I've stripped my non adjustable Showa forks down and fitted new seals but now hit a snag on reassembly. The damper rod that is held in place by the M6 allen bolt that passes up from the bottom spins as I'm doing the bolt up. It's too deep in the tube to grip with anything. Is there a technique for reassembly that I'm missing or a special tool that's needed to hold it?
This is how I held the damper rod in place so I could tighten it. I've used 460cc of 5W oil in each leg and on the 20 mile run I did today I think the front suspension feels better. Before I rebuilt them the front was really harsh but not any more.
Dan, reassemble the fork, but don't put the oil in it. To do that bolt up the fork needs to be fully preloaded, and if it's still spinning there is a tool to lock the cartridge in place, but hopefully, fully preloaded the fork cartridge should stay put while you do it up. Make sure you replace the crush washer to seal it as well.
This looks like the same diagram as in the Haynes manual. I don't have part #17 on my forks. The top cap threads onto the upper damper rod and a lock nut holds it.
