Front suspension and handlebars of motorcycle Aprilia RS125/3 (1998-2005)

Steering construction
40. Top yoke; 41. Steering tube cap; 42. Bottom lockring; 43. Seal; 44. Headstock washer; 45. Ball bearing; 46. Roller bearing; 47. Bottom dust seal; 48. Bottom yoke and steering stem Always grease the bottom yoke and steering stem on refitting; see...

Headstock removal
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Torque wrench settings: Brake caliper mounting bolts (1): 22 Nm (2.2 kg·m) Place the motorcycle on the rear wheel stand (OPT); see 1.7.2. Remove the air scoop; see 7.1.17. Connect the slings to the holes on the outside of the...

Steering component inspection
Warning! Check that all components are in perfect condition. Pay special attention to the components listed below. Bearings Rotate the inner ring manually. The ring should turn smoothly, with no hardness or noise. There should be no end float....

Headstock re-assembly
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Torque wrench settings: Brake caliper mounting bolts: 22 Nm (2.2 kg·m) Note. Make sure to have a drift with the same diameter as the bearing outer ring available. Fit the bearing (1) to the top end of the steering tube using...

Front fork construction
49. Top cap; 50. O-ring; 51. Half ring; 52. Spring cup; 53. Spacer; 54. Slide bush; 55. Guide bush cup; 56. Oil seal; 57. Retaining ring; 58. Dust seal with clip; 59. Slider; 60. Stanchion tube

Removing the stanchion tubes — sliders
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Torque wrench settings: Top yoke bolt (1): 25 Nm (2.5 kg·m) Bottom yoke bolts (2): 25 Nm (2.5 kg·m) Note. The operations described below apply to both fork legs. Warning! Service the fork legs one at a time. Always refit a fork...

Disassembling the stanchion tubes — sliders
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Note. The operations described below apply to both fork legs. Remove the stanchion tubes-sliders; see 7.10.2. Clean the stanchion tubes-sliders thoroughly. Note. Make sure to have a container having a capacity greater than 430...

Changing front fork oil
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Oil quantity: 430±2.5 cu cm; see 1.7.1. Oil specifications; see 1.8.1. Note. The operations described below apply to both fork legs. Draining oil Perform the first six steps of the procedure described at paragraph 7.10.3....

Front fork component inspection
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Stanchion tube Inspect the sliding surface for scoring and/or scratching. Eliminate minor scoring with wet sand paper (grain size 1). Replace the stanchion (1) if badly scored. Check for stanchion (1) buckling using a dial...

Stanchion tube — slider assembly
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Inspect the components; see 7.10.5. Warning! Take care to prevent the ingress of dirt into slider and stanchion. Never reuse the oil you have drained from the fork. Note. Apply a light film of fork oil to the bushes and seals...

Installing stanchions and sliders
Read 1.2.1 carefully. Torque wrench settings: Top yoke bolt (5): 25 Nm (2.5 kg·m) Bottom yoke bolts (4): 25 Nm (2.5 kg·m) Slide the slider-and-stanchion assembly through the bottom (1) and top yokes (2). Insert the wheel spindle (3) into both fork...