46FL steering damper assembly

[bigmikecar]

Hi Guys , Had my bike up on the bike lift yesterday and noticed the bottom of the damper assy. was gone . Looks like the rod broke and now the fricton washers and friction plate is gone . Lot of play up down in the forks . I see they sell the the steering damper assy kits . Can i get away with removing whats left of the old rod and install new assy by removing fender and tire or does the forks have to come off ? Big Mike

[Rubone]

You only need to remove the tire and fender Big Mike. The forks can stay on. Be sure and soak it rewal well as the rod often sticks due to rust inside the stem.
Robbie

[bigmikecar]

Thanks Rob for the info ! Tore it down this afternoon and looks like the damper rod has been broke at the bottom and at the top and has been like this since the last owner sold it to me! flush at the bottom and about 3or 4 inches down from were it goes thru the handle bars. was able to tighten adjusting cone at the top and removed the play in the front end. Would it be a bad idea to leave the damper rod as it is or should i replace it . Haven't soaked it yet. but struck it with a drift and its froze up pretty good . Big Mike

[Chris Haynes]

Pour some Kroil in there and let it soak for a day or two. There is always a ton of rust there and they can be a real pain to remove.
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