E150 Fork Maintenance Manual

Tools Needed: Bike Stand Ratchet Wrench Small, Large 10 mm deep socket 30mm deep socket Torque Wrench with 4mm Allen head Rubbing Alcohol Rubber Mallet Long thin rod (To to push cleaning towel through lowers ) 15mm open end wrench Clean Grease brush Grease: Recommended Slick Honey, Slickoleum, Silolene RG2 10 weight. suspension oil, Bel Ray recommended 20 cc beaker or syringe 5mm Allen wrench 6mm Allen wrench Shop Rags Scott Brand lint-free shop towels Shallow Used Oil Collection Pan Used Oil Recycling Container Punch Shock Pump 1. Use a 6mm Allen to remove the front wheel from the fork Allen the front wheel the fork. Remove either Brake lever from handle bar or brake caliper from fork (whichever is easier). During fork service, Do not allow oil to contaminate Brake Rotor or Brake Caliper. Using a small screwdriver remove the Compression Adjust knob and Attitude Adjust knob. Clean the fork lowers and stanchions with a clean rag and alcohol or degreaser.

2. Place a Shallow Used Oil collection pan beneath fork. Remove the air cap from the Air Spring Cartridge. No Need to release air pressure from Air Spring. Using a 10mm deep socket, loosen nuts and washers from Air and Damper cartridges, until flush with bottom thread. Using a 30mm socket wrench, completely loosen the cartridge heads from the stanchion tubes. Using a Rubber Mallet lightly tap the broad surface of each nut to loosen the cartridges from the lowers. Remove nut and washer from each cartridge and allow used oil to drip into shallow used oil collection pan. Remove cartridges, wipe clean. Check Damper cartridge pressure, "Spike Valve Chamber," make sure it is set to 50 psi

3. Slowly Remove lowers allowing used oil to drip into pan. Inspect the used oil for contamination. Empty oil into used oil recycling container. Use lint free towel and rubbing alcohol to thoroughly clean stanchions and dust seals. Inspect stanchions and seals for damage. Use a 15mm open end wrench and carefully pry dust seals.

4. Remove foam rings from the lowers. Inspect foam rings for damage. (Some foam rings come with a diagonal cut, some are complete circle) If you are re-using the original foam rings, carefully squeeze out the used grease. Clean foam rings under warm water. Allow to dry. When clean and dry, soak foam rings in 10wt. Oil.

5. Using alcohol and lint free towels, carefully clean the areas where the dust seal and foam rings sit in the fork lowers. *Be careful not to allow dirt to fall into the lowers. Using a dull tip rod, carefully insert lint free towel into lower and wipe clean inner lower and bushing surfaces. *Do not scratch bushing surfaces. Make sure rod is thin enough to fit throught the lowers bottom holes, push towel up without scratching bushing surfaces. Using grease brush put honey slick grease into lowers where foam ring will sit. Once fork leg assembly has been cleaned and greased, if you have the diagnolly cut foam rings, now install into lower legs.

If you are using foam rings that aren't split, skip to step 7.
*There is a risk of cutting the non-cut foam ring when sliding the stanchions past the dust wipers into the lowers.

the lowers.

6. Make sure both of the saturated foam rings are sitting in the groove right above the upper bushings. Replace the clean dust wiper seals onto the lowers. Cautiously use a broad surface Allen key or punch to seat seals evenly. Carefully slide stanchions into the lowers, make sure the foam rings and dust wipers do not get hung up on the stanchions.

7. If you are using a foam ring that is not split. First slide the clean dust wipers onto the stanchions, then slide on foam rings. Slowly slide the stanchions into the lowers, seat the foam rings and dust wipers. Carefully use a broad surface Allen key or punch to seat the dust wipers.

8. Slide lower to top of stanchions. Drop Damper cartridge on the drive side and the Air Spring cartridge on the non-drive. With the cartridge tips exposed at the bottom , torque 60 in-lbs, 6.8 N*m closed nut and washer onto Damper cartridge. Torque 60 in-lbs, 6.8 N*m exposed nut and washer onto Air Spring Cartridge. Use a syringe or a beaker and pour 20cc's of 10wt. oil into each fork leg from the exposed top.

9. Using a 30mm wrench, tighten the cartridge heads into the fork stanchions 87 in-lbs, 9.8 N*m. Re-check torque on bottom nuts. Make sure compression screw is fully exposed by turning clockwise. Using a small screwdriver, now install compression knob and screw. Next install the 2 screws on the Attitude Adjust knob onto the Air Spring cartridge. Re-install front wheel torque through axle to 40 in-lbs, 4.5 N*m. and lightly torque axle pinch bolts to 40 in-lbs, 4.5 N*m.

10. Check alignment of stanchion tubes. Loosen and realign if necessary, lightly re-torque crown pinch bolts. Release air from Air Spring. Remove bike from bike stand. Compress Fork so that the stanchions are fully engaged in both sets of bushings. While Stanchions are fully engaged in both sets of bushings in the lowers: Loosen all 6 lower/upper crown bolts. Re-torque lower crown bolts to 55 in-lbs, 6.1 N*m. *Alternate between each bolt so that they have equal torque. Re-torque upper crown pinch bolts to 75 in-lbs, 8.5 N*m. Re-inflate Air Spring. Re-install air cap.