2007 leaking front fork

My '07 has started leaking fluid from there top of the right front fork. mileage is less than 10k on the bike but with the bumpy and somewhat torn up midwestern streets here in Omaha I think it hammered the fork too hard at some point and damaged the seals.

Anyone have experience with fixing these forks? Is this something at an average do it your self-er can do or do I need to send them somewhere. Any experience on cost for fixing these?

is this a common issue with the FJR ?

Probably just some road splooge caught in the seal. Google Sealmate and try that first before jumping to the damaged seal conclusion.

jschenck said:

My '07 has started leaking fluid from there top of the right front fork.

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The very top, as in above the upper triple clamp?

Just fixed mine with the Sealmate. It was leaking bad, too. Others have used a cut-up milk jug with success. You have to remove the fork protector and the seal dust cover before getting at the actual seal. Both pry off but require some delicate persuasion.

My 07 was leaking and the seal mate trick did not work. I replaced the seal (I only use factory seals as I have had a bad experience with aftermarket seals) and replaced the bushings. I did not replace the middle bushing and all is just as before. Not an easy task, but not impossible. Use an impact wrench for the bottom bolt in the forks and slide hammer the fork halves apart using nothing more than a medium slam. Too hard and the bottom bushing will get stuck in the middle bushing.

+1 on the sealmate. I cut one out of a plastic soda bottle. If it doesn't work your not out of pocket and then you can go to plan B.

jschenck said:

My '07 has started leaking fluid from there top of the right front fork. mileage is less than 10k on the bike but with the bumpy and somewhat torn up midwestern streets here in Omaha I think it hammered the fork too hard at some point and damaged the seals.

Click to expand...

I doubt that.

jschenck said:

is this a common issue with the FJR ?

Click to expand...

Yes, it is a common issue, but not just on FJRs. It is common on every motorcycle produced with a conventional telescopic fork.

As has been suggested, you probably just managed to get some road spooge up inside the fork seal(s). And yes, this is more likely to occur just after riding some rough roadways that cause the forks to collapse deeper onto the dirty section of the inner fork.

The sealmate is the fix. It can be done with the forks on the bike, but it is a bit tricky to work the tool all the way around maintaining the correct angle to extract the dirt (and not just smush it around). You'll need to pry up the dust seal and slide it up out of the way, but even then the fork "protector" sticks up in the front and makes using the sealmate hard.

Some have gently heated up the protector (like with a hair dryer) and popped that up and out of the way too, which makes the job infinitely easier. I do not have the stock protectors on. I use NOJ Neoprene gaiters instead, which pull right off, so I can get right at the seals easy.

Having the fork leg off the bike and in your hands makes seal cleaning easier still. So, if you decide that you'd also like to do a fork oil change, which necessitates fork leg removal, maybe now is the right time for that too?

Keeping the inner fork tubes spotlessly clean is the secret to never having the seals get spooged up. Unfortunately, if you actually ride your bike, that is pretty much impossible. The old rubber boot, accordion type gaiters did a good job at keeping the inner legs clean. I think the neoprene mini-gaiters are a decent compromise and have used them on the FJR for several years now. They do a better job at keeping them clean, but every once in a while... That's why I carry a milk bottle sealmate in my tank bag,

There is a possibility you do not have much road splooge in the seals, if you hammered the forks hard to full compression, you could have forced oil out the seals..... wipe it down and clean up with some isopropanol. Lift the dust seals out and clean under there, and by all means do the SealMate or equivalent cleaning. If the leak persists, you'll have to replace the seals. I have had not so great experience with aftermarket seals, use OEM.

You have low mileage, may not need bushings or fork oil change. The seals can be replaced without disassembly of the whole fork, by carefully drilling a hole or two in the seal and inserting a woodscrew or awl and prying it out. Usually heating up that area of the fork is necessary. You risk scoring the dust seal area, not awful if you get some scratches there, but be aware. I just went through this with some low mileage aftermarket seals.... my leak was enough to soak the brake pads, and I had to replace those too. Actual loss of fork oil was something like a tablespoonful.

I had a fork oil leak. For one fork replacement at dealership cost is $200 parts and labor. $300 if they do both.

Or...the seals may have been focked like mine were...too many miles on the hardware.

The guy from the aftermarket suspension place asks if I ride gravel much... I say, not on purpose.