Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23

Thread: Right Leg Fork Seal - small leak

  1. #1
    Senior Member pdksh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    307

    Right Leg Fork Seal - small leak

    Why does the right fork leg fork seal always go? there must be scientific reason.

    Is it a big deal to change the fork seal? I ordered a kit from All-Balls (seals and dust caps) and I need to change the right leg fork seal. The fork tub is "dirty", no noticeable oil pooling but its only a matter of time.

    If I follow the directions in the manual is it straight forward? I have changed fork seals on standard fork tubes but never on inverted forks.

    Is there any gotchas or things to watch for?

    Should I do both tubes or only the one that's leaking? I bet the right side goes AGAIN before the left :-)

    What is the recommend replacement oil and wight for a 250lb 6'2" rider that doesn't mind a stiffer ride?

    Thank You

  2. #2
    Inactive
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    AmishLand, PA.
    Posts
    7,526
    lots of answers to lots of questions:
    1-brake dust! that is the culprit. it is abrasive and corrosive. languishes on the right side of the lower fork tube assembly, works its way up the tube past the dust seal and into the oil seal. once there just a matter of time till a leak commences.
    2-cartridge/inverted forks challenging to change seals on. also consider replacing the slider bushings when doing this job. tons of posts both on here(AZmidget-Cole) had an excellent one months ago plus good instructional vids on youtube. all showa cartridge forks basically the same regarding seal replacement.
    3-an alternative do-it-yourself method is to disassemble the front end of your XB, remove both tubes, and have a local bike shop familiar with cartridge forks do the replacement for you.
    4-10wt. oil recommended. use a cartridge fork oil with "seal swell" as part of its additive package if you can source it. each tube uses approx. 16 ounces. your physical dimensions do not correlate to the weight of the oil. the oil weight only affects the damping process.....internal spring dimensions and pre-load settings are what your body weight has direct affect upon.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    2,790
    Yes , It is a lot of work to change seals, I have tried http://sealmate.net/ once and it worked for me, it might for you as well, its worth a try.
    Attachment 7649

  4. #4
    Senior Member AZmidget91's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Posts
    1,664
    Yes, try the seal mate first. It has worked for me several times.

    If you decide to rebuild, I suggest getting the bushings as well. And definitely do both sides. Technically the oil is supposed to be changed every 10,000 miles.

    https://youtu.be/1FptHgvIhO4

  5. #5
    Senior Member pdksh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    307
    Thank you all! I'm going to look into seal mate! Break Dust, ahhhhh.... never thought of that. I was thinking heat or un equally distributed weight

  6. #6
    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    2,790
    How many miles are on your bike ?

  7. #7
    Senior Member pdksh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    307
    The motorcycle has 14,000 Miles. The right fork tube has drity, oily residue, no drips yet. I looked up the sealmate tool and in BUELL resourcefulness I created my own tool with an old 35mm film negative. I shaped the film as best as I could after watching some youtube clips using scissors. The homemade tool pulled alot of junk out of the dust seal and a tiny little bit of residue from the oil seal. I had to pump the forks a lot to reseat the oil seal. There was some oil loss but I'm not concerned about the amount of oil that was lost.

    I fell a little bad for blatantly copying the sealmate tool, i have no problem buying one for $5.00 but I did not want to wait a week or so for shipping.

    I will give an update in a week or so if it's fixed or leaking. If my tool worked I will be more then happy to sell it for $4.89 :-)

  8. #8
    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Crawling up your skirt
    Posts
    10,877
    Sealmate copied the 35mm film trick

  9. #9
    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    2,790
    Quote Originally Posted by Cooter View Post
    Sealmate copied the 35mm film trick
    You should have gotton a PAT on it.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    2,790
    Quote Originally Posted by pdksh View Post
    The motorcycle has 14,000 Miles. The right fork tube has drity, oily residue, no drips yet. I looked up the sealmate tool and in BUELL resourcefulness I created my own tool with an old 35mm film negative. I shaped the film as best as I could after watching some youtube clips using scissors. The homemade tool pulled alot of junk out of the dust seal and a tiny little bit of residue from the oil seal. I had to pump the forks a lot to reseat the oil seal. There was some oil loss but I'm not concerned about the amount of oil that was lost.

    I fell a little bad for blatantly copying the sealmate tool, i have no problem buying one for $5.00 but I did not want to wait a week or so for shipping.

    I will give an update in a week or so if it's fixed or leaking. If my tool worked I will be more then happy to sell it for $4.89 :-)
    With 14 k on it , it would be a good to change your oil out for fresh oil.



Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •