Figured I would post up a "how to" on the SP2 since the manual doesn't cover shit when it comes to the SP2 forks. This was my first set of fork seals I've ever done, so it was a learning experience for me. Figure I would pass on what I learned, hope it helps anyone looking into doing this on their own. If anyone has any suggestions on anything, I'd be glad to add it to the posts below.
A quick disclaimer: This is a fairly involved process, allow yourself the time to do it, and ensure you have everything you need before hand. Another thing to consider is that if you aren't 100% confident in doing this yourself, but want to give it a shot, have the money set aside to take it to a shop if you get stuck. It is better pay a professional if you aren't confident that you can do it yourself correctly. These are your forks after all, and are pretty damn important and expensive. Another note is that depending on what tools you have buy to get this done yourself, chances are very good that you will spend more to do it yourself the first time than a shop would charge you. My local shops quoted around $200-$280 for changing the fork seals and new fluid. If I would have bought the racetech spring compressor, I would have easily spent over $200 in tools on top of the other normal stuff I already had. The reason why I chose to spend more, is that the next time I need seals, I can do it myself for only the cost of parts/fluid. So I will be saving money the next time I do seals or refresh the fluid (which should be done yearly according to some). I also don't really like paying for things I can do myself, unless I don't have the time.
Tools needed:
Front and rear stands. The front stand needs to be the kind that lifts the bike by the underside of the triple clamp. Any way of raising the front will work, but the stand is the best option.
Wrenches and Sockets. You'll need a 32mm socket for the fork cap. A 19mm wrench, two 14mm wrenches, an 11mm wrench. And you'll also need whatever tools you need to remove the front wheel and forks. You'll need an Allen socket for the fork centering bolt (I'll have to look up the size) and one for the compression adjuster (same size as all the fairings, 5mm I think).
O-ring pick and a small flat head screwdriver.
Something to compress the fork spring while removing the cap. I used a ghetto-rigged solution that you'll see below due to not having the time to wait for the proper tools to come in the mail. I recommend at the very least getting something like this: Fork Spring Compressor Kit and using a ratchet strap like this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v304/tls-moose/funnies/01060001.jpg If you want to spend more money, the racetech spring compressor (I'll be buying one of these soon).
43mm Fork seal driver. I used the newer motion pro "ringer" style. Not sure if it works any better or worse than the normal kind. I think the other kind might be better as there are less parts and this one seemed kinda cheap and had sharp edges on the inside that required filing down. http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/category/fork_seal_drivers/
A plastic bag. I used a zip-lock freezer bag to get the new seals over the threaded portion of the fork slider. I had bought one of the bullet things, but it wasn't long enough and didn't work that well.
A "fork oil level gauge". It is basically a big syringe with an aluminum tube on it. There are other ways of setting the fluid level, but this thing is dead nuts easy to use.
Damper rod holder tool. The motion pro one worked well, but did require slight filing/grinding to get it to sit all the way down in the cartridge. You can see that below also.
Torque wrench. 25 ft-lbs is what is needed for the fork cap and the centering bolt.
Random stuff: A bucket or something to catch all the old fluid when you need it. Clean rags, a couple cans of parts cleaner (I used non-clorinated brake cleaner), and of course new seals and new fluid (each fork uses about 500cc of fluid). A vise with soft jaws really made this much easier to do also.
Not 100% needed but made things a ton easier: a vise with soft jaws, and an impact wrench. I just have the Ryobi cordless lithium one, and I have to say I am very impressed with the thing. I am normally a dewalt or makita guy when it comes to power tools, but their stuff is getting more and more expensive, and the alternatives are much better than they were 10 years ago. I can do an entire set of wheels on and off my truck with zero issues. I don't think I'll ever be able to not have one of these in my toolbox again.
Hopefully these numbers are readable, don't forget fluid. I used the Honda SS-8, which is 10w oil.
A quick disclaimer: This is a fairly involved process, allow yourself the time to do it, and ensure you have everything you need before hand. Another thing to consider is that if you aren't 100% confident in doing this yourself, but want to give it a shot, have the money set aside to take it to a shop if you get stuck. It is better pay a professional if you aren't confident that you can do it yourself correctly. These are your forks after all, and are pretty damn important and expensive. Another note is that depending on what tools you have buy to get this done yourself, chances are very good that you will spend more to do it yourself the first time than a shop would charge you. My local shops quoted around $200-$280 for changing the fork seals and new fluid. If I would have bought the racetech spring compressor, I would have easily spent over $200 in tools on top of the other normal stuff I already had. The reason why I chose to spend more, is that the next time I need seals, I can do it myself for only the cost of parts/fluid. So I will be saving money the next time I do seals or refresh the fluid (which should be done yearly according to some). I also don't really like paying for things I can do myself, unless I don't have the time.
Tools needed:
Front and rear stands. The front stand needs to be the kind that lifts the bike by the underside of the triple clamp. Any way of raising the front will work, but the stand is the best option.
Wrenches and Sockets. You'll need a 32mm socket for the fork cap. A 19mm wrench, two 14mm wrenches, an 11mm wrench. And you'll also need whatever tools you need to remove the front wheel and forks. You'll need an Allen socket for the fork centering bolt (I'll have to look up the size) and one for the compression adjuster (same size as all the fairings, 5mm I think).
O-ring pick and a small flat head screwdriver.
Something to compress the fork spring while removing the cap. I used a ghetto-rigged solution that you'll see below due to not having the time to wait for the proper tools to come in the mail. I recommend at the very least getting something like this: Fork Spring Compressor Kit and using a ratchet strap like this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v304/tls-moose/funnies/01060001.jpg If you want to spend more money, the racetech spring compressor (I'll be buying one of these soon).
43mm Fork seal driver. I used the newer motion pro "ringer" style. Not sure if it works any better or worse than the normal kind. I think the other kind might be better as there are less parts and this one seemed kinda cheap and had sharp edges on the inside that required filing down. http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/category/fork_seal_drivers/
A plastic bag. I used a zip-lock freezer bag to get the new seals over the threaded portion of the fork slider. I had bought one of the bullet things, but it wasn't long enough and didn't work that well.
A "fork oil level gauge". It is basically a big syringe with an aluminum tube on it. There are other ways of setting the fluid level, but this thing is dead nuts easy to use.
Damper rod holder tool. The motion pro one worked well, but did require slight filing/grinding to get it to sit all the way down in the cartridge. You can see that below also.
Torque wrench. 25 ft-lbs is what is needed for the fork cap and the centering bolt.
Random stuff: A bucket or something to catch all the old fluid when you need it. Clean rags, a couple cans of parts cleaner (I used non-clorinated brake cleaner), and of course new seals and new fluid (each fork uses about 500cc of fluid). A vise with soft jaws really made this much easier to do also.
Not 100% needed but made things a ton easier: a vise with soft jaws, and an impact wrench. I just have the Ryobi cordless lithium one, and I have to say I am very impressed with the thing. I am normally a dewalt or makita guy when it comes to power tools, but their stuff is getting more and more expensive, and the alternatives are much better than they were 10 years ago. I can do an entire set of wheels on and off my truck with zero issues. I don't think I'll ever be able to not have one of these in my toolbox again.
Hopefully these numbers are readable, don't forget fluid. I used the Honda SS-8, which is 10w oil.