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Post by ruckspeeder on Nov 15, 2020 19:13:39 GMT -5
Hello everybody,
I was recently replacing the front brake shoes on my 2006 Ruckus when I ran into a very peculiar problem. When I was reassembling my front end, I noticed that one of the forks was lower than the other one. Upon further investigation I noticed that the left side fork was completely compressed and would not move what so ever. Up until this point, I never even knew that Ruckus's came with front suspension because it has never worked during my ownership. I took the fork out and removed the dust seal and the snap ring inside the fork body. The issue that I am having now is that the piston assembly will not come out of the shock body no matter how much force I use. Has this happened to anybody else? does anybody have an ideas as to what the failure could be and or how to get the fork taken apart? Thank you for your time and input!
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Post by Baizy on Nov 16, 2020 17:42:42 GMT -5
Hello everybody, I was recently replacing the front brake shoes on my 2006 Ruckus when I ran into a very peculiar problem. When I was reassembling my front end, I noticed that one of the forks was lower than the other one. Upon further investigation I noticed that the left side fork was completely compressed and would not move what so ever. Up until this point, I never even knew that Ruckus's came with front suspension because it has never worked during my ownership. I took the fork out and removed the dust seal and the snap ring inside the fork body. The issue that I am having now is that the piston assembly will not come out of the shock body no matter how much force I use. Has this happened to anybody else? does anybody have an ideas as to what the failure could be and or how to get the fork taken apart? Thank you for your time and input! Here's a quick link for the purchase of new parts 😉 www.bike-parts-honda.ca/honda-motorcycle/50-SCOOTER/RUCKUS/2006/NPS50S6/Frame/FRONT-FORK--STEERING-STEM/96387/F_08/2/6389To get the piston out I'd clamp the top end in a vise with wooden padding so the fork wouldn't get marred then put a steel rod through the axle hole. Twisting the rod should break the piston free and send the lower half of the shock launching into your chest. If you don't have access to a vise then you'll have to get creative on how you hold the top half steady. Maybe "test" a vise at your local hardware store? Best of luck to you! |
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Post by ruckspeeder on Nov 23, 2020 17:31:33 GMT -5
An update for the many people heavily invested in this thread. I was able to mount the fork in a vice as Baizy suggested. I then used a long screwdriver placed in the axle eyelet to get leverage to maybe twist and pull the piston out. This technique allowed me to get about 2 inches of extension before it became impossible to turn. At this point I accepted defeat and wanted to try anything just to get the darndest thing apart. Out to the driveway we go... I placed a piece of scrap wood under the piston for support and wedged the fork under a car tire. At this point I ran a ratchet strap through the axle eyelet and hooked the strap to the tow hitch of my truck. I began to wrench on the ratchet strap, trying to pull the fork apart. I thought this method was working as I was getting a little bit of extension, but then my truck started to slide and the ratchet strap exploded causing shrapnel to fly all over. I then ordered a preowned set of forks to replace the seized one. I will be cutting the old fork apart to try to examine what happened and I will provide an update when that happens. For anyone having the same issue I had, just get new forks. There are plenty of very nice aftermarket suspension upgrades for the ruckus as I am finding out and you can always just purchase a use or new OEM set.
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Post by Baizy on Nov 25, 2020 0:01:58 GMT -5
Sounds like you had some great fun, and I had a laugh reading this! Shame you put the ruck out of commission, but I'm glad you got a replacement coming. Keep us all (and me) posted on what you find in the strut. For science of course.
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Post by livingbyfaith on Jul 11, 2021 0:08:04 GMT -5
Okay, I totally ran into this problem. Both of my forks were severely seized and here is what I did that was the easiest. - I supported the frame with a block of wood so that the front tire was off the ground.
- I took the front tire and assembly off so the forks were still in the triples trees.
- I took the dust seal and snap ring off.
- I did try putting the forks in the vice, but this did not work well for me. I have rubber covers for the claws of the vise and no matter how hard I tightened the vice the forks would still move. So, I reinstalled the forks back into the triple trees. This was very nice and held them very well.
- Next, you can do one of two things. If you have a bolt or a rod you can use them, but they have to be long enough to hold on one side of the fork and hammer on the other side of the fork. Also, you will most likely bend whatever you use. So, the hard the steel the better. I personally used a prybar. I bought a set a long time ago from Harbor Freight. They usually come in a set of 4. It slid right through the hole at the base of the shock.
- I took a towel and wrapped it around one side of the prybar. I then took my hammer and hit the other side of the prybar as it passed through the eyelet of the lower fork. It was really stuck, but after about 10-15 hits it came apart.
I was able to clean everything up using my parts machine washer. The inside was like hard crusted grease, dirt, and rust, but I used a wire brush and drill and cleaned almost all of it out. The forks, once all cleaned and greased, worked great! Such a simple fork as they don't require fluid, but they do require a specific amount of grease in specific areas. If you ride your Ruckus much I would suggest riders put this on their once a year maintenance plan. |
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