Leaking Fork Seals??

[Vstar2FJR]

My 05 FJR has over 60K miles on it. Since this is the most miles I've put on a bike I've owned, I've never really had to think/worry about fork seals. I am beginning to notice an accumulation of dirt at the top of my forks just below my fork brace. The dirt must be sticking to some type of oil, and appears shortly after I clean the area. Is this a classic sign of fork seal leakage? If it isn't, what might be leaking? Help/advise from the forum experts is appreciated.

John

 

[evil_henchman]

Some oil is bound to be on the sliding surfaces (very thin film, enough to attract dirt but not enough to see) but there's nothing to worry about until you see oil pooling on the seals or dripping down the fork legs.

 

[Ignacio]

My 05 FJR has over 60K miles on it. Since this is the most miles I've put on a bike I've owned, I've never really had to think/worry about fork seals. I am beginning to notice an accumulation of dirt at the top of my forks just below my fork brace. The dirt must be sticking to some type of oil, and appears shortly after I clean the area. Is this a classic sign of fork seal leakage? If it isn't, what might be leaking? Help/advise from the forum experts is appreciated.
John

Yes, that's the magic splooge and the mileage you indicate is pretty good life for the stockers. Having visited GP Suspensions and watching various tear-downs that seal does an amazing job, but does fill up with debris.

I would suggest a thorough going through if not an upgrade to the Soquis while you're at it. 60K was a good run.

 

[madmike2]

That's what mine die @ 28K just before WFO last year. Then the fork oil began to accumulate on top of the seal of the left fork.

Following Ignacio's train of thought, @ my mileage (and certainly @ 60K) your fork springs are going soft. I took both my forks into a shop and had them replace the seals and upgrade (replace with aftermarket) the forksprings while they had them apart.

Very good dollar:value ratio. It made my bike feel completely different.

 

[Vstar2FJR]

Thanks Gents. the spooge is not on the sliding surfaces, it is below the rubber cap and fork brace. That's why I feared it was a seal leak. I have the YES warranty (bought from D&H, thank you very much!), so I guess I'll have the dealer take care of it under warranty. It's worth noting that the FJR maintenance requriements say only to check for leaks and fix as necessary, no fluid change intervals. I expect the YES to cover this as it is, by definintion, not normal wear and tear since there is no requriement to change them out based on a time or mileage interval.

Anybody had any dealer refusals on the YES warranty for seal replacements?

John

 

[evil_henchman]

Anybody had any dealer refusals on the YES warranty for seal replacements?
John

There have been reports of some dealers considering fork seals as normal wear items like brake shoes.

 

[madmike2]

Anybody had any dealer refusals on the YES warranty for seal replacements?
John

There have been reports of some dealers considering fork seals as normal wear items like brake shoes.

I have a YES and I paid for the fork seal replacement. It was considered a wear-item.

 

[Vstar2FJR]

That's what mine die @ 28K just before WFO last year. Then the fork oil began to accumulate on top of the seal of the left fork.
Following Ignacio's train of thought, @ my mileage (and certainly @ 60K) your fork springs are going soft. I took both my forks into a shop and had them replace the seals and upgrade (replace with aftermarket) the forksprings while they had them apart.

Very good dollar:value ratio. It made my bike feel completely different.

Mike:

I know many folks have upgraded the suspension, but I find my FJR handles as good as I want or need it to with some tweaks to the stock or normal settings. I'm certainly not a pansy on the road, and there are tons of twisties in San Diego (think Palomar Mountain and others) and the nearby San Gabriel Mtns. I've lived without the upgrades front and rear for this many miles, I don't think I'll pursue the upgrades now. I DO appreciate and agree 100% that it would make a noticable difference, but that Dollar/Value ratio thing for me is on the thumbs down side right now.

John

 

[gr8eyes]

I'm pretty sure they are a normal wear item. I had mine replaced at 11,000 miles on an 03. I had the Extended warranty and still had to pay for it. The bike was a year and a half old at the time.

Glenn

PS luckily the seals are relatively inexpensive.

 

[Cal24Master]

Thanks Gents. the spooge is not on the sliding surfaces, it is below the rubber cap and fork brace. That's why I feared it was a seal leak. I have the YES warranty (bought from D&H, thank you very much!), so I guess I'll have the dealer take care of it under warranty. It's worth noting that the FJR maintenance requriements say only to check for leaks and fix as necessary, no fluid change intervals. I expect the YES to cover this as it is, by definintion, not normal wear and tear since there is no requriement to change them out based on a time or mileage interval.
Anybody had any dealer refusals on the YES warranty for seal replacements?

John

I don't think the YES warranty covers fork seals, but I could be wrong. Have you ever replaced the fork oil? The oil that comes from the factory is like low grade water to begin with, and deteriorates with age. It could be that the seal just can't hold back the old worn out oil anymore. I would suggest you replace the fork oil first. I use 20wt to increase the dampning rates. You may find that cures your problem.

FYI Leaking fork seals will first show up as a ring of oil at the highest point the fork leg compresses to. When it gets worse you will get a drip down the upper fork leg to the boot. When it gets really bad oil will drip down the back of the lower fork leg to the brake calipers. If you let it get really, REALLY bad it will soak the brake pads in oil and you loose your brakes.

 

[bandit]

Anybody had any dealer refusals on the YES warranty for seal replacements?
John

There have been reports of some dealers considering fork seals as normal wear items like brake shoes.

I have a YES and I paid for the fork seal replacement. It was considered a wear-item.

YES is a huge waste . They wouldnt warranty loose head bearigns or fork seals even though thte bike had less then 15k miles on it. I did them myself. YES will try to call everything wear items.

 

[RadioHowie]

YES is a huge waste.

That would be a real hard sell quote to some folks who have had complete transmissions and/or engines replaced under YES warranties.

Wish I'd had a YES when my cam chain tensioner retired and fragged my cylinder head.

 

[El Toro Joe]

YES is a huge waste .

My fork seals were covered, when I had the bike in for the 26k mile service