Replacing 1976 GT500 Fork Seals

For those wanting to keep their bike the way the factory made them.

Moderators: oldjapanesebikes, H2RICK, diamondj, Suzsmokeyallan

Post Reply
Redhawk4
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 06, 2020 6:46 pm
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1976 GT500
Location: Utah

Replacing 1976 GT500 Fork Seals

Post by Redhawk4 »

I've tried searching the internet and have looked at a Suzuki manual and a Haynes manual but am still unclear as to how to remove the lower legs from the fork. The Suzuki manual says to remove the circlips from above the fork seal and then take it apart, no further information other than not to undo the bolt in the bottom of the leg, which is how I have done seals on my Kawasaki's and other bikes. Basically I seem to have everything undone, but the bottom of the leg will not budge and it feels like something is holding it in place. What am I missing? there must be something obvious but I don't want to apply more force if I'm doing something wrong. It's a 1976 Suzuki GT500 just to clarify the model etc.

Any advice greatly appreciated, and my thanks to all on the forum for the wealth of information posted here that has been so useful with other projects.
1976 GT500
1980 SP400
Redhawk4
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 06, 2020 6:46 pm
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1976 GT500
Location: Utah

Re: Replacing 1976 GT500 Fork Seals

Post by Redhawk4 »

OK, I answered my own question the lower leg wont come off because of the seal and the spacer under it which has a lip that is a bigger diameter than ID of the seal. However what made things so much easier was heating the lower leg where the seal sits with a heat gun, the seal came loose in two bangs of using the lower leg like a slide hammer, as opposed to not budging at all with numerous previous attempts and greater force applied.

I also found by just applying a little heat to the lower leg before fitting the new seal that it made that go in much easier too, I managed to use the old seal with a plastic faced soft hammer to tap the seal in and then put the washer on top of the seal and then used the old seal again to drive it home, very little force required with a little WD40 for some lube.

My "old seals" were actually fairly new fitted by a PO who I believe added too much fork oil which is what started the leak and then a major release of fluid when I fitted the SBS pads and could brake hard enough to get plenty of fork dive. I have to say the AllBalls seals I fitted seemed superior in design to the ones already in there and the forks are completely oil tight now.

I hope this may help someone else at least, who is confused due to so little information on these forks, really a simple job, but when those seals are tight and you are sliding that fork lower up and down like a slide hammer to no avail, you start to wonder if there isn't something else holding it - it sounds that solid.
Last edited by Redhawk4 on Mon Oct 12, 2020 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1976 GT500
1980 SP400
karl pa
To the on ramp
Posts: 490
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2015 3:14 pm
Country: us
Suzuki 2-Strokes: GT
Location: southeast pa

Re: Replacing 1976 GT500 Fork Seals

Post by karl pa »

Welcome to the forum.
Glad you got it figured out , I knew the bolt isn't to come out but didn't know how it is disassembled. :up:
76 GT185
77 GT250
77 GT380
76 GT500
73 GT550
73 GT750
74 GT750
71 T250 scrambler
75 T500 cafe
Redhawk4
Still in the Driveway
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 06, 2020 6:46 pm
Country: United States
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1976 GT500
Location: Utah

Re: Replacing 1976 GT500 Fork Seals

Post by Redhawk4 »

I don't think taking the bolt out is as big a deal as they make out in the Suzuki manual where they say it can get the rod out of center and rub on the spring, I took mine apart any way as I'd already loosened them they seemed to relocate "automatically" in the center, and who is to say they haven't been undone and removed before?. It doesn't help in getting the pieces separated, but it made it easier to thoroughly clean the inside of the leg of all the old oil and some residue that had obvioulsy not been removed by previous oil changes and seal replacement.
1976 GT500
1980 SP400
Post Reply