Lower Fork Bridge Ball Joint

[delpel]

Can you chaps tell me how you go about tightening the nut that secures the ball joint to the swinging arm/leading link.

The manual shows a special tool that fits over the nut and allows an allen key to be used to hold the ball joint. Then tighten to 130Nm

My thoughts were to put the allen key in and tighten the nut as tight as I can.

Any other ideas or info

 

[littleredrooster]

Do you mean the nut which holds the ball-joint to the leading link (which is wot you said), or the huge 36mm bolt which holds it to the fork bridge? I am fairly sure that the 130 Nm applies to this one, not the 17mm (?) nut which holds it to the leading link.

 

[delpel]

Yep, it's the smaller 21mm nut on top of the leading link. On page 31.11 of the manual it says to use a new nut or clean and loctite the old one and tighten to 130Nm. The big Mother Fu*^er gets tightened to 230Nm

 

[littleredrooster]

Ahhhh.....I knew it was something-30Nm. I stand corrected. I just put an allen key in the top of the joint and a ring spanner over the nut and PULLED!

 

[delpel]

Yep, thats what I will try then. The tool in the manual allows for the allen key to fit in a cut-out in a long socket. Ishall just put an extension bar on the ring spanner and give it some beans

 

[Guzzler]

You can make your own tools (that's what I did). Using a proper sized hex key, and deepwall socket.

Just be sure to clean the threads, and use the RED Loctite (the more permanate type).

Don't try to just tighten with the hex key, it doesn't work. I had an issue before when the dealer had to replace my telelever (fuel stains) and they forgot to use the red Loctite. Ended up with a really sloppy front end that would "clunk" when ever I hit the brakes. Tried several different methods before finally breaking down and making my own tools.

This really worked in my advantage a year later when I bent the telelever when I hit a rock while off road. Made the replacement process so much easier.

The hardest thing to replace it the actual ball joint. That is a real pain!! You need a really deep / large socket and a bracket for the fork bridge. Even my local dealer didn't have the tools. Ended up reusing the old ball joint. (the ball joint in the first picture was the replacment I ordered)