KLR 250 Project: Part VII

With the forks fully drained, I proceeded to replace the seals and fill the forks with a fresh, new oil.
Removing the old seals was fairly easy: Removed retention clip, screwed cap back on fork, and, using a bicycle pump, pumped air into the forks. It took just about 80PSI for the seal and dust cover to blow out, with a little more oil squirting all over the place. I then pried the seal completely off with a small screwdriver, taking care not to damage the fork surface. A little scrubbing with a nylon brush and a small amount of brake cleaner to get the gunk out, and it was ready for new seals.
Since I do not own a seal driver, I just pressed them in place with a small dovel, tapping on several spots to ensure proper seating. I then cleaned the dust covers, and pushed them back into place, followed by the retention clip. Repeat the whole procedure on the second fork, and I was ready for oil. I went with an anti-foaming 10W fork oil (clear). Per Kawasaki manual, (270ml on oil change, 320ml on complete disassembly), I filled the forks with 320mm each. The manual states to fill up to 190mm off top, fully compressed with no springs. I found an old spray bottle and cut the straw at 190mm, then inserted into the fork and sprayed oil out until only air came out. The 320ml overfilled the forks by about 10ml each.
Installed springs, washers, spacers, and caps. Even without any air pressure, there is a significant improvement in how the forks compress and decompress.

Second, I cleaned and lubed swingarm and reinstalled it to the frame. At first I thought the rear shock was busted and needed to be rebuilt. This, however, may not be the case. It turns out the preload was set all the way to max, which cause the spring force overcome what's left of the damping. I unscrewed the retaining rings and let decompressed the spring by about 50%. With the shock mounted back on frame, I can tell that it oes not bounce back as quickly as it did before. The shock will eventually need to be rebuilt, but for now this will get me going.

Lastly, I cleaned ballbearings on steering stem and greased them with some White Grease. The steering stem, along with triples, is back on the frame, temporarily holding the forks upright until I get my forks protectors and mount them right.