Majesty saga

As told, I picked up a 98 Majesty 250 superscoot last weekend for
under 500 quid, bargain I thought.
The fork seals were badly fucked so I ordered new seals online and
started pulling it apart. Every damn piece of front end plastic has
to come off, the umpteen fastners submitted eventually.
OK, so open up the forks and change the seals - how hard can it be.

Impossible is the answer because you need a special Yamaha tool to
hold the inner plunger to undo the bottom bolt. So off the forks go
to the local dealer, another 110 quid and 2 days later I get to
start reassembly and blast the online seller for sending the wrong
seals.

Finally got it back together today, only 3 panel screws left over,
no more pannel rattles, engine sounds good and it rides nicely, plenty
of performance for scoot duties.

In it goes for an MOT next week. What can possibly go wrong ?.

 

Whaaat? £110 just to pull a pair of forks apart (and you supplied the
forks ready for the pulling apart) and fit new seals? You've been ripped
off.

30 minutes to separate each leg, fit new seal, reassemble and add new
fork oil. That's an hour, Add 50% for luck. That's an hour and a half's
labour.

 

Yamaha main dealer rate. 1 1/2 hours at £60.00 plus parts and oil.
If you think that is bad try the Renault dealer who charges £75 ph to
work on the Master.

Main dealers all take the piss but the special tool is a main dealer
workshop item. Grrrrrr.

 

Oh well. At least I got the time factor right ;-)

 

A sharpened broom handle is equally effective.

 

Indeed it can be.

I assumed at first these forks might be UD ones requiring a slide hammer
tool to insert the seals. I've not found anyway of codging up something
to do that job, though I've wondered whether split plastic pipe and zip
ties might just do the trick.

Nordwests are becoming the subject of restoration these days, so not all
'SOBs' have conventional forks.


--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Why?

 

There was a baggie containing 7 panel screws under the seat, so I found
homes for 4 of them. I have not yet removed anything rear of the
footboards so more sins will doubtless be discovered.
it might even stop clattering when everything it nailed down.

 

Steve Parry wrote:

I take the forks out and hold them in the vice by the sliders and get
someone else to compress the forks while I undo the bolts. Never had
one beat me yet.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)