Hi all, Got some new springs to put in and removing the forks to drain looks a pain. Anyone know if it is possible to undo the damper rod bolts at the fork ends and drain it from there? Looks doable to me, doesn't mean it is though! Any thoughts or tips welcome Cheers '09 Bonneville T100
Did mine several months ago, I removed the forks as I was also fitting gaiters and changing the oil. Straightforward job really, take the forks out one at a time to help keep alignment and allow yourself a couple of hours. Undo the 22mm top cap before taking out. I looked at undoing the damper rods but personally I would not recommend it as you may struggle to get the bolts back in and tightened. whatever happened to plain old fashioned drain plugs?
Take the front axle out and up in the forks there is the bolt that holds the dampers in place. I'll attempt a picture!
As @MickEng says the problem with removing the damper rod is torqueing it all back up again, if the screw binds at all then it all goes round inside and no way to hold the rod still. Can be the same issue removing it too, plus you'll need new sealing washers ...... much easier to remove the whole leg and tip it upside down. Or use the giant syringe method as mentioned by @Dozers Dad
Oh yes, I know where it is, but I personally would not recommend removing that bolt. You have to remove the spindle, wheel and brake caliper so you are already half way there to taking the forks out. Go for it Beardy!
