Fork tool hex size

Does anybody recall what size the bolt head should be whan making a fork tool? Ie the hex size on the damping piston that is locked by the insex bolt from the bottom of the fork.

/A

What are You working on?

Currently an Gpz900r -89 but it's the same size as on my Gpz750 -82, Gpz750 -83 and Gpz1100 -84.

Back in the eighties I made a copy of the Kawasaki tool but I can't for my life remember the hex size 22 ot 24 mm is my guess.

Guess I have to dismantle a fork.

/A

Sorry my Friend, don't have anything that new for comparison. I do my share of "conventional" forks and have never owned a "tool" to hold the damper rod. I just flip them over still assembled, this way the spring pressure keeps contact on damper to keep it from spinning. Then chuck-up an Allen socket on an air impact, they come fast and fuss free. But..perhaps you may not have access to air and other tools needed??

scubaanders wrote:

Currently an Gpz900r -89 but it's the same size as on my Gpz750 -82, Gpz750 -83 and Gpz1100 -84.

Back in the eighties I made a copy of the Kawasaki tool but I can't for my life remember the hex size 22 ot 24 mm is my guess.

Guess I have to dismantle a fork.

/A

All the tools I have seen are tapered square not hex ?? there seems to be two different sizes 

I have the 3/8th smaller one. Did the Zeph11, ST and the GPz11 A1 with it.

Commonly, the hex on the bottom of a spark plug socket will work.  Put a long extension into the open end of the socket, with the hex facing down.  

I think you’re gonna need 24mm, cause the GPZ900 has 39mm fork tubes, which is the same as my Zephyr 550, and 24 works in mine. 

Je viens de vérifier un modèle de plongée ZX750. Il vous faut une clé Allen de 19 mm.

Tks for all the inputs guys.
I was under the impression that it was a standard size, but now I know better. lately i have used the impact but i am afraid that I would strip the threads.
Will give Ness suggestion a algo for now and then ground down a t-handle to get that tapered shape.

Tks guys

/A

scubaanders wrote:

Does anybody recall what size the bolt head should be whan making a fork tool? Ie the hex size on the damping piston that is locked by the insex bolt from the bottom of the fork.

/A
 

Hello Scubaanders,
I've had problems with removing damper rods as I'm sure most of you have. Not done correctly the fork slider can be damaged. I always try to see if a hex will do the job before I break out the tapered universal tool. I have had success with a 22mm hex on my KZ1100 Shaft and with a 24 mm hex on my KZ1300.
Regards
Bill 

Wookie58 wrote:

All the tools I have seen are tapered square not hex ?? there seems to be two different sizes 

special tools like that were used on the earlier forks because they didn't have a hex shape that a hex-tool would fit into, and Kawasaki seems to have continued listing the tapered style for later models even though they had an inner cylinder with a hex shape. for example the 750-4 fsm lists a tapered tool but the inner cylinder is 19mm on the 82 750-Ltd and other 80s manuals are the same even though a hex tool would work.