ST1100 (non ABS) Fork leaking oil

[Upt' North]

Kristoph,
There's no shame in sourcing a good mechanic, we're not all wired the same way, thank god.
Your suggestion seems a good one concerning sourcing a new mechanic and may start a beautiful relationship, in a manly way of course. From what we can see you may be taking calipers, pads, anti dive, discs etc off the bike, none of that is truly that difficult but are you sure you want this to be your first DIY job.
Cost wise, if it goes to plan, could be in the region of 100 to 300 for labour and 100 to 300 for parts depending on if the disc has warped.
Good luck and don't avoid reaching out here for other advice, they're a good bunch, well some of em .
Maybe see if you can locate another experienced ST1100 rider nearby if you can, there are other Irish members on here. That could be a useful contact.
Upt'North.

 

[TerryS]

I'm the original owner on mine, and that threaded hole is there on mine too, with nothing attached to it.

maybe that same caliper was used on another model, and had something attached to it, I dunno, but it serves no purpose on the ST1100.

Well that explains the mystery! Thanks for the clarification.

 

[T Bone]

Your first sentence says it all , i do worry cos thats basic, something starts knocking , wife on the back etc ......

 

[Rob20111]

Quote:
Back to the current problem: the rotor bolt was definitely not missing earlier. It could be the cause of the problem! (Also, guess I'm lucky that missing bolt happened to be in the photo - will look over for other signs of damage as well). As for the rotors, the previous owner said (and I believe) he replaced all three shortly before putting it up for sale - I checked it them the time of purchase and they had not even the slightest sign of wear, he used to service all his motorcycles himself (he owned 3 at the time) and he claimed he purchased his parts online from Honda's site - any specific way to check if it's original? And does it need replacing if it's thick enough and not warped after 5k miles of use? For the rest of the parts, given that this sounds like some sort of impact caused it, sounds like I should replace the entire anti-dive assembly, correct? Anything else I need to check (besides visual inspection for scrapes/dents/any other sort of damage on the brake assembly and fork)?

Comment:
IMO all the brake rotor bolts (both wheels) should be removed and then re installed with loctite applied and tightened with a torque wrench to spec.
It's likely this was not done and caused your failed bolt issue.

 

[Bush]

There also needs to be a "damping shim" under each bolt, between the wheel and the disc. See a fiche of the brake parts.

 

[Upt' North]

They're not Honda discs and Bush is quite correct about the shims.
If the discs are still true, use them once checking the installation.
And check everything before assuming what to replace, yes it could be buggered but it might just need a refresh with a couple of bits.
These are Honda discs.
Upt'North.

 

[Upt' North]

Looking at your pictures again, sorry didn't pay much attention first time around, if the bolt whacked the Anti Dive it may have bent the piston rod, be sure to check.
It may also have pulled the piston so far back that the seal left the bore and dropped the oil momentarily before the piston went back into the bore with maybe a ripped seal.
Like it's already been said, it needs ripping apart and if you're doing it yourself post the component pictures here.
Upt'North.

 

[krist0ph3r]

The weekend is almost here, and Belfast has been placed under a local "lockdown" so it's time to take things apart!

One piece of advice that I need before I get the tools out: How do I keep the weight off the front once the wheel's off? It does seem to be a significant amount of weight!

Also, as far as tools go, I have a decent set (recommended by someone on this forum a few months ago), but the set doesn't include torque wrenches. I've never used one - are they adjustable, or is there like a set of wrenches for different torque settings? I'll probably ask on that thread as well as it did get a lot of attention when I posted

 

[paulcb]

Support the bike under the oil pan. I use a hydraulic jack with a piece of wood on it.

 

[Larry Fine]

How do I keep the weight off the front once the wheel's off?

 

[Walleye]

Til you rush in and have a peanut butter and jelly and hop in the van to run down and get more brake fluid.

 

[rwthomas1]

The weekend is almost here, and Belfast has been placed under a local "lockdown" so it's time to take things apart!

One piece of advice that I need before I get the tools out: How do I keep the weight off the front once the wheel's off? It does seem to be a significant amount of weight!

Also, as far as tools go, I have a decent set (recommended by someone on this forum a few months ago), but the set doesn't include torque wrenches. I've never used one - are they adjustable, or is there like a set of wrenches for different torque settings? I'll probably ask on that thread as well as it did get a lot of attention when I posted

Torque wrenches come in ranges. Usually approximately 15-40ft/lb, then 25-100ft/lb and 40-250ft/lb are the three sizes. There are also several designs and varying quality. Have a look at the ranges of torque values needed and purchase appropriately. I'd expect a reasonable quality torque wrench to be @$100USD. Experienced wrench turners will often forgo using a torque wrench for anything but critical fasteners. Experience develops a feel for how tight fasteners need to be. Critical engine parts like main and connecting rod caps, head bolts, or brake rotors and wheel lugs are all great places to use a torque wrench. But is it really necessary for tightening up a valve cover? Probably not. Use the torque wrench in the beginning of your DIY career, and you will develop a feel for the appropriate tightening of fasteners.

I don't like using jackstands on a bike, or anything from underneath really. I knocked one over once trying to muscle a fastener loose. For front fork work I have suspended the bike from the ceiling with a ratchet strap to the handlebars/triple tree with the back of the bike on the centerstand.

Another good way is to get a 8ft long 2x12 board. Park bike lengthwise, make sure both centerstand legs are fully on the board, and set the bike on centerstand. Place ratchet strap under the board and through rear wheel at lowest point. Tighten up strap, or better yet have someone sit on back of bike to bring rear wheel down to board and then tighten strap. The front wheel will now be completely off the ground, and will stay there until you release the strap. A great way to completely free up the front of the machine for maintenance. Just don't trip on the board like I have a tendency to do...

RT

 

[Slydynbye]

One piece of advice that I need before I get the tools out: How do I keep the weight off the front once the wheel's off? It does seem to be a significant amount of weight!

A small scissor jack from a car works well

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

As I recommended in the other thread, you need two torque wrenches. A 3/8” drive that covers all the lower critical values like 7 and 9 ft lbs (e.g. cam follower bolts). That wrench probably reads in inch pounds. Simple conversion of the manual’s ft lb value is to multiple by 12 (9 ft lbs = 108 in lbs).

The other torque wrench should be a 1/2” version for the higher range of torque values like the axle nuts (65 and 80 ft lbs).

There are generally speaking two types of torque wrenches - the click setting type, and the torsion bar type. You’ll find folks that swear by either. I recommend the click type. Always store these at the zero setting.

You can find videos online that demonstrate how these torque wrenches work/are used.

As to supporting the ST with the front wheel removed, I highly recommend a mechanical (NOT hydraulic! AMHIKT) scissors jack under the front of the engine for precise control up and DOWN. Do not contact the oil drain boss. Also, as an added measure, replace the axle if the forks haven’t been removed and place a jackstand under it.
HTH

John

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

PS If the forks are removed and you’re a bit concerned about stability, set the scissors jack on a 5’ 2x4 with eye-bolts on the ends and use tie-downs to the tip-over bars/engine guards. I’d be quite leery suspending the front of my 700 lb ST to my garage rafters with common tie-down straps to the handlebars.

 

[Upt' North]

Only just noticed the blatant advertising Larry.
Good on ya.
Upt'North.

 

[rwthomas1]

PS If the forks are removed and you’re a bit concerned about stability, set the scissors jack on a 5’ 2x4 with eye-bolts on the ends and use tie-downs to the tip-over bars/engine guards. I’d be quite leery suspending the front of my 700 lb ST to my garage rafters with common tie-down straps to the handlebars.

To be clear, I'm not talking about hanging a 700lb motorcycle from the rafters! The bike would still be sitting on the centerstand, with the rear tire lightly contacting the ground. So maybe 120-150lbs on the strap? Not a big deal for rafters, and certainly no problem if it is truss construction.

That said, Larry Fine's idea is also a good one, although I'd like a hard point in the ground and a more vertical/direct connection to the bike.

 

[rwthomas1]

There are generally speaking two types of torque wrenches - the click setting type, and the torsion bar type. You’ll find folks that swear by either. I recommend the click type. Always store these at the zero setting.

John

There is a third type of torque wrench. The "click" style works but accuracy is poor at the low and high range of adjustment and they fall out of calibration over time and if left tightened up. The "beam" style is inherently very accurate and repeatable. The difficulty comes in use, as lining up the pointer to the scale can be difficult to impossible in some situations. It takes some skill to use well. The third type is called a "split beam" torque wrench. It combines the "beam" accuracy and reliability with "click" function and simple adjustment. I have one of these https://www.tooldiscounter.com/product/precision-instruments-torque-wrench-split-beam-20-100-ft-lb-prec2fr100f and it works very well.

RT

 

[paulcb]

I guess I'm not as cautious as you guys... I just jack it up with a board between the saddle and oil pan, with the centerstand as the fulcrum. I get it just high enough to get the front wheel out. Done this many times with zero issues.

 

[dwalby]

I guess I'm not as cautious as you guys... I just jack it up with a board between the saddle and oil pan, with the centerstand as the fulcrum. I get it just high enough to get the front wheel out. Done this many times with zero issues.

me too Paul, I stick a piece of wood between the jack and the oil pan to prevent metal-to-metal contact.

One caveat with a hydraulic jack is if you leave the bike elevated with no support for a long period of time, the jack will typically lower a little over time, which could be problematic if it retracts a lot with the front wheel (or the forks) removed. This usually takes hours or days depending on the quality of the jack and how tight you closed the release bleeder screw. I assume this is why mechanical jacks have been mentioned as a preference.