Installing fork gaiters/shock boot

In my never ending quest for the next frakle I've decided to install a set of fork gaiters on my NC700X and have a question about the process.

I know I need to remove the fender, front wheel and caliper, then loose the tripe-tree one side and a time, slide down the fork tube, install the gaiter, then side the fork tube back up and tighten, then repeat on the opposite side.

How do I know the fork tubes are aligned correctly, both side to side and up and down?

I apologize if this is an obvious question!

belrix

By the position of the cap.

Be sure to use a torque wrench on the triple tree clamps. Otherwise I'll wager you'll over tighten them and possibly cause damage.

belrix said:

In my never ending quest for the next frakle I've decided to install a set of fork gaiters on my NC700X and have a question about the process.

I know I need to remove the fender, front wheel and caliper, then loose the tripe-tree one side and a time, slide down the fork tube, install the gaiter, then side the fork tube back up and tighten, then repeat on the opposite side.

How do I know the fork tubes are aligned correctly, both side to side and up and down?

I apologize if this is an obvious question!

belrix

Click to expand...

There's nothing at all bad about wanting to learn stuff!

A shop manual would be your best friend, though! They are fun to look at and read even if you are not Mr. Mechanic, and hold vital info regarding proper procedures and torque settings, the sequential order of undoing/doing stuff back up, and if special tools or thread locking compounds, O-rings, gaskets etc., are needed, fluid types and volumes, troubleshooting when it all goes horribly wrong, they really are indispensable.



For the "up and down" part, it's simple to duplicate the amount each fork is sticking up out of the top of the triple clamp, by looking, measuring, taking pictures (super helpful) of the areas before undoing anything. Undoing one side at a time, and leaving the other untouched for reference, is good for the new and unfamiliar wrenching folks.

As far as the "side to side" part, (if I'm interpreting you correctly) well, the forks are pretty much self aligning, because even though the lower fork sections (AKA "legs") can spin about like Linda Blair's head in the Exorcist, in order to get the axle back through both of them, the holes need to be lined up, and sliding the axle back through lines up the holes, so- et voila! A self fulfilling action, lol.

The upper parts of the fork tubes (AKA "stanchions") don't need to be kept in the exact same rotational orientation as they were when undoing them, but if you were OCD about it, you can always take a marker and draw a line at the front or back, and match it to a corresponding line drawn on the upper or lower triple clamp.


I can't remember if you need to remove the caps to drop the forks on an NCX or not. I don't think so, but I was fiddling with my suspension internals when I took my forks off, so I removed the them as a matter of course and habit.

If you do have to end up undoing the fork caps, only remove them one at a time. First loosen both of them slightly, with weight on the front wheel; ie: the bike sitting normally on the side stand, then raise the bike up high enough (probably higher than you initially think) to unweight the wheel-completely off the ground. This will make it so the spring compression inside the tube does not make it a bugger to get a cap off without it shooting sky high and/or beaning you in the forehead.

Make sure to tighten the fork cap of one side, before undoing the other, because the bike can collapse if weight is put on it, and both fork caps are off! The springs have nothing to hold them in, and will sproing out the top of the forks while the bike instantly hunkers down. Much suckage can occur when this happens.

Thanks for the replies and advice! Now I have to decide if it is worth the effort

I waited until it was time to install a new front tire to install my fork gators. The front wheel hand to come off anyway, so that may be a good time to do the job. I did have to fuss with getting the fender in place with the gators, but the do look great once their on the bike. Good luck.

L.B.S. said:

There's nothing at all bad about wanting to learn stuff!

A shop manual would be your best friend, though! Snipped...

Click to expand...

The other great thing about the shop manual is the color (colour, eh?) fold out wiring diagrams attached inside the back cover. As soon as I got my manual I took it to a Staples store and had them make four full color copies to make it easier to use one of them while tracing wires.

Just ordered a service manual!!!

I know that he's talking about changing the fork oil, but this post could help you with a step-by-step and great pictures of fork removal/installation.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/garage-mechanical-help/3748-fork-oil-change.html

If you follow Dave's instructions, you'll be ok.

Thanks for the link...I helped a lot!

My fork gaiters just shipped! Looks like next weekend I'll be installing them along with a fenda extenda.

Thank you for all the advance and tips, I installed my shock boots today!

belrix

Looks awesome!

Besides looking good, you can't get better protection.

What boots and where did you order them?

Look the same as mine , came from the Triumph dealer. http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-mods/3453-gaitors.html

Yes they are Triumph shock boots, part number A9638018. I bought my off of eBay, just search for the part number.

berix