Piaggio Fly 125 (2013) forks overhaul

Discussion in 'The Workshop' started by David A Batley, Sep 2, 2021.

  1. David A Batley

    David A Batley David

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    Hello - I'm new on here and with modern scooters.. but I have restored 1 already and am on with another - a 2013 Piaggio Fly 125 3v ie. These bikes are, by all accounts, a good reliable machine.. But I have found they employ some very awkward principles which are probably slanted toward owners taking their bikes to main dealers! Point: I bought this bike with no keys so asked the original main dealer/supplier for duplicates armed with VIN number & registration etc but was informed they cannot supply them and I would have to buy a new 3 locK set, with barrels & chipped keys plus the whole matching throttle body/cpu unit! Thus would cost me iro £600 + vat! What a disgraceful bare faced robbery.. and a lie! The Th Bdy holds the code which can be retrieved and new keys coded. An enthusiast with this equipment (Bikeman from Brighouse/ebay) told me if I removed & posted the Th Bdy to him he'd do the job and supply the keys n barrels for me!.. and at a fraction of what others are currently charging! (anything from £185—£250) which he did (Bless him!) and it all works fine again! I am so happy with his help and work! (Thanks David if you read this friend).
    Anyway, that brings me to why I'm posting!... This Fly 125 I'm doing.. Its a Pain in the Bum to work on, so many hidden traps and difficulties to access things, getting parts which change virtually every year and their pricing is Extreme! However with a little patience, the correct tools and careful thought, most things can be worked out - like to remove the rear wheel or brakes, take the exhaust system off first! But be VERY careful not to sheer the studs in the cylinder head! But the trouble I'm having is the removal of the front fork legs from the stanchions. It's daft enough to have to remove the whole front fork, steering tree, and head assembly to get access to the screw caps... but then the damper tubes (fixed at the bottom of the legs with a sealed Allen screw/drain bolt) - which is normal - cannot be held from turning as there is no (usually) hex head/driver etc to hold the tube from the top - accessed down the stanchions - to stop the damper from spinning round as I try to undo the bottom bolt! I have tried looking down with a bright light but cannot see anything. I have used long/extended Allen keys but had no luck so can only assume there must be a special tool peculiar to Piaggio - some kind of a 'Rawl' type expanding affair which can grip and lock this hollow tube!? Does anyone know please? I don't want to try locking it by a method which could damage or flare the damper tube .. So can anyone help me please?.. and throw some light onto this silliness!? Cheers lads, David
     
    Mark Emerson Trentham likes this.
  2. Stevep

    Stevep Well-Known Member

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    Grip the chrome stanchion with a rubber glove and use an impact gun on the bottom bolt.
     
  3. David A Batley

    David A Batley David

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    Cheers for that friend.. Only trouble is - it's the damper that's turning inside the stanchion and I need to stop this tube from turning as I try to undo the bottom bolt which screws into it. So I can't get the legs off the stanchions until I remove the bolt. I'm thinking the tube might have a taper which is supposed to lock into the leg and it's spinning? I have tried to 'shock' it without any luck so far. Great idea though to hold the stanchions that way Steve, thank you Mukka! David
     
  4. Mark Emerson Trentham

    Mark Emerson Trentham Well Known Member. Staff Member

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    Dismantling legs according to a sequence of steps.? - possible to skip any giving access at least to loosening bolt.??.
     
  5. David A Batley

    David A Batley David

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    Thank you for your reply Mark but I'm sorry I don't understand your meaning friend.
     
  6. Stevep

    Stevep Well-Known Member

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    It's a bit awkward to do, but compressing the leg (and spring) whilst using a rattle gun on the bolt usually gets results.
    Failing that, if it still won't come out try the opposite, getting someone to pull hard on the stanchion whilst undoing it.
     
  7. David A Batley

    David A Batley David

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    Excellent advice! Thank you Steve. I'll ask my neighbour to give me a hand to put weight on it.
    The project has been stood a wee while waiting for bits so at least I'm not stuck! I know I could drill thro the seal and screw self tappers in to give it a tug but it's a bit risky. I had kind of decided to put gaters on and 15 SAE fork oil in as the thicker oil could stop the 'misting' I saw at strip down - as the seals do have some grip on the legs.
    Thanks ever so much for sharing your 'experienced' dodges Steve!
    Oh BTW do you know the exact oil capacity for the forks Steve? I measured on avg 80-85cc at strip down but it'd be good to know what Piaggio recommends for the 125 3v ie.
    Cheers Mukka! David
     

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