I pulled my forks to change out fork seals so I thought I would document the process and offer it here for others to use. As others have mentioned, it is possible to change out fork seals with the forks still on the bike, but it can be messy. Taking the fork out of the triple tree was easier for me since I could take it to the bench in my shop. Also, for Interstate models, which is what I have, it is not necessary to remove the fairing either.
Tools you will need: motorcycle jack or a way to get the front wheel off the ground, 8mm, 12mm and 22mm sockets, 5mm, 6mm and 8mm hex sockets or wrenches, Philips screwdriver and a hammer.
Start with removing the two 8mm bolts holding the brake line clips that are located on the fender above and behind the brake calipers. These will need to come off to get the fender off, and it’s easier to get the caliper off if you have some play in the lines, so start with these. Leave the brake hoses in the clips, just remove the bolts from the fender. They are the chrome clips in the top right of the picture:
Now you can remove the brake calipers by removing the two 12mm chrome bolts on each caliper (center of picture). The calipers should be tight on the brake disks if the bike has been ridden. Be patient and work them off, don’t beat on them. If the pads are extremely worn and/or the bike has been sitting a long time its possible they are corroded/rusted in place, if so you are probably on your way to a brake caliper rebuild and this is only the beginning. If you think that’s your issue, a rubber mallet may help dislodge them. I’d cover them with a cloth or something to prevent marring, its easy to damage the finish.
On the left side of the bike (as you are sitting on it), down near the axle bolt is the speedo – you can find it by following the cable. There is a philips head screw down on the bottom that holds the cable and housing to the wheel. It’s the larger screw on the bottom right in this pic:
From here the front wheel needs to go up in the air. There are several options in Shoptalk for making a Valkyrie jack shim to keep the bike level when you raise it, this is just the one I made. Note how the 2x2 fits into the “pocket” of the sidestand bracket.
Once the front wheel is off the ground, loosen (don’t remove) the 4 6mm hex bolts clamping the axle.
Now loosen (but don’t fully remove – yet) the 22mm axle bolt on the right side. Using a rubber mallet or hammer, tap on the bolt head to drive the axle out to the left, enough that you get a screwdriver through the hole in the axle head.
Remove the 22mm bolt and pull the axle through the wheel toward the left. NOTE: the wheel weighs a few pounds, and if you have the front end high in the air it will drop suddenly and may rock the bike off the stand. I would recommend you have the wheel only an inch or so off the ground when you pull the axle. I rest the wheel on my feet and push up with my feet on the wheel while I am pulling the axle. This takes the weight off the axle and allows the wheel to drop a little more gently. If its close to the ground the wheel will stay under the fender and won’t go anywhere when you pull the axle out.
Axle looks like this:
Now put the bike up high enough to get the wheel to roll out from under the fender. When the wheel comes out, watch for the speedo housing on the left side and a spacer on the right side.
Speedo:
Note that the speedo housing only fits one way on the axle and there is a small tab on it that lines up with a tab on the fork to keep the speedo from spinning on the axle while driving. Don't miss this when you put it back together or you will be buying a new speedo cable! Also, on the silver drive part of the speedo, you will see a flat piece of metal sticking out where the drive meets up with the black box piece. This "blade" is what drives the speedo, and needs to be lined up with the inside of the black box when you reinstall it. Look inside the hole in the black box to see how the slot is aligned and move the speedo "blade" to match it. Don't force it back together, it should go together easily if the slot and blade are lined up correctly.
Spacer:
Fender removal time. Two 5mm allen head screws hold each side. These are soft aluminum so don’t get in a rush and strip them.
With the bolts out, work the fender forward through the forks. It may take a little finagling, but it will come out without having to remove the two chrome deflectors.
Once the fender is off, move up to the top of the forks and find the triple tree bolts – two 6mm on the lower tree and one 8mm on the upper.
Following is how to remove the fork - maybe not needed for your repair. To leave the tubes on the bike, just loosen the top triple tree bolt (8mm). This allows the cap to spin when you open the tube.
Before you remove the fork – look carefully at the alignment of the tops of the forks with the triple tree. When you put them back you will need to line them up correctly.
Now loosen (don’t remove) all three on one side and pull the fork tube down and out of the triple tree. Same for the other side.
From here I replaced the seals, a pretty straightforward job, many good tutorials are online so I won't cover that part.
Also, when reassembling, there is a specific sequence for how the tire goes back on described in multiple places on this site. You should reference these if you haven't taken the front wheel off before.
Lastly, when you go to put it back together, it’s probably worth looking up the torque spec on these bolts. In several cases these are steel bolts going into aluminum threads or vice versa, something you don’t want to get too aggressive with. Too loose and your front end might head off down the highway without you, too tight and you will be researching how to retap stripped threads or buying new bolts!
