Front gasket change

[Josherlock]

This may sound quite juvenile but, I have a 1980 CB750K and the front gasket has blown on the left fork. I have never changed one these before. Any tips, advice, or tricks I should know about?

[TOOLS1]

Here is a link to a thread where I show how to change the fork seals. The procedure is the same on the 80 model, but, you may need snap ring pliers to remove the retaining ring.
http://honda-cb750-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/My-Buddie-s-POW-MIA-K-3-and-How-to-do-fork-seals-and-duel-disc-breaks-td3283036.html
TOOLS

[Josherlock]

Thanks much. I appreciate it.

[sgtslag]

If the seals are stuck (mine tore up, without coming out... acted as though they were welded into the tubes!), you may need to heat the tube with a propane torch, to loosen them.  Do NOT overheat the tubes!  When putting the new seals in, you may want to lubricate them with a very thick grease, to prevent seizure down the road...

I think the book specifies filling the tubes with Dexron III ATF.  The III has been replaced with IV, or V, but they're compatible.  If you really want to 'tune' your forks, you can play with expensive fork oils (~$15/quart).  ATF is dirt cheap (~$4/quart).  If you want to improve your front suspension dramatically, install Progressive Front Fork Springs (you will want to save up, and replace the rear shocks at the same time...  otherwise, you will discover how woefully poor the rear suspension is ).  Cheers!