Outer Fork Tube Bushings

[Davio]

Hi folks, there is already a post on this topic but there's been no activity for a couple of months hence this new post. My 1400 has just over 40k miles on the clock and has developed play in the fork bushes, no doubt a result of riding two up overloaded with camping gear and our awful British roads. I sent for a set of bushes from Pyramid and the parts promptly arrived. I didn't have time to do the work myself so took the fork legs to a local bike garage. The chap has stripped the forks but the seals are the wrong size. I am about to remove the upper bush in the fork tube so that I can measure them and hopefully source the correct bushes. Has anyone removed the upper bush, please? Does the fork tube need heating, and what did you use as a drift? Many thanks in anticipation. John   

[okrider]

After separating the inner tube from the outer tube, I put the outer tube on the inner tube upside down and use the inner tube to tap the seals and bushings out.

[Syxxphive]

Let us know how it goes. I haven’t heard of someone replacing the bushes here as they don’t come out with the inner tube like most USD forks do. Kawasaki doesn’t even sell bushes, they have to be sourced elsewhere.

[JDSCO]

I am about to remove the upper bush in the fork tube so that I can measure them and hopefully source the correct bushes. Has anyone removed the upper bush, please? Does the fork tube need heating, and what did you use as a drift? Many thanks in anticipation. John

I indexed my 2008 outer tubes by 30degs each as that lessened the runout.
I have never attempted removal but my thoughts are to heat the outer tube and use a maple (hardwood) 1x2 to "tap the bushing out.
Maple works great , I use it for wheel bearings and you can customize it by sanding reliefs for shoulder fit.

The outer tube doesn't require much heat as it's relatively thin aluminum and aluminum is a great heat conductor. It expands quite readily without a lot of heat. Be attentive to the applied heat.

I've been doing some research and some have mentioned that the upper bushes are epoxied and others say that it is a "heat shrink fit".

I would really appreciate the dimensions you pull from those bushings! Thanks.

[Syxxphive]

Someone found them hurried somewhere. It might have been MOB. Least he commented on the thread. I did as well. Pyramid does supply them. I’ll do some digging.

[MAN OF BLUES]

Someone found them hurried somewhere. It might have been MOB. Least he commented on the thread. I did as well. Pyramid does supply them. I’ll do some digging.

yep
had to dig for the link, you have to know what size you want tho..
also, I don't recommend any seals for the forks, other than the OEM ones, but bushes should be fine...
https://pyramid-parts.com/collections/fork-bushes

[Rixtrix]

Hi guys- sorry for the late reply. I have fought with Kawi for months on this same subject only to be told they will not sell the bushings separately-only as an assembly ie- complete upper fork tube. Couldn't have been more irate. But -searching on my own I did find a supplier of bushings - Orientexpress.com If I recall correctly out of Long Island NY. They are actually for the ZX14

Shims for stock forks------from Orientexpress.com

Brand : K-tech
Upper : 43 x 12 x 2.50 (a tad too thick but massaged them to fit)   part# GBS-015               
      or   43 x 12 x 2.00  (haven’t tried yet-should be correct) part# GBS-017

Lower : 43 x 12 x 1.50 (a tad too thick but massaged them to fit)   part# GBS-013
       or  43 x 12 x 1.00  (haven’t tried yet-should be correct) part# GBS-012
Doing it again I would just order the second option as I had to take about .5mm off of each bushing to not cause binding. The 2.50 and 1.50 were exact to what my calipers told me....but maybe my calipers were not so accurate? Harbor Freight specials.
As for removal of the upper bushing I turned down a piece of thick pvc pipe and used a rubber mallet and lightly heated the tube.

[JDSCO]

^^ Thank you very much for that research.

The upper's were bonded in place or a press-fit?

Did you drive the uppers out toward the axle-end?

You've made history!

Thanks again.

[Rixtrix]

You're welcome ! Glad the info could help you out. They are a press fit (there may have been a locking agent but I couldn't notice it after removal) and I pressed them out from the fork cap side and out the axle end. Make sure you place a block of wood under the bottom (seal side) of the tube when knocking them out to prevent damage to the tube-it takes a couple of good whacks to knock them out. You probably only have about 1mm that they (the bushing) protrude inside the tube to catch with whatever you use as a tool to knock them out. My 1st try the pvc pipe I turned down slipped through the bushing center, there was some trial and error to get to the right size. Also- if I were to do it again I would choose part #'s  GBS-017 and GBS-012.

Best of luck !