Page 1 of 1
96 bottom cap allen size
Posted: November 2nd, 2010, 2:41 pm
by eyesky2002
What size allen fits the bottom cap on a 96 KYB's or am I going to have to get a special tool?
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 5:16 am
by jarnott71
find the right size nut to fit in it/lock 2 of them on a bolt and you have your
self a hillbilly allen. prolly 12 or 14 dont remember?
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 5:34 am
by eyesky2002
jarnott71 wrote:find the right size nut to fit in it/lock 2 of them on a bolt and you have your
self a hillbilly allen. prolly 12 or 14 dont remember?
LOL... I had the same thought....
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 8:00 am
by 100hp honda
14mm allen. snapon guy should have a single. some auto parts stores also have them. theres a specific torque supposed to be on that bolt, i suggest the right tool. also need the tool that goes down the tubes
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 3:24 pm
by gregrobo
make your own 100 its a bit of tube with 2 tangs on it take 10 min to knock up
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 3:49 pm
by 100hp honda
they have 4 tangs but yea theyre easy to make. my point to eyesky was either make one or buy one. makes the job a breeze. theres always the option of half assing it without the tool

Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 4:59 pm
by gregrobo
and i thought you were a backyard mechanic
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 7:58 pm
by jarnott71
the right tool is the best way to go . if you only need it once a year most auto parts will lone one just leave a deposit. 14 mm allen socket costly and not used often by most, the bolt deal not a goood idea but would work in desprate times.
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 8:17 pm
by AlisoBob
Posted: November 3rd, 2010, 8:46 pm
by 100hp honda
bob has the right idea. autozone has a 4 pack with like 12-14-16-17 i think. thats what i bought because theres no harbor freight here. seems like it was $12 or somewhere around that price. snapon or matco guy should also have a single 14mm, probly $15 each though
Posted: November 4th, 2010, 5:24 pm
by eyesky2002
100hp honda wrote:14mm allen
That's the short answer I needed...

Used a bolt head to get the size and picked up a single.
Posted: November 4th, 2010, 7:12 pm
by jarnott71
thats 13 bucks for a one time use tool they suck is why they are cheap.
harbor freight is a great place to buy tools that you dont never use, if you used the shit they sell and it lasts you aint workin hard. most allen caps on
forks will need to be taken off with a impact an that pos will fuck your fork
cap up so 13 bucks plus a part and maybe atrip to the eye docter to get half a socket removed from it
Posted: November 4th, 2010, 7:59 pm
by 100hp honda
never heard of any parts store renting a 14mm allen socket, not around here anyways. if he uses it 1 time or 100 times it dont matter because he owns it and wont have to beg, borrow or steal the next time he needs it. seems like i used mine 2 times, gaurtanteed ill use it again sometime. and you dont need a impact........ if you have the tool for the tubes also

. alot of half ass mofos around here that dont know how to do shit

. first post you suggested using 2 nuts, stupidest idea i ever heard. then you back pedal saying only use 2 nuts in case of emergency

. sometimes you can fudge things and use a niggyvered tool, but on the fork bottom bolt i definatly dont recomend doing that. and your right, harbor freight tools are junk, but they "should" work for him, and if you remeber i did suggest snapon or matco as alternatives. sorry to be a dick but you sound like a shade tree mechanic trying to incorporate your backyard wisdom on the other folks around here.
Posted: November 5th, 2010, 4:48 pm
by jarnott71
the shade tree has won me 15 d-14 and national number 1 plates,championships all A and open classes doing my own work and and tunning. you aint a dick but seen you said that maybee since all your post are showing your the best mech in the world just like all my competors mech that cant make a 12,000 bike win a race.
Posted: November 5th, 2010, 5:30 pm
by scooter5002
Ok. I'm not getting in the middle of this pissing contest. I would however like to add my 2 cents worth. Without a doubt buying the right tool is the way to go. Even if you only went an bought ONE 14 mil allen socket you won't regret it. For the aforementioned " You will always have it etc." However, after losing the fucking Snap On(tm) one that I bought and being exceptionally bitter about it, I came up with a new plan. Since I already was into the new era Twin Chamber Showas, I went and bought a 14 mil allen key and sawed off the bend and then sawed the remainder in half. Giving me TWO more pieces to lose. Figure I might be awhile accomplishing that. Great thing about this new setup is you just take a 14 mil socket, jam the allen key into it and POOF you are in business. Instant el-cheapo tool. Also, I would add that you should NEVER impact the cap into the bottom of the fork! Like the previous owner of my 450 did. Stripped the hex trying to get it out ( it was already well on its way when I got the bike) and had to drill out the plug using increasingly larger drills to almost the size of the threads and then use a chisel to break off the excess material on the seating surface. When THAT was done used the chisel like a screwdriver to turn out the remains of the plug. Didn't take that long but the potential for screwing up the fork lug is there. Luckily I got the drill dead center in the plug and got the job done. The moral of the story? Do not use an impact gun to run the plugs into the fork lug. I use a socket and Johnson bar, with AXLE IN THE LUG to keep it from turning. The plugs don't need to be super tight anyway and minimal torque on clean surfaces will be more than enough to do the job. IMHO
Posted: November 5th, 2010, 6:16 pm
by jarnott71
i was talkin about taking the cap out most older forks havent ben taken apart in 10 years , use a torkwrench not from harbor fraight an accurate one to put the cap in. the best thing i can say is read a book on it. the hillbilly thing was a joke and eyesky under stood that if some one ask a question on the net they get all kinds. this is all igot to say about removeing a stupid fork cap
Posted: November 5th, 2010, 7:06 pm
by scooter5002
Lol You go through what I went through and trust me you'll have a LOT more to say after the battle is over. Sadly that was on 04 that was 2 years old. Ever hear of "Tongue in cheek?" Sounds like you have lots of wrenching experience Jarnot. Not knockin on anyone. Learned some hard lessons making more problems while trying to fix the initial one. Kind of the "Up to your ass in alligators thing".