Fork seal help

[Alien]

Leaving Sunday to ride from Pa to Fl. Noticed today I have a leaking fork seal.

Where's a good place to order seals and what's average cost?

[stensg]

All balls i got mine off Ebay i think it was only like $25 link (http://shop.mobileweb.ebay.com/searchresults?kw=buell+ulysses+12+seals&cmd=SREF&fads=All&call=All&sort=BestMatch&mfs=GOCLK&acimp=0&isNewKw=true)

[konarider94]

you may want to look into buying new bushings to go along with the seals. the teflon wears off of them. they arent too much. check out americansportbike.com or the dealer will probably have similar prices.

[snrusnak]

I'll send you all the parts you need to rebuild the forks if you want, at a good price. Or you can pick them up in FL if you're here anyway(I'm in Orlando).

I have brand new in packaging:
oil seals
dust seals
guide bushings
slide bushings
I think I also have the retaining clips

I'll sell to you for cheaper than buying new. All my parts are from buell. Oh and they are off an 05 which IIRC is 43mm.

[user_deleted]

alien: if you've never replaced fork seals on these cartridge forks and want to do it quickly and correctly....get someone with experience to help you as clearly you're pressed for time. and once they start to leak it worsens rapidly in most cases. you can do the "wipe and ride" thing if on the left fork but if on the right will saturate the fork leg, caliper, rotor and pads if left unrepaired.

[snrusnak]

but if on the right will saturate the fork leg, caliper, rotor and pads if left unrepaired.

I can attest to this. I rode for a year with leaking forks and my front brake became relatively useless. It worked normally under light pressure, but when you hit it hard it just faded. When I finally had the forks rebuilt, I also sanded the caliper and put new pads on, and getting used to a working brake was really weird. It was like hitting a wall every time I pulled the lever. I had to panic stop on the first ride I did with the new brake and ended up doing a stoppie by accident, and stopped short by about 20ft of where I thought I was going to stop.

[jamba]

There is some pics to help you
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/3842/249047.html?1188735029

[steve92106]

Don't you need a special tool to pound out the old seal and press the new one home? I always figured that's something I'd let the dealer do since I've been known to screw those kind of things up and have to pay twice as much to fix the damage.

[user_deleted]

steve; with the cartridge left intact you grab the lower leg which is the tube, hold the slider which is the large upper portion that bolts into the triple clamps...give them a tug and the components come apart. this is after removing the lower allen bolt. the bushings and seals come right out. putting it all back together requires either a home-made or store bought seal driver...or protective tape, a punch, a small hammer and incredible hand and eye coordination.

[konarider94]

this is after removing the lower allen bolt

if just doing seals and bushings id leave the lower allen bolt in place. no need to remove the damper rod assembly

[steve92106]

Talk about psychokinetic! My right seal went this weekend at 24K miles. I had service done at 21K miles including draining and refilling the forks and it sure would have been nice if I'd known the seals were about to go at that time. Will have both done this week with bushings and teflon sleeves. HD San Diego shop quote was 3.25 hrs. labor @ $95 plus parts. Sounds like a $400 bill to get it back on the road. Wish I had the tools and know how to do it myself.

[user_deleted]

Sounds like a $400 bill to get it back on the road. Wish I had the tools and know how to do it myself

steve: it's always the right side/brake side seal that leaks first. must have to do with brake pad debris and dust working its way over time onto the tube and into the sealing surface. i'm sure there's many quality independent shops in the SD area who replace seals in showa cartridge forks. and ASB out your way has the parts as does All Balls. why don't you call a few of the independents and get a price for the job?

[steve92106]

Thanks, Lunatic. I'm working on that but I am a little concerned the indys I've spoken with in the past don't seem too familiar with Buells. One went so far as to tell me "sure, we work on Sportster 1200 engines all the time"! Hoo Boy!