350X fork rebuild advice

[C Kerley]

I just took my front forks in to my local bike shop guy and he quoted me almost $300 to rebuild them. He told me the bushings and wipers were the most expensive part, and 2 hours labor.

He did tell me that he could do without the bushings. But he thought they would need them for sure, and I'd probably be re-doing it in time anyway. This guy has worked on my bikes several times and always does me fair, and he was even apologizing because he knew it was really high.

Do I need those bushings and wipers? And what about that price?

[wonderboy]

Checking prices on-line using Honda parts, it looks like seals are about $15 per side (assuming this is what is meant by wipers), and the bushing is about $10 each. So, $50 in parts. How much is your time worth? I guess you have to throw in another $10-$15 if you want to get some official fork oil (instead of the ATF the service manual talks about).

To be honest, I've rebuilt a few sets of front forks and I've never replaced the bushings. I'm not sure if your's are extremely worn out, or how you would even tell, but I've had luck without replacing these.

Disassembling and reassembling the forks really isn't hard. About the only "special" tool (not really that special) is a good snap ring pliers (90 degree works best). Then just clean everything up real good and re-assemble. The seals are probably the most important part during the rebuild, and there nothing very special about installing them. Check out the service manual for good pictures and instructions.

[C Kerley]

Thanks wonderboy, I just looked at the schematic on servicehonda and the prices sure don't match what he was telling me. I also don't understand what he meant by "wipers" unless he was referring to the dust caps. I have my manual, I'll do some homework and see if I can figure out what I need.

I called a friend of mine who just got layed off and he told me he'd do it for the price of a Starbucks coffee. I think I'll also look over his shoulder while he does them so I'll have some darn understanding about the inside of a shock!