1976 Yamaha YZ 125 X how to replace the front fork seals
These are pretty easy if these are stock forks,,, you can actually do it without losing any for oil. I used to do it all the time in the dealership. DO NOT remove the fork caps yet,,just loosen the cap about 2 turns. Remove the forks from the bike, Secure them, one at a time in a vertical position, I had a LARGE vice sitting on the floor. You want to remove the cap now and hold onto the fork leg so it does not slide down real fast!!!! Ease it down until the spring shows, remove the spring almost all the way until all the oil drips off the spring, remove it and lay it somewhere clean. Slowly lower the leg into the slider, remove the seal protector, Look at the fork seal, there is a snap ring that holds the seal in, carefully remove it. Take a 4mm drill bit (.160"+-) and drill two holes in the top of the seal, 180 apart. I had a "hook" tool I used to work the seal out. Once its out, slide it up and over the tube, CLEAN the fork tube!! CAREFULLY oil the new seal and carefully work it over the tube, slide it into place and work it down, now with a FLAT drift tap a little at a time until you can install the snap ring fully seated!! Raise the tube, install the spring and cap. Once the tubes are installed in the triple clamps you can fully tighten the caps! Repeat for the other one and reinstall. TAKE YOUR TIME!!
