fork seal advice

[Burner]

from a fng

One fork seal gushed some oil while moving the bike while waiting for the snow to melt this spring. Now it is wet on that side only.

Clean it up and some oil reappears

2007 with about 3500 miles, new to me last fall. The bike seems to handle well, but i am wondering if it needs some service.

From Northern Ontario so the season is just starting...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Seriously? If you have a fork seal leaking, get it fixed. There is no way I would want to ride it any further than the nearest repair shop or dealership. Sure you can get away with it, but why? Not only is the suspension compromised but the thought of fork oil getting all over my front brakes and tire while I am riding is beyond any meanness that I want to do to myself.

 

[ahchiu]

Try this first.

https://www.sealmate.net/instructions.html

 

[wfooshee]

And if it's really leaking, it gets all over your faceshield and the whole side of your bike, and the wheels and brakes as you ride.

Not that I would actually know anything about that ......

This happened on one 200-mile ride, bike was clean and oil-free when I started. Get your seals fixed.

 

[SkooterG]

Try this first.

https://www.sealmate.net/instructions.html

+1

I repaired two leaking seals in the last few months. Best damn $8 I have ever spent!

 

[Burner]

Thanks for the advice guys

It is more of a occasional reappearing wetness with the odd drop on the top of the dust seal problem

I will try the sealmate plan first. The temperatures are in the 30's in the mornings and i guess i was hoping the was more of a cold frozen seal issue that might go away...wishful thinking on my part

Kinda cool to ride but i have also learned the "cold tire on cold pavement with a powerful bike concept" WTH, the old VStar 1100 never had that issue.

thanks again

 

[RossKean]

With your low mileage, I doubt that the seals are terribly worn although there is a possibility that a major piece of grit has gotten in and done some damage to the seal. I'm betting that the Sealmate (or homemade equivalent) will do the trick. Mine, on the other hand, are starting to weep a bit on both sides and it is time to suck it up and replace bushings and seals @ 65,000 miles.

Ross

 

[Bungie]

Sealmate works. I've been doing that trick for years going back to my teenage days riding MotoX'rs. Save your $8 though. Just use some heavy packing plastic and cut it out just like a Sealmate. Pop out the outer dust seal and work it around the inner seal.

I betcha I've done this 7 or 8 times over the years and it's never failed to work.

Course, your seal could be well and truly gone and needs replacement. But for free, try this trick first!

 

[Jetpilot5]

I just had to do this on my 07 with 8500 miles. My left fork was seeping enough to leave an oily ring around the fork after a couple hundred miles. It took me three tries with the SealMate to get it to stop but after 160 mile test ride it's still completely dry so I'm hoping that takes care of it. Definitely glad I tried the SealMate before pulling the fork off to have the seal changed.

 

[RPrice]

I used the Seal Mate "trick" successfully over the past year and a half. About two weeks ago I went for a ride and the problem seal started leaking again. I had all the parts to replace bushings/seals, etc.. in my fork tubes. So, I just "bit the bullet" and serviced both tubes following the excellent advice gained from this forum. I also have the Service Manual.

The parts, including the fork oil, cost about $120, but I shudder to think what a dealer would have charged me!!

BTW I have 25k miles on my FJR.

 

[Greb]

Sealmate works awesome for low mileage fork seals. I keep one with me on trips

 

[Pete Bansen]

Sealmate works awesome for low mileage fork seals. I keep one with me on trips

I'm losing my mind with the oozing fork seals on my '05. I've tried the Sealmate treatment a number of times - sometimes the leaking stops for a while, sometimes there's a less satisfactory improvement. I have never had a bike before that had this as an ongoing issue - usually the seals would leak (and at WAY higher mileage than on this FJR), you'd replace them and would never have another problem.

I just ordered a set of seals and will pull the forks and replace the seals, since the Sealmate thing doesn't seem to be getting it. I can't see why this is necessary (or why it would be necessary to carry a Sealmate with you on trips...) on a low-mileage bike. Do the FJR seals simply suck or what?

Pete

 

[wfooshee]

Any bike can have a failed seal if the right kind of crud gets in there. Mine had an obvious tear in the seal when I got it apart, sealmate thing would NEVER have fixed it.

And if the seal is bad and you try a bandaid fix rather than an actual repair, then it's not really an ongoing issue, is it? It's just something that hasn't been fixed yet.

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

Any bike can have a failed seal if the right kind of crud gets in there. Mine had an obvious tear in the seal when I got it apart, sealmate thing would NEVER have fixed it.

And if the seal is bad and you try a bandaid fix rather than an actual repair, then it's not really an ongoing issue, is it? It's just something that hasn't been fixed yet.

What he said!!

Any mechanic will tell you, "**** don't fix itself"

ie: if the seal lip is bent, it will have a crease, it will continue to leak,if a small stone has gotten in there, it will scratch you sleeves and continue to do damage, Seal mate has its place, to make a minor remedy to a problem. The fluid driping on your brake pads can damage the pad bond, and loose lots of friction on the rotor.

$200 at my dealer for repair on my 07.

FWFE

 

[Pete Bansen]

Any bike can have a failed seal if the right kind of crud gets in there. Mine had an obvious tear in the seal when I got it apart, sealmate thing would NEVER have fixed it.

And if the seal is bad and you try a bandaid fix rather than an actual repair, then it's not really an ongoing issue, is it? It's just something that hasn't been fixed yet.

I would agree if the Sealmate fix didn't provide a temporary solution - that would indicate a defective or damaged seal - but what happens is that the oozing stops briefly after being 'Sealmated' and then starts again a week or two later.

Pete

 

[RPrice]

Any bike can have a failed seal if the right kind of crud gets in there. Mine had an obvious tear in the seal when I got it apart, sealmate thing would NEVER have fixed it.

And if the seal is bad and you try a bandaid fix rather than an actual repair, then it's not really an ongoing issue, is it? It's just something that hasn't been fixed yet.

I would agree if the Sealmate fix didn't provide a temporary solution - that would indicate a defective or damaged seal - but what happens is that the oozing stops briefly after being 'Sealmated' and then starts again a week or two later.

Pete

Pete,

As mentioned previously, your experience with the seal mate procedure roughly compares to mine. The seal mate would work, but only temporarily. So, I finally just replaced the seals, etc.. I've got about 3 k miles on the new seals now (with plenty of rough roads), and so far, no leaks. My FJR sat around for 4 years before I purchased it, and the previous owner only put 690 miles on it in that time!!

Sometimes I wonder if the fact that the bike basically just sat in a garage, without use, for 4 years before I bought it had anything to do with the leaky seal??

Good Luck!!