks yourself. $300's a lil high for this, but not out of line at all.

The shocks are WAY TOO EASY TO PAY ANYONE TO DO THEM! ;)

Hoist! 8)
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mr_magoo

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Re: Time and difficulty to remove forks
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2009, 09:21:08 PM »
Time invested in learning now will payoff later, save your money and buy a jack instead and do it yourself. JMO
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Re: Time and difficulty to remove forks
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2009, 10:00:10 PM »
I do the Traxxion installs complete in about four hours...........removing and re-installing the legs on a SERK should not take more than 2.5 - 3 hours, an hour for the rear shocks is about double what it should take. 1/2 hour Max!

Sounds like the dealer is making up for some lost time on the recall.
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jfh

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Re: Time and difficulty to remove forks
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2009, 05:05:41 PM »
I agree that the "stealer" is charging  almost double the time it takes to get it done. I'm no dealer and lack some of the tools (read table lift) that would make the job go quicker but still did my front end in under 2 hours. The rear shocks are very easy to do and can be exchanged in 30 minutes.
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RayG

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Re: Time and difficulty to remove forks
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2009, 04:00:30 PM »
Just an update on my project. Traxxion delivered my stuff to the dealership today, the team at Traxxion offer outstanding knowledge and service. They also serviced my Bitubo's for no additional charge. I had one shock start to get difficult to adjust on compression and the other was difficult to adjust on rebound. They found a little dirt in there so they cleaned and lubricated everthing up nicely. If the shocks needed to be taken apart I would have had the rubber stoppers replaced. I firmly believe the quality and the durometer (hardness) of the stoppers make a significant difference when the suspension wants to bottom out. Thanks to the input I received from you guys who were kind enough to reply for the project my dealership adjusted the total time to 3 hours labor. The shocks are a snap to do and I would not pay for the removal and installation but they ended up coming over to pick up my bike before I got to remove them. They are doing the gasket project and offered to pick up my bike and store it over the winter for free. I also ordered the light kit from HD-Dude and they will install the kit for no charge since the light is all apart anyway. I'm anxious to see the difference in handling with the winter improvements, had the 13" Bitubo's and now have the AK-20 kit and the Baker plus 1 oil pan with the new True Track. I'm not one for holeshots but I just give it hell going in and out of corners and sweepers. Looking forward to scraping those floor boards down a bit.
Almost forgot I have a new rear tire going on and the mechanic said he wanted to look into the alignment. I'll report back when the weather allows me to give her a good run.

Thanks for the help guys

Ray G.         
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RJ749

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Re: Time and difficulty to remove forks
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2009, 04:31:24 PM »
You're going to love it with the complete Traxxion set up.

Looking forward to your report and your new visibility will be appreciated I am sure.
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