fork oil change/seal

[noobie mcnooberson]

Alright, this is going to make me look like an idiot, but I've already checked all the thread headings in this section and couldn't find the answer. I just bought a Honda CB 750k from 1982, and I also bought the Clymer Manual from bike bandit. The front suspension is washy, and one of the forks has a rim of oil popping out of it, which looks pretty ugly and I'm guessing is gross and contaminated. Actually, I know it's gross and contaminated, because I already drained it. I don't even want to think about changing the seals yet (though the new ones come in this week).
Now here's the problem, I undid the drain screws in accordance with the Clymer Manual (to see if an oil change was all that was needed to eliminate the problem), but then I got to the next part which told me to undo the top caps, problem is, my front fork isn't the one detailed in the manual, it must have been put on later. It has some sort of hydraulic system on top of the caps that links the two fork tubes together. I have no idea how to get it off. Should I just take the uppers out of the lowers and fill the oil in through the bottom fork? How do I even go about doing that? I've looked on the internet, and everyone seems to assume that I'm not an idiot and already know what I'm doing, but I don't, so if someone could enlighten me, I'd much appreciate it! Thanks!

p.s. My mechanical experience is limited to fixing lawnmowers and rototillers and some bicycle and car stuff. Motorcycles are a completely new adventure!

[BuzZz]

Stabbing wildly in the dark.....

Sounds like someone has added a system to balance the air pressure between the 2 fork tubes, not unheard of back in the day, but not really that effective. There must be some way to remove that balance line, and it shouldn't be too difficult to achieve, it has to thread into each cap somehow. Figure that out and remove the line. Then remove the fork caps as per your manual. Try not to bugger the line so you can replace it, or you will have to find correctly sized plugs to seal the fork caps with.

[noobie mcnooberson]

Heya, thanks for the reply. So I've removed the balance line you mentioned, the one strung between the two fork caps. Unfortunately, the caps aren't the same as the ones in the manual either. Where there should be bolts that can be unscrewed, here the cap is flush with the rim of the fork, I've tried twisting it (though not too hard) and felt nothing give. Any suggestions as to how to get the top caps off? Thanks,
dan

[noobie mcnooberson]

Looking for how to fix the horn, I discovered in the back of the book that there is a supplement tucked away there that deals with the '82 version of these bikes, which are, apparently, completely different from the other four years of the cb750's production. Problem fixed, pride hurt!

[BuzZz]

Pride is waaaaay over-rated.