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I bought a used set of S4 forks to replace the terrible non-adjustable Marzocchis
***Disclaimer! While I'm a pretty experienced mechanic, I figured out most of this on
Let's begin. I didn't show the removal/installation of the forks themselves because
For starters, I put the fork tube in my vise with a rag between the jaws and the fork
Holding the top fork tube with your hand, unscrew the large nut on top of the fork. I didn't
Once this is loose, lower the top fork tube down and you'll see the guts of the fork.
I forgot to do this step first, so I'm doing it now. Loosen the preload adjuster (the smaller
The tube you see with the holes in it is the spring spacer. Underneath it is the damper rod,
Once you have your wrench on the nut, you can use your large wrench to remove the fork
Next, lift out the spring spacer.
Turn the fork over in a container and the spring and the oil will come out. if you move
To finish the disassembly, remove the bolt from the bottom of the fork with a long
This is the bolt that holds the fork down. It's also part of the compression valve. Don't
The cartridge should now come out of the fork tube. There will also be a small aluminum
Next, we'll remove the top tube from the fork leg. First, gently pry the dust cap out
that came with my Sport 1000. I decided to get them into shape before installing them
with some Race Tech goodies: .95kg fork springs for my 200lb weight, and Gold Valves
for the compression damping. I couldn't find any tutorials on this particular fork on
the interwebs, so I decided to document mine and post for others to see. This should be
the same for all adjustable Monster type Showas (ST4, S4R, S4 etc.).
my own with help from some web tutorials on other models of forks, Race Tech, and the
instructions that came with the Gold Valves. Take this as advice, not truth!***
it's simple, and it's probably slightly different for different bikes.
to keep it from getting scraped up. There are only two places you should grasp the fork
in the vise: the chromed lower fork leg (not too tightly so you don't warp it) and the
caliper bracket.
have a wrench large enough so I used a large crescent wrench.
nut on top of the fork) all the way. This will make the spring its loosest for easiest
disassembly.
which has a nut on the top. IIRC it's 13mm. You have to compress the spring a little to get
a wrench on it. There's a special tool for this, but I didn't have it so I just pried it
down on the spacer tube carefully with a screwdriver.
cap/rebound assembly from the fork.
the damper rod in and out it will pump all the remaining oil out of the fork.
socket or use an extension. The damper rod may start to spin. If it does, push it all the
way in with your other hand while you turn the nut.
lose the brass washer that seals it!
spacer (shown later).
with a small screwdriver.
