Bodywork

This section contains information on frame modifications and care. Please select a topic below.

Assembling a spare tire - added: Dec 29, 2001Renewing a Clutch Cable - added: Jan 13, 2002Renewing Brakes - added: Feb 18, 2002 updated: Feb 22, 2002Splitting the @!&# Rims! - added: Feb 25, 2002Renewing Gear Selector Cables - added: July 4, 2002Front End Work - added: Sep 18, 2003

Spare Tire Assembly

This project was attempted purely for the sake of having a spare tire. It turned out to be an amazingly simple task, despite the wait times for parts. This article will also help people who are stuck with flat tires and are looking to replace them. For this project you will need only a few tools and little bit of patience. The hardest part of this project will be researching what tires to use. I chose IRC MB520's -- my brother chose Continental Zippy 1's. Mad props go to mobboss on Scooterbbs for the help with the tricks of the trade!

Tools & Parts Needed10" Split Rim SetInner Tube 3.50" X 10.00" tire (your choice)8mm metric nuts (as many as you like, you NEED 7 though)Ratchet Set (Torque wrench reccomended)Hand or Foot Pump

Procedure

Step 1

Here is a quick look at some of the tools needed to start this project. The pump is not shown. A small hand pump from a bike shop will be fine, just have a gas station nearby to finish the job.

Step 2

Unroll the inner tube and make sure that the filler tube is crooked like the one in the photo. If it is straight, purchase the correct tube.

Step 3

Take the pump and fill the inner tire until it is expanded around the whole tube. This will aid in seating the tube inside the tire shell.

Step 4

Push the inner tube into the shell and align the filler tube with a mark that exists on both sides to the tire. This will make it easier to align the split rims later.

Step 5

Set the rim into the tire noting that the filler tube points toward the opposite side as shown. Align the filler hole in the rim with the mark you found earlier.

Step 6

Here you can see the alignment marks I used. The filler tube and hole in the rim are aligned to a small divot on the tire. As you can see, it exists on both sides of the wheel. This is important because you have to align the screw holes later in the assembly.

Step 7

Now madly squash the rim together and get a bolt on each of the studs. Once you have it to this point, you have to start tightening the nuts. It's not overly important that the filler tube neck is seated properly.

Step 8

Tighten the rim using a torque wrench and extension. Tighten the nuts to the same specification as the cylinder head. Also tighten alternating screws to make the inner tube compress evenly. You may have to use the blunt edge of a butter knife to push the tube away from the seam.

Step 9

Now fill the tire extremely slowly to 45 PSI and no more. The bead, the line around the tire should be evenly spaced from the rim at all points. If it isn't even, start again. If the bead is even, decrease the pressure to 30 PSI and mount it to the spare tire holder on the battery side of the bike using two more 8mm nuts.

Clutch Cable Renewal

This project was inspired by my Vespa's adorable spite. When I took off friday afternoon (to a scooter meeting nonetheless) my clutch was limp and the handlebar would not spring back. I thought, "maybe the little nipple came off the cable", but the cable nipple was still firmly attached. I then yarded on it with a pair of visegrips and about 4 of the cables came out onto my lap. This cable was broken, indeed. Here is a step by step method for renewing your clutch cable. It took me about 1 hour to complete for the first time. I think if I did it again, it might take 10 minutes.

Tools & Parts NeededBearing & Chassis GreaseInner Cable (I used a tandem bicycle rear deraileur cable and had plenty of room)If you need to purchase a new outer, follow the guide on scooterhelp.com7mm box wrench or spanner8mm box wrench or spannerPhilips Head ScrewdriverQ-TipsRubber Gloves (personal preference. This is a mesy job :))At Least one Pair of Visegrips (two helps)

Procedure

Step 1

Start by unscrewing the solderless nipple. if it is really tight, use a pair of visegrips to stabilize the nipple body and use a bit of WD40 to free the nut. Once it is unscrewed, remove it completely from the cable and store it in a safe place.

Step 2

Unsrew the Philips head screw in the handlebar assembly to free the lever from the bars (watch for washers). Once it is free, pull the cable until it is completely out of the outer tube. Grease the new cable down its entire length with large amounts of bearing grease (do it with gloves). Insert the new cable down the same hole the old one came out of. Push it bit by bit. There should be no snags. If there are snags in the cable, renew the outer cable as well.

Step 3

Here is a picture of where my cable snapped. Hopefully, I won't have this happen again, given the amount of grease I used, but it is probably inevitable. I have been told cables have a life of about 6 months in everyday riding.

Step 4

Here is a shot of some of the materials used in the job. Remember to always lubricate the cables. A big tub of bearing & chassis grease costs 5 bucks and will save big headaches in the future.

Step 5

The inner cable will fall out of the other side. Loop the cable through the clucth arm and replace the nipple from earlier. Don't cut the cable yet. Tun the Slack Adjuster until it is all the way in.

Step 6

Now yard on the end of the cable and pull until it seems tight, this will take up all the slack in the inner cable. once it seems tight, clamp the visegrips onto the cable so they rest on the slack adjuster. this will hold it tight while you fit the finnicky nipple. push the nipple right up against the clutch arm and tighten it, using another set of visegrips to stabilize the thing.

Step 7

Now you will have to adjust the clutch. To do this turn the slack adjuster out (tighten it as shown) about half way. There is a fair bit of play in the clutch, so pulling it forward a bit should be okay. Get on the bike and start it -- in neutral of course. Put her into first (you may want a helmet). If it catwalks (does a wheelie), you have to tighten the slack adjuster. If it stalls after shifting into first, you are

getting close. Keep tightening the adjuster until the bike runs smoothly after shifting into first. When you have finished calibrating the tension, cut the cable 3 inches or so from the nipple.

You should now be accomplished in the Tao of clutch cables. Some extra notes: I used a 2.5 meter cable (about 8.2 feet) from a bicycle shop in my city. I would reccommend using the real Vespa cables if not only for the guarantee of operation. I was in a pinch, I will let everyone know when the tandem cable breaks, in case they are inferior. The metal used for the the cable was stainless steel. Happy Scootering!

Rear Brake Shoe Renewal

For those of you with crappy brakes, this tutorial is identical for both front and rear brakes. The procedure of renewing your brakes is pretty simple. You should set aside a few hours for your first atttempt. This process will involve completely removing a wheel from your bike, so make sure the bike is jacked off the ground and is stable enough to torque the large retaining nuts on the hub. A few ideas for those of you who do not have a means of lifting the bike off the ground, I have a few tips. Place a milk carton under your bike's tail, and shim it until the rear wheel lifts off the ground. The centerstand should act as a pivot, keeping it stable while you work on the brakes. The front brake should be a breeze as long as you have a centerstand. If you have a sidestand, however, your job is now more difficult. You will need two milkcrates for a a sidestand bike. Put one under the floorboards between the sidestand and the rear brake pedal and the other under the tail. You will have to be careful with a sidestand bike, since it will tip easily when it is on milkcrates. I performed this procedure on an engine that had been dropped out of the body. The wheel was removed for clarity sake, but you do not need to remove the engine or wheel to perform this operation -- in fact I advise against it unless you have other issues with your bike. Though it seems counter-intuitive to install a cotter pin this way, it does in fact strengthen the retaining force of the pin.

Tools & Parts NeededBrake Shoe Set2 Brake Shoe Retaining ClipsWire Brush22mm SocketRatchet Set (Torque wrench reccomended)Shop TowelsMallet or Impact Wrench Two Small Spanner wrenches (7mm and 8mm)VisegripsNeedle Nose PliersSmall Split Pin (1/8" X 2")Pair of Latex Surgical Gloves

Procedure

Step 1

Start by prising off the hub dust cover. Underneath the cover is a strange nut...

Step 2

This nut is called a "castellated nut". It has grooves in the nut head to grab into a split pin. This kind of nut resists backing off as long as the cotter pin is installed. So begin by bending and removing the pin from its seat...

Step 3

Now get the ratchet and 22mm Driver and take that castellated nut off the axle. Not so easy huh? My only advice on removing this pesky nut is to either use and impact wrench or grab a mallet and whack the end of the ratchet to shock it off. Sometimes the nut is easy to get off, if you have one like that, lucky you.

Step 4

Assuming your bike hasn't fallen off the jacks and everything went well, you should end up with these two pieces in your hands, put them aside (in a safe place where you can find them again).

Step 5

Pull away the hub (and wheel) to reveal the brake compartment. Take care that you pull the hub away as straight as possible, you don't want oil on anything to do with the brakes.

Step 6

Prise off both clips on the brake pivots, replace these with new ones every time you change the brakes. This will allow you to start prying the brakes off the pivots.

Step 7

Place two spanners under the pivot points and wrest the brake shoes off the pivots. The shoes and spring will collapse, allowing you to remove the brakes and change them out. Another user recommended putting the blade of a screwdriver between the operating cam and the brake shoe and twisting.

Step 8

While you have the brakes off, why not polish the backing plate with a wire brush?

Step 9

Put on the gloves and place the spring into the new set of brake shoes. Reinstall the brake shoes by clipping the shoes onto the operating cam and pushing them onto the pivots.

Step 10

Reinstall the clips on the brakes and replace the cover. Place the plain washer around the axle and screw the castellated nut back onto the axle. Use a torque wrench and torque the nut to 7.5-9.0 kgf m (54.3-65.1 lbf ft) -- translation: as tight as you can get it!

Splitting Tire Rims

This is one of the more common questions in the scooter world: "How do I get my @#&! tires off the @#&! rims!?!?!" Here is a method tht I have used successfully on a set of rusty lambretta rims (It's the same for any Vespa or Lambretta Rim). Start by removing the tire from the bike. The tire is retained by five nuts that are identifiable by their connection to the hub itself. Prop the bike in a stable position and remove the nuts and lock washers. Pull the tire away from the bike and follow the procedure to remove the tire. Two people are pretty essential to getting this done right. Do NOT be tempted to use a solvent/lubricant like WD-40 on the rubber no matter how tough the job gets. WD-40 and the like are pretty agressive on rubber surfaces and may damage or weaken the tire.

Tools & Parts NeededBuilt-Up tireTwo sticks of 3/4" X 1 1/2" X 18" wood (pine)Tire deflation tool usually on back of pressure gauges (or a screwdriver)13mm Deep Socket Ratchet

Procedure

Step 1

Deflate the tire completely and slowly back off every odd nut until they come off. Retain all of the lockwashers and nuts on the rims. Pull the rims apart as far as you can before you lose your breath. Then get the wood blocks and a friend to continue...

Step 2

Put a piece of the wood into the rim opening and get a good amount of prying area with the block. Get a friend to put a piece of wood across the side of the bead and get them to stand on it. The rim should pull away with a little effort and wiggling.

Step 3

Once you have one rim off, pull out the inner tube and set it aside. Flip the tire and give it the same treatment. Your friend may have to help pull the rim upwards while you pry with the stick.

Gear Selector Box Work

The Vespa gearbox has not changed in a very, very long time so this information should be helpful to most every Vespa owner. The Selector box rarely needs attention; however, it is an integral part of the transmission and can break down just like any other moving part. The box selects the current gear by pulling a rod back (you can see this rod in the cruciform replacement area) and forth through the transmission. if this box fails, you will be unable to select gears until the problem is fixed. Below I will outline some procedures for inspecting and setting the gear selector box.

Setting the Cables

One of the more tricky cable installations on a Vespa would have to be the gear selector cables. if the cables do not appear to be broken, but the shifting is weird or not working, carefully inspect the gearbox for damage (namely the selector arm as they may snap, there are more details on this below). I have found a fairly good way to approach this task. You will need a 7 and an 8 mm spanner, two pairs of Visegrips (one needlenose preferrably), a set of cables and a friend to help. If only one cable is broken, I find it easier to just start fresh and do both cables while I'm at it. There is a single screw at the bottom of the flywheel that hold the selector box cover onto the engine. Undo this screw and pull the cover aside to reveal the Selector Box Parts. Tighten the slack adjusters so they protrude into the selector box.

Once you are into the gearbox begin by undoing the cable nipples using two small spanners. Pull the nipples clear of the box and set them aside. To replace the cables on a P series you will have to open the headset. To open the headset, undo the 4 screws on the bottom of the headset and lift it as much as you can without yanking on it. push the speedometer cable (large cable right near the front wheel) toward the rear of the bike and the headset cover will pop straight up. you should now be able to see the inside of the headset. Apply a peice of duct tape to the speedometer cable, just below the locking ring (the thing attached to the speedometer under the headset). Unscrew the locking ring and allow it to rest on the duct tape (that way it won't fall into the fork tube). The headset will still be retained by wires. you can usually flip the headset back and work unimpeded, but if you know where everything goes, you may choose to unhook all of the little wires. There is a disc on the inside of the headset attached to the end of the gear selector handlebar. there should be two cables in this disc. These cables are the gear selector cables and they run down to the gear box. To renew these cables, carefully prise them from their seating in the disc and pull the cable straight out. Once one cable is out, replace it by feeding it down the same outer cable

and then move onto the next, so they don't get out of order at the gearbox. Once both cables are seated in the disc, set the handlebar so the dots line up. Don't bother closing the headset yet.

Go back down to the gearbox. Have a friend hold the handlebar so the dots line up. Begin by pushing the nipples onto the cables. Grab both cables with a Visegrips and pull on them fairly hard. While they're tight, get your friend to move the handlebar up and down. This will quickly take up all the slack in the cables. Once you're done taking up slack, get your friend to set it back to the two dots. Turn the batwing to neutral by hand while gently rolling the bike back and forth. Neutral can be identified as a raised area between 1st (closest to the engine) and 2nd on the batwing (the bike will roll smoothly when in neutral. Get the needlenose visegrips and push the nose of the pliers up against the cable nipple as hard as possible while still pulling on the cable with the other set of Visegrips. The nipple should slide into the batwing slot. Once it's firmly pressed into the slot, clamp the needlenose visegrips onto the cable so that they continue to press into the back of the nipple. Tighten the nipple using the wrenches. Do the same procedure for the other cable.

The cables should now be set. The acid test is to roll the bike back and forth about 1m each direction and try to change gears. If the bike makes it to first and fourth gear, you're done. If it doesn't, try the whole prodecure again until it is right. You shouldn't have to use the slack adjusters. Once you finish, reassemble the headset by reversing the order of disassembly. Once you're good at this procedure, it takes about 15 minutes. At first it will take hours of cursing and hate - so be patient. Usually when you're about to give up, it suddenly works.

Inspecting and repairing the Selector Arm

The selector arm is a small cast piece of metal that forms the physical connection to the gear selector rod inside the engine. Since this part is under a lot of stress it may be vulnerable to cracking off due to lack of gearbox oil, sudden stress from the selector rod (usually from jumping out of gear) and bad casting. A key sign that this may be a problem is if the handlebar moves far past 1st gear without engaging a gear. If you notice this behaviour kill the engine and undo the 11mm bolts that hold the gearbox to the engine. gently pull the gearbox clear of the engine (there is a paper gasket between the selector box and the engine case). If indeed the selector arm has broken and you are in the middle of no where, try to find some brass or aluminum wire and make multiple wraps around the selector arm and ratchet shaft as an emergency repair. Shift as little as possible and try to get safely home. The selector arm usually snaps at the ring around the ratchet shaft and it can only be repaired only by ordering a whole new part. If you have a worn cruciform that jumps out of gear, you are at risk for this piece snapping off.

When ordering new parts, request a selector arm and a new tapered pin, as the pin is likely to be difficult to refit. you will need a ballpeine hammer and a small punch suited to the size of the hole. You may also need a reamer (taper tool) suitable to the size of the hole. Start by removing the cabling and get the box into a well lit area. On a wooden surface, tap out the pin as per the top picture. It will fall out completely with only a small bit of force. Crank the selector arm far past the fourth gear position as in the diagram. with the pin removed, slowly pull up on the batwing and place the new ratchet arm on the shaft. Line up the holes and punch the new pin back into place as shown in the bottom diagram. The pin should go all the way in. If it stops, adjust the position of the selector arm on the ratchet shaft and try again. If you cannot get it in, use a small reamer to redefine the taper on the new part. Once you have reamed the hole a small amount, refit the pin and try to bang it in. keep adjusting the taper until it will allow the pin to fit snugly in the hole. Once you are done, refit the selctor box and cabling (see above for instructions). Drain and fill your gearbox and replace the gasket if neccessary.

Ratchet System Troubleshooting

The ratchet system should rarely need attention but problems can arise if the spring is deformed or the roller pops out of the ratchet arm. To remedy this problem, simply order new parts and replace the old ones. The ratchet arm is held in by a small flat headed screw. Uncrew the screw carefully and catch the spring if it goes flying. Replace any malfuntioning part and reverse the order of disassembly to fix the problem. The batwing is force fit to a shaft that is precisely positioned. if there is any wear to the batwing

or ratchet shaft, replace both items. you will have to remove the small tapered pin on the selector arm to effect repairs to this item.

Front End Work

The following tutorial deals with most of the facets of the front end of the bike; that is, the headset, forks, front hub, front brakes and front suspension system. This guide will help with problems as small as getting into the headset, to problems as large as dropping the forks out. Most of it is easy and requires few tools; it's mostly about the order of disassembly that is important.

Tools & Parts NeededSocket Set (7-22mm)Spanner Wrench set (7-22mm)Small Screwdriver for the Front Hub Nut Long Handled Screwdriver Set (#1,2,3 Philips and #2 flat head)Spark Plug WrenchDisposable Shop TowelsRubber Face MalletA Metal HammerA number of pairs of VisegripsNeedlenose pliersA set of circlip pliersA Large Chisel (see below)Various bearing extractors and punches(if necessary)Bearing Grease (lithium grease)Some milk crates to set the bike onA strap wrench

Procedure

Remove the Ground lead from the battery to isolate the battery. There is a good chance that the fuse will be blown after the procedure if you leave it connected.

Unscrew the four headset top screws using a number 2 philips. store them somewhere safe.

With the retaining screws removed, push the large speedometer cable near the wheel into the fork. This will cause the headset to pop up.

The headset cover should look like this once you have pushed on the cable.

Keep pushing the cable until you can get it pretty much wide open. There will still be a bit of resistance because of the speedometer cable.

Wrap a piece of duct tape around the metal skirt of the speedo cable. this will help the nut that hold the speedometer cable to the speedometer housing stop from falling down the fork tube. Once the tape is in place, unscrew the speedometer cable nut by hand until it is no longer connected to the speedometer housing.

Now the headset cover will be held on by only electrical wiring.

Instead of removing the wires from their terminals, simply unscrew the ignition switch retainer nut. This will make the switch pop right out of the cover.

Here is a shot of the handlebars of the P200. The two pulleys hold the throttle and gear cables. The headlight is fully accessible from here.

Pull the highbeam, speedometer and turn signal lights out of their housings to fully release the headset cover. if you wish to paint the headset cover, the speedometer is held in by a nut on the bottom and a metal reinforcing plate. the indicator light housings have small clasps on the side that you simply press inward to remove.

If you intend to remove the forks, you will have to disconnect the front brake cable. In order to do that, you must unscrew the 11mm nut on the brake linkage, next to the front hub. the cable is often very frayed and rusty, so just pull on it like crazy until it comes out of the bolt. place the nut and bolt somewhere safe.

The front brake lever will go limp. So all you need to do is unscrew the lever, pull the lever and its washers away and then pull the inner cable clear of the bike. depending on how frayed the old cable is, this will fairly easy. Use visegrips to pull the cable if it gets too hard to do by hand.

Pictured here is the front brake switch. Not all Vespas have these, but they are very simple switches. The switch is just a pressure plate. as the pressure gets high enough, the switch connects the circuit. Most of the time, cable kits will not have an outer cable for this purpose, so keep the old front brake outer cable so you can measure where to cut the new one.

From here on, we are going to be dropping the forks and having a look at the hub and suspension section. First we need to get the bike on blocks. Put a milk crate directly beneath the bike so it is stable. then take the headset off. To do this, get a 13 mm ratchet and unscrew the headset pinch bolt.

Collect the square washer from the pinchbolt on the opposite side.

Now you can pull up on the headset and bend it towards the seat. all the cables are really elastic and will oblige, so don't worry about breaking anything. Just make sure the electrical cables don't snag on anything.

Directly beneath the headset is a collection of strange looking nuts holding on the forks. remove them by using a large jaw set of visegrips or a bicycle "c" wrench. They are normal right hand threads, so just unscrew them as you would any other screw. The top one is a lockwasher. It holds the bearing race tight.

below the lockwasher is a normal spacer washer. it has a tooth that fits into the threads of the fork. Below that is the bearing race. the tightness of the bearing race will determine how well the forks operate. When reassembling the bike, make sure to take up all the slack in the bearing, but refrain from over tightening it -- more instructions on this to follow below.

Here's where work gets too hard to photograph! :). once the bearing race is removed, the forks will move up and down. You have to get a friend to pull the bike upwards, while you pull the fork out of the frame. make sure to take the small bearing on the top and the big roller bearing on the bottom off of the fork. They don't like being dirty.

Now undo the four screws that hold the mudguard onto the fork. On P200's the mudguard is very easy to remove, just maneuver it around the fork stop and set it aside. On older Vespas you have to remove the lower bearing race and dust guard -- the part covered in white grease here -- before you can get the mudguard off.

To get the cursed, ugly-ass reflectors off the bike, undo the speed washers on the inside of the mudguard. usually these are easiest removed with a sharp pair of wire cutters. The same goes for the ugly hood ornament.

Here's the fork with the lower bearing race cleaned up for new grease. at this point you should send your mudguard to the paint shop if needs be.

let's move on to the suspension. The P200 has an all in one spring/damper unit. you can make the stock shocks look real purdy if you take the grey plastic thing off, that is, if the shock isn't blown. The easiest way to diagnose a blown shock is that it will go "clack" when you pull up on the bars, or it will ride like a pogo stick. to get the suspension off the bike undo these two nuts...

...and these two...

now you're looking at the top of the shock. The top nut holds it all together. That's what we need to remove.

Get a strap wrench and wrap it around the outside of the top part of the shock. then get a 17mm wrench and unscrew the top nut. once the nut is removed, the shock part will fall out of its holder.

Now to get the grey thing off, use a flat head screwdriver and turn the top of the shock counter clockwise. the rod will slowly recede into the metal block and release the top part of the shock. you will then get the top part of the grey plastic boot off.

The spring comes out next. you may want to powdercoat or plate this part to make your bike look better. The grey thing was just to stop the elements from rusting out the spring.

Look ma! more plastic! The rubber bumper stops the shock from bottoming out. The black sleeve spaces the spring so that it can't move around. the grey thing is just there to be ugly.

The bottom flared metal piece holds the spring. Unfortunately, once the damper unit dies, it's not rebuildable like on older Vespas, so you kind of have to replace the shock once it leaks. Kind of a shame, really, but I can't say enough good about the Sebacs I went with as replacements.

Now let's take off the hub and see all the goodies underneath it. Start by tapping a #0 Flat head screwdriver into the indent under the hub's jesus nut. this will straighten out the hub nut so you can unscrew it.

Since the nut is on a fixed piece of metal, it won't be much of a wrestling match to unscrew it. Use a 19mm wrench and remove the bolt. Put it aside. Underneath will be one of the two wheel bearings. It's a 6201 sealed roller bearing.

Since there's a couple of bearings to get off, you should gently tap the hub off with a rubber mallet. Underneath the hub is a seemingly threaded portion. it is the part that drives the speedometer gear.

First thing to do is remove the brakes. This is always a fun task, as is anything involving a really strong spring. remove the clips of the old brakes and hold a towel over them as you do it (they fly far away). Then lever the brakes up and over the operating cam. they will collapse and you'll be good to go. put them back on the same way, but opposite, later.

When you remove them, the cam will fall out of the hub back plate...

Collect the pieces: the brake cam and the return spring shown.

Remove the old seal from the outside lip and clean up the earwax grease.. blech.

Flip the forks over to reveal the speedo drive area..

undo the speedo cable securing plate and all these parts should be there. if it has been a while since rebuilding the forks, order a new speedo drive gear.

Remove the center circlip to begin releasing the back plate. Pull the back plate up and away from the axle once the circlip is off.

Check that the seals and bearings are sound. If they feel rough or if the backplate made noise when shaken, replace the needle roller bearings inside and the seal on the outside.

Here is the seal in question.. it should not be hard as a rock or torn.

This is a shim washer.. it is important to make sure this part is pretty much flat.

This is another shim washer.. this one lets the backplate move freely without the seal digging into the fork linkage. It should lay flat too.

Here's what I did to that red mudguard in the meantime.

Okay.. so now you just put the suspension and hub stuff back together the way you found it.. just follow the steps backwards. It is probably a good idea to put new brake shoes in everytime you rebuild the front end. Pack any bearing with lots and lots of bearing grease. Since the original hub nuts can be a bit scarce, you only end up getting about 3 attempts at removing the hub nut before you'll have to replace it.. so make every repair count. The needle roller bearings are kind of hard to remove without destroying them, so be sure to have the right replacements before doing the job. The hub nut can be re-dented using a large cold chisel and a metal hammer. Before you reinstall the fork, you'll probably want to run some new cables through it. Here is a bulletproof way to install an outer cable the quick and painless way.. this works for any part of the bike, not just the forks. peep dis:

You take a roll of 70lb braided picture hanging wire, and fish through the hard to reach area in question from the bottom up. you push it all the way through until it peeks its head out the top of the fork column. Next you pull out the picture wire, really long like. and thread it into the new outer cable housing you want to install. Once it's through the cable housing, tie a good solid knot in the picture wire at the end exiting the new cable housing. When it is secure, guide the outer cable home by pulling on the picture wire and pushing on the outer cable. It will usually slip right into place, but if it gets snagged up, just reverse the course and try it again. Often the cable will just hang up on the place whee it exits the fork, so just jostle the picture wire at the exiting end until it pops through.

Once the new cables are in, put the bearing on the lower fork race and grease it with a liberal amount of bearing grease. Next, feed the fork tube into the frame. When the top emerges through the hole in the frame, put the small bearing on the race with lots of grease to help it roll. Then put the top bearing race on and cinch it up tight. now here's the critical part: you want to make the fork tight in the bearings, but not so tight that it's crushing the bearings. The easiest way to tell you have it right is that there will be no slack in the fork tube (won't wiggle up and down), and once it's that far then you tighten the race until it's just tight enough so that you can sweep the forks back and forth with no resistance. Once it's set, place the washer on top of the bearing race. Then turn the lockwasher down until it starts to apply pressure on the lockwasher. Get a set of wide jaw visegrips and just let that lockwasher have it. Tighten it as hard as you can, it should be the same tightness at the rear hub :).

Once it's all kosher, just pop all the headset stuff back together, and make sure that if

you have an in-line front brake switch that you cut the brake line the correct length, so that the switch sits in the right position. Insert the new speedometer cable last, and make sure the little washer under the cable header is present, otherwise you'll get a goofy and pulsing reading on your speedometer. Reattach the brake cable and cinch it up to just where the brakes engage with the slack adjuster on the hub. You know the brakes are good when you can just barely press the lever all the way to the bar. Take it for a spin and pay close attention to anything funny or any clunking at braking. Weird noises can often be caused by loose steering column bearings. Feel out the braking and tighten as necessary using the slack adjuster.