Sorry to be so offtopic but does any of you know a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.

@Genesis Carl instablaster ;)

@Carlos Cedric i really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

@Carlos Cedric it worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D Thanks so much, you saved my account !

@Genesis Carl you are welcome :D

Thanks man. Should go without saying I'm not an expert. I just wanted to document a couple of the things I struggled with. Good luck with your Bandit!

bandit owner here also lets goo

That's great to hear! Yea, those little buggers have a tendency to rust which kind of sucks. Luckily if they completely rust through on these, you can remove and replace them without too much hassle. Fighting rust on these ~20 year old machines is often times one of the biggest battles as you're now very well-versed in. Thanks for the kind words, and enjoy the ride!

Hopefully this will be me typing this next. :)👆🤞👍 almost got the carbs sorted to an extent. Hopefully going to get them ultrasonic cleaned at some point. Fork seals leaking so they will be next. :) cheers Matt. Excellent videos dude.

Thanks for the reply, Diego. Yep--there's a few "gotchas" in the fork rebuild, but that fork oil lock piece was giving me nightmares until I understood what was happening. It's interesting, if you check out the www.banditforum.co.uk or other forums, there's always arguments over whether or not tight coils should be up or down. And then the veterans come in and say it has no perceivable difference. The different manufacturers of like products even disagree. I've only learned this after the fact. Anyway, I hope it was useful and you get your fork all buttoned up and bike back on the road soon!

Awesome to hear Christopher. Thanks, and nice job.

Sorry on the late reply--glad you were able to get it resolved!

I've tried one of those seal savers about a month ago on a set of sv650 forks because I was hoping it'd be my savior. I could see it actually pulled some shit out, but I was still getting a bit of a leak. Good shit to have in the tool aresenal though for sure.

You can use a feeler gauge and save a few bucks lol

I appreciate the kind words, Milan. I don't have any experience with upside down forks yet, but hopefully I will someday! I've heard a GSXR front end swap on the Bandit is a great upgrade. Thanks for the feedback, and enjoy the ride.

Thanks a lot man. I'm really glad you were able to find it useful. Have a good one!

Good deal. Glad to hear it was useful.

Sorry I'm late on the response. The only thing worse than having to do fork seals is having to do them right away afterwards because you put bad ones in.. sorry you had a bad experience, but hopefully it's all good now!

Thanks Hergeeeeeeeeee! Pop that little bad boy seal back on there. Now you're making me self conscious that I should really spend some more time in parking lots getting my riding skills down, hah.

Glad to hear it man. Hope you and your Bandit have a good season of riding!

Absolutely, thanks for the kind words Gammma!

That oil lock is a little bugger. I ended up with some pre-load adjusters on my SV650 forks, but I never bothered with the Bandit. If I still had it and was looking into suspension upgrades though, I'd definitely source some pre-load adjusters, straight rate springs, and emulators.

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

There's always ways to do it with less. If you can get the front wheel up off the ground, you can get crafty. But things like seal drivers, impact wrenches, bench vices, etc. all make it a whole lot easier. I'd just read through your bike's manual to see what you'll all need. If you've got a friend with some more tools, maybe see if they'd be willing to help out. Or, I suppose, take the forks to a shop you trust.

Sorry for the late response, hope it went well!

@@matttriestodothings it was a pure nightmare. But was down to tools. stuck damping bolt spinning, nothing would hold it still but finally got impact drill. video set me on right track

@@jedigeekbiker ahhhh god that sucks. Those friggen damping bolts are the reason I invested in an impact wrench. I've had to drill through those bolts before too which really sucks. Takes an afternoon project and turns it into days. Sounds like you've got it figured out though.

@@matttriestodothings impact wrench could have saved me over 4hours lol

Glad to hear it Richard. Cheers!

I appreciate the feedback Kevin. Hope you get your problems resolved, and you're up and running swiftly. And absolutely--I'm going nuts with the snow on the ground knowing the smile the bike is capable of putting on my face once it's running right!

Just make sure you have the exploded diagram view of the forks on hand, so you don't forget to put a washer in like I did and have to pull it back off.

Thanks Andy.

The camera is a GoPro 5. I cannot recommend *against* this specific version enough. It's a piece of shit. Mine is fully updated. Randomly shuts off all the time--luckily it beeps, but if you were recording while riding, you wouldn't hear it. Freezes all the time. However, the absolute worst part about the GoPro *5* is that it was their first "waterproof" or resistant type membrane inside of it. This messes with the acoustics and causes a shit ton of extra noise whenever it's handled. The GoPro 4 before it didn't have this issue, and it apparently has been resolved in subsequent versions. The head mount was part of a fantastic GoPro set of accessories I bought super cheap on amazon. Like $18 for 5 accessories you'll use, and 45 more you probably won't, but still nice to have. Look up this on Amazon: "Neewer 50-In-1 Action Camera Accessory Kit for GoPro". It's $18.79 right now. One of those things I've actually gotten my money's worth many, many times over. Helmet mount, chest mount, head mount, etc. The videos I shoot first person I use the head mount. Sometimes I throw the GoPro on a super cheap floor standing tripod I picked up. I'm not much of an Audio/Video guy. Still learning. Hopefully that's useful. Thanks again for watching!

I’m not either. I do have a GoPro I’ll have to see what it is. I’ve been filming with a iphone one handed.

Can you clarify the question a little more? Sorry I'm just responding to this now--I must have missed it when you originally sent the question. Do you have the fork assemblies on or off the motorcycle? I assume the top caps are the 24(?)mm large ones on the top of the forks the compress the springs. Is the stanchion stuck all the way to the top? Or all the way to the bottom? And is there fork oil in it right now? If it's dry and it's been slammed down to the bottom, you may be suffering a similar oil lock piece getting stuck that I did. If it's stuck in the UP position... I'd be really confused.

I believe the oil lock is part #8 on the diagram (51195-33D10) on this page: www.partzilla.com/catalog/suzuki/motorcycle/2002/bandit-gsf600s/front-fork-damper-model-y-k1-k2 I'm not going to go on the record as recommending this, but oil locks aren't an absolute necessity. They help cushion at the extreme end of travel if you hit a big pothole or something and keep metal from metal contact from happening. The previous owner on my SV650 removed them (but I got them with the bike), and I chose not to reinstall them. While those forks are the same as the SV650, I've got emulators in there that keeps the front end from diving really quickly, and I don't get near the end of travel on those forks. Make sure you check partzilla for your exact model.

He also doing the spacer wrong size off the spring ? Better is a extra spacer on top off the spring .

@@YammieFZ750 You're right, I believe. I can't go back and edit the video now, so I've pinned it as a top comment and added it to the description. ***Guys-I think I have the washer in the wrong spot. It needs to go between the spring and the spacer, not the spacer and the end cap. i.imgur.com/n7ZH7zU.jpg

Thanks Brent.

So, apparently this is a pretty controversial subject and different manufacturers of springs will argue for or against tight coils going top or bottom. There are some minor performance differences--some that will be very difficult to perceive on a non-performance machine. I really doubt it'll matter very much on a traditional damper rod fork like these, but the it's still a curious topic. Interesting thread on the ex-500 forums discussing advantages and disadvantages to both orientations here: www.ex-500.com/threads/which-way-up-to-install-progressive-springs.18701/

@@matttriestodothings thanks, i will read that topic👌

You'll need to get that damper rod bolt out. An impact wrench with the correct Allen socket bit should be able to zip it out. You'll want to have the spring, spacer, and cap back on tight to keep pressure on everything

One minute into this video is what I use now. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e7Kjh7Z0zt6XkZs.htmlsi=ziDATkE2ZxavPuLB

I am pretty certain all the MK2 forks are the same. I'm not a Bandit expert nor do I own one anymore though, so you may want to check with a Bandit-specific forum or cross reference parts fiches.

Which center cap? Like on the top of the fork tube that holds the spring and internals in?

@@matttriestodothings IT appears to be threaded. I believe this to be a way of adjusting Spring Preload.

@@grabir01 The top cap just holds everything in. Some suzuki models with similar forks come with pre-load adjuster caps (I have them on my SV650), but the ones in this video do not have any adjustment. The only way to change preload is to change the length of the spacer.

Interesting it's only in one leg on the 650. They were in both legs (same piece) on my 2001 SV650 but were removed during fork emulator installation. These specific suzuki plastic oil stops are the only ones I've ever had issues with.

This one is a 2001 I believe. I think yours would be considered an "MK1" whereas this is an "MK2" if I'm remembering correctly.

@@matttriestodothings ah ok yea I was noticing some differences. Thanks for the reply

I'm not totally clear on the process you're describing, when you state "then I can put the damper, spring and spacer" I don't think is going to work. If you've already driven in new bushings/seals, the damper rod is not going to go past them. I may just be misunderstanding what you're asking though.

@@matttriestodothings sorry for the late response. Simple as i can explain: can i mount all the pieces back the way you pull them out? Oillock in the inner tube then put the inner tube with the oil lock in the fork leg. After this, drive the washer+oil seal and the put the damper rod, spring, spacer so you can screw the bottom screw into the damper rod. Thats pretty much what i want to try. I know u sold the bike long ago and u may have forgotten the entire process in detail.

@@geoblk8525 I think you're describing the standard process which should work just fine. My issue is with the fork oil lock getting stuck in the lower stanchion, so when you're driving the new seal in it becomes impossible to pull the stanchion up from the lower. It's possible you won't have the same "sticking" issue I ran into, and yours will go together just fine. I've done quite a few other conventional forks (they're basically all the same for the most part), and it's only the Bandit/SV650 ones where I've sometimes struggled with the oil lock.

@@matttriestodothings thank you. You're a real bro!

@@matttriestodothings So I finally did my forks for the first time. All went smooth thanks to all the info from your video. Thank you brother. This summer i might attempt to work on the valve clearance. Have a nice day!

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. I get where people are coming from with the criticisms--as I watch some of these things back after several months, there's things I would change due to learning new things. If there's an egregious error I'll take it down. I've been learning just how difficult it is to shoot one of these videos as opposed to just doing the job and have garnered a huge amount of respect to the channels that do these types of videos on a professional level. Often times a lot of those polished videos will skip passed some of the little things that trip amateurs like myself up for hours though, and I try to not gloss passed them. I think there's a place for both types of videos. Hopefully mine will get better as I get more wrench-time. Cheers!

You'll be fine. Just take your time and take lots of "before" pictures. More than you think you need.

Crescent... which crescent? Did I use a crescent wrench on the fork caps? I probably did. My SV650 forks are almost identical and I swapped over to using a large socket so as to not knick everything up... Plus, allows for a torque wrench once reinstalled into the triples. Or I missed what you were referring to completely.

I don't have enough experience with failing (or failed) seals to give great advice; however, the obvious worry is that leaking fluid can make its way onto your tire and cause an incident. This is much more pressing of an issue on upside down forks though. If you're down a fair amount of fluid, it'll affect the damping ability of the fork and change the handling characteristics and also risk metal to metal contact. Probably not happening with a small leak though. I've read that you can often times clean a seal if it gets a small amount of grit in it to avoid having to replace them. Look into motorcycle fork seal cleaning techniques--they seem fairly painless and may resolve your issue without having to dismantle the fork. It'll at least postpone necessary maintenance to a time when you're not riding (... winter... gross). But if you've never replaced the fluid inside the forks before, it's probably a good idea to do it at some point. The fork oil fluid will begin to break down over time and offer less performance than new fluid.

@@matttriestodothings Thanks a lot! It just moisturizes part of the fork that it's going down (5-6cm) above the duster. I should definitely look for a shortcut fix, thanks again.

Yep yep!

@@matttriestodothings just a minor detail the damper bolt could use a bit of thread locker, atleast thats what the SV manual says :)

@@deepsudeep Suzuki Bandit FSM does as well. Here's a screenshot actually: i.imgur.com/99MTIFM.jpg The more people I talk to that have rebuilt forks, the more people I find that don't loctite the damper rod bolt. To be on the safe side and follow directions exactly, absolutely go ahead and loctite it. But I would 100% not loctite a bolt unless it was new and the head had perfect bite for when I came with an impact wrench with a high quality hex attachment. So I suppose my official response is loctite it. For me? I will never loctite that bolt. I just hand tighten it as hard as I can with a T-Handle. Not after having to drill through them in the past and having to throw away entire fork components because of it.

@@matttriestodothings better than losing all the oil in the highway 😆 The torque spec is low and hence the need for thread locker. Oil seal replacements are not common maintenance procedure so after 10 years if you need to run some elbow grease to get it lose its okay imo

@@deepsudeep I'm certainly not going to try to talk you or anyone else out of going against the manual--especially when there's fluid behind a bolt. If I continue to have success with the really good fitting hex and torque wrench I now have, I may start doing it in the future. But I'd only put it on a brand new bolt with a perfect head. Too many hours and dollars lost to stuck damper rod bolts. Maybe my issue is that it took me too long to purchase a torque wrench.

If only I had his looks and talent as well, hah. Thanks for the kind words. Wish I could go back and re-do a couple segments of this video and also shorten it since I've done several more forks since then, but.. Eh. Not pulling the seals out again till they're bad.

Would you put the tighter coil windings higher or lower? It's been a while, but looks like I had tighter windings down.

You are free to fill the fork tubes with loctite if you would prefer that to fork oil as well.

Hah, they have not. That's the Survivorman, yea? I used to really like that show, but I doubt I've seen it in a decade. Maybe he had a lasting impression.

@@matttriestodothings yep, Survivorman! Haha, start of an Era. I got to meet him and I made him a knife made on show. He's an awesome fellow! Thanks for this step by step, by the way! Applied it to my 09 SFV650 Gladius.

@@Hannah-451 Yep--as far as I know, this fork is almost identical to the SV650 forks I've since done. Which... I've heard the SVF is essentially the same as. Glad it could be useful. Now I need to see if I have whatever streaming service Survivorman is on! Glad to hear he's an awesome fellow. He came off as one on TV.

@@matttriestodothings he's uploaded everything to KZfaq! And has been doing directors commentaries on episodes. Very fun! Less stroud is his channel name

@@Hannah-451 Fantastic. Just subscribed! Oh that'll be some great TV to put on while I'm doing shit. He's such a soothing but informational individual. Thanks again.

I think you're right to an extent. I've seen it recommended on a lot of the bigger channels, and I've never gotten it to work correctly. I've found more success (since the video) loosening the axle and the lower triple clamps and holding the wheel up against a support beam in the direction that needs correction. It's way easier with a second person, but I usually don't have that.

@@matttriestodothings you can reseat the legs in the stanchions by pumping the oil thru the valve. The wheel is secured by a tight axle, the stanchion is secured by the axle and the fender, the fork legs are secured by the yokes. Unless you loosen stuff off and bounce the bike nothing is moving anywhere. An out of alignment front wheel is buckled.

I would rather have the tighter spring coils on the bottom.