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fork tube top caps

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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 10:46 AM
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Default fork tube top caps
Anyone have any problems with easy fill top fork tube caps. Saw some on ebay for about 30 bucks, allen head plug screws into top cap for venting to drain fork fluid and refilling.
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 11:39 AM
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Originally Posted by keith t
Anyone have any problems with easy fill top fork tube caps. Saw some on ebay for about 30 bucks, allen head plug screws into top cap for venting to drain fork fluid and refilling.
I am interested in comments on these as well...subscribed to thread...
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 11:47 AM
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Originally Posted by keith t
Anyone have any problems with easy fill top fork tube caps. Saw some on ebay for about 30 bucks, allen head plug screws into top cap for venting to drain fork fluid and refilling.
I don't see the advantage of the "easy fill" caps unless you don't have a 1 3/8" wrench to remove the stock caps. If not, you can buy a wrench for about half the cost of these caps. FWIW, here's an old post on changing the oil in current forks. Pardons in advance if I'm missing something here.
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 12:11 PM
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My only reason is that since I have not ever had the caps off before, I don't know how difficult it is to get them back on against any spring pressure. I was just thinking I might be able to go through the front fairing for fork oil changes and the cap would make for an easier vent than taking of the real cap. Kind of new at this front end stuff....
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by keith t
My only reason is that since I have not ever had the caps off before, I don't know how difficult it is to get them back on against any spring pressure. I was just thinking I might be able to go through the front fairing for fork oil changes and the cap would make for an easier vent than taking of the real cap. Kind of new at this front end stuff....
No spring pressure behind the caps. It's easy to just remove the fairing cap and go at it that way.
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 01:41 PM
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Thanks guys, I had Iclick's post some time back about how to go through the switch cap, I have only had my ignition switch out once and liked to never got it back in, if fact not sure exactly what happened when it finally fell in place, and that fight was something else I was trying to avoid if I could. Anyway glad to know the fork caps shouldn't be going back in against springs pressure, have heard a few stories about how hard that is, maybe a different model??
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by keith t
My only reason is that since I have not ever had the caps off before, I don't know how difficult it is to get them back on against any spring pressure. I was just thinking I might be able to go through the front fairing for fork oil changes and the cap would make for an easier vent than taking of the real cap. Kind of new at this front end stuff....
There is no spring pressure at the top caps and removing them is only a matter of getting the switch cap out of the way and unscrewing them with a proper wrench. The clearance above the cap is limited so you'll need either a 1 3/8" open- or box-end wrench or a special low-profile socket for the job. The latter are sold on Ebay and elsewhere but are pricey, but since it isn't rocket science an expensive tool isn't necessary. I paid $13 including shipping for my combination wrench.

Changing fork oil is easy, about a one-hour job, as outlined in the post I referenced earlier.
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by keith t
My only reason is that since I have not ever had the caps off before, I don't know how difficult it is to get them back on against any spring pressure. I was just thinking I might be able to go through the front fairing for fork oil changes and the cap would make for an easier vent than taking of the real cap. Kind of new at this front end stuff....
The clearance above the cap is limited so you'll need either a 1 3/8" open- or box-end wrench or a special low-profile socket for the job. The latter are sold on Ebay and elsewhere but are pricey, and since it isn't rocket science an expensive tool isn't necessary. The former type are inexpensive and I paid $13 including shipping for my combination wrench from Amazon.
 
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 02:14 PM
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Originally Posted by keith t
Anyone have any problems with easy fill top fork tube caps. Saw some on ebay for about 30 bucks, allen head plug screws into top cap for venting to drain fork fluid and refilling.
I have them on my sporster 1200r it beats taking off the handle bars or dropping the fork tubes to get to the caps on my bike just to change the fork oil.
 
Last edited by turn8a; Mar 22, 2012 at 02:17 PM.
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Old Apr 6, 2012 | 10:20 AM
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If you take the fork cap off, won't the fork springs come poping out?
 
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