Gen1 compression damper seized

[Jez]

The fork compression damper adjusters are both seized on my Gen1. There have been suggestions about freeing them up but I am considering replacing them. The parts list I have does not show the adjusters so I have a few questions:


Do the whole assemblies just unscrew from, and then screw in to, the fork leg (surely they locate with some mechanism)?
Are they expensive to buy?
Does anyone have a parts list which shows them?


Have not started the job yet but the bike shakes it's head sometimes and I don't know where the adjusters are set  .

[steeeve66]

you're not the first to have hit this problem. They don't sell the item separately (i did a thread on this issue, having written to Yamaha and been fobbed off, a couple of years back - see below) and will only sell them as part of the fork lower assembly. So far as I know no one else (like K-Tech) does a replacement either.
In the end i had to go to a breakers yard to get a replacement that wasn't seized. What irritated me a little was that, somewhere in Japan, there's a box full of these things...

http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,236.msg1354.html#msg1354

[Jez]

Wow. That'll be why they are not shown then. So are they removable/servicable?


BTW I sure will email Yam using your email address from your other post.

[steeeve66]

they're removable, sure - just (carefully) unscrew it - but my seized one wasn't repairable, i tried; soaked in penetrating oil etc. eventually the brass screw just got mangled.

If everyone wrote to Yamaha they might shift their position a little...?

Just a thought.

[locksmith]

I don't think a few complaints about a screw for a 7 year old bike will spur them into action

[Jez]

Waahaahaa!!! According to www.yamahamotorcyclespares.co.uk a complete outer leg from Scamaha is £387.97  .




I wish it were funny as I guess I'll have to remove the forks one by one and try to loosen the adjusters. Not a very impressive design flaw.


FWIW I have emailed Yamaha but am not expecting anything  .


Thanks for the info, steeeve66.

[solorider]

Waahaahaa!!! According to www.yamahamotorcyclespares.co.uk a complete outer leg from Scamaha is £387.97  .




I wish it were funny as I guess I'll have to remove the forks one by one and try to loosen the adjusters. Not a very impressive design flaw.


FWIW I have emailed Yamaha but am not expecting anything  .


Thanks for the info, steeeve66.

I wouldn't go by their prices, I would check with your local dealer as in most cases they will be cheaper, cmnsl list the fork bottom at €328 so generally a uk dealer would be slightly lower in pounds figure. An example they wanted £97 for a set of handlebars and my local yamaha dealer charged me £56 as I had to get it posted to the dealer.

[nickodemon]

I had seized ones on a 21'000 mile bike i owned a few years ago. Gave it to bike shop to free off and the idiots heated it so much that the whole unit rotated, not the brass screw. This was after me soaking it with freeze spray,heat spray, silkopen etc.. Sometimes it ain't going to free off, so a new bottom leg is required

[Jez]

If everyone wrote to Yamaha they might shift their position a little...?

Just a thought.

I did try contacting Yamaha and this is what they said (surprise surprise):


We thank you for your further enquiry on the subject of your Yamaha FZS1000.
 
As may be seen from the relevant page from this models parts list, the compression damper adjusters are only available as part of a larger assembly.
 
We regret therefore, that there is no opportunity to order these damper adjusters separately.
 
We are sorry to disappoint in this matter. 
 
 Regards,
 
 Customer Service
 Service Department
 After Sales Division
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