[blanksky]

Trying to rebuild the forks on this 74 cb200. I tried to remove the hex bolt in the bottom of one with a t-wrench and breaker bar as recommended, and it just stripped the head out. Is there anything I can do about this? Or should I just rebuild one leg and abandon the rebuild on the stripped one?

 

[Gixxer-18]

It's not game over yet! Have you got a photo of the hex in the M8 Allen head? Have you undone the nut on the top of the fork? If you have you may need to put it back in with a couple of washers underneath to preload the spring. If the hex is wrecked in the M8 you can drill and fit an easy out to remove the bolt. Use some heat to loosen the bolt. An impact screwdriver with the correct Allen head may also help and failing that a windy gun might be the last resort. Take some pictures first so we can advise you.
Nigel.

 

[Richard_Pitman]

This worked for me, after conventional tools failed.

 

[bilbikek411]

This worked for me, after conventional tools failed.

View attachment 210073

Ditto for me many times when I had one that needed removed after the inner hex on the allen bolt rounded-off.I used an SAE allen bit:I forced/tapped the next larger size allen bit into the 6mm original size allen bolt hex and it gripped enough to carefully & straightly use the impact to slowly back it out.I then replaced the allen bolt w/ a new one.

 

[wentwest]

I just used a conventional drill bit and drilled into the head until the head popped off. Use a bit the same size or a tiny bit larger than the diameter of the bolt shaft. The stub you leave in the inner piece will unscrew very easily after you take the strut apart.

 

[FrankyV]

I just used a conventional drill bit and drilled into the head until the head popped off. Use a bit the same size or a tiny bit larger than the diameter of the bolt shaft. The stub you leave in the inner piece will unscrew very easily after you take the strut apart.

This simple technique worked for me as well

 

[enb54]

I realize this is late.... Sometimes using a Dremel tool and one of the small carbide bits will also work. This type of bolt removal is always very difficult, just be very patient and don't wreck the threads. Good Luck!!!

 

[magconpres]

Torx bits also work well for stripped Allen bolts. Get one just a bit larger than the Allen bolt and hammer it in. Preload the spring or get/build a dampning rod holder. Use an impact wrench. A bit of Heat on the bolt helps as well.

 

[tbpmusic]

Always best to loosen those bolts and the fork tube top bolts/nuts while they're still installed on the stem and clamps.
Only takes once to learn.

 

[GeoAdman]

Hi, I'm a new member with a fork rebuild problem I just can't figure out. I'm rebuilding the fork on my 1966 CL160 Scrambler. I successfully loosened the hex bolts at the bottom using a heat gun and breaker bar. Now they just seem to be turning but not coming out. I've looked in a Clymer manual and the Honda parts catalog but don't see anything that suggests what I'm doing wrong. How do I get these bolts out??

 

[Richard_Pitman]

The bolt screws into the bottom of the damper rod, inside the fork leg. The damper rod is free to rotate, so it just turns along with the screw, preventing it from undoing.

An impact wrench, air or electric, also known as a 'rattle gun', uses the impact to loosen the bolt, then spins it so fast against the inertia of the damper rod that it unscrews easily.

The other approach is to use some sort of tool to immobilise the damper rod. Sometimes just reassembling the fork leg is sufficient, the pressure of the suspension spring being enough to stop the rod rotating.

 

[mike in idaho]

The CL160 doesn't have a damper assembly, as in later machines, in the bottom fork leg. The bolt screws into a cone-shaped piece that serves as a kind of hydraulic stop to keep the fork from bottoming out. It isn't necessary to remove that part to disassemble the fork leg. Honda doesn't list any part #s for it, it's considered to be part of the lower fork leg. To disassemble the fork leg, remove the snap ring and seal, then pull the inner tube out of the leg. When you get it apart and things cleaned up, hold some down pressure on the bump stop with a broom handle or wooden dowel to hold it steady while you tighten the bolt.

 

[Richard_Pitman]

Thanks for the clarification. I tried to find an exploded diagram of the CB160 fork on CMNSL, but that website wasn't cooperating with me this evening, just assumed fork internals were the same as CB/CL175K7 / CB200.

 

[GeoAdman]

Thanks Mike in Idaho and you too Richard Pitman. Everything makes sense now. I thought it was odd the parts book didn't show those bolts. I was concerned about just powering out the inner tube. Also, any advice about removing the seals or where I can get new seals if I damage the ones in there?

 

[mike in idaho]

With the snap ring out, secure the fork tube in a vise(or back in the triple clamp) and use the weight of the fork leg as slide hammer, pulling it downward. The lower bushing, on the fork tube, will push the upper bushing and seal out.