Leaking Fork Seal

Just ordered a Sealmate figured for $7.48 delivered what the hell might as well have one around the house.

https://www.sealmate.net/

My thinking is a 7 or 8 year old bike with over 36K miles i might as well have the seals and dust covers replaced on both forks of course. Just the left is leaking. Just wondering at what mileage or time did others have to replace their fork seals. This is a 2007 FJR...

I shouldn't admit it but my 03 with well over 100k on it still has the original seals and bushings. It has had the fork oil changed every 2 years along with flushing with kerosene along with Eibach springs. I ride at an old fart brisk pace and it works good enough for who it's for so I figure if it isn't broken why mess with it.

My previous '06 lasted 51k before I had the seals replaced. Like Ray, I flushed the forks every 10k and changed the fluid at the same time. Just my $.02 but if you're going to the trouble of replacing seals, have the forks rebuilt with fresh bushings at the same time.

--G

escapefjrtist said:

My previous '06 lasted 51k before I had the seals replaced. Like Ray, I flushed the forks every 10k and changed the fluid at the same time. Just my $.02 but if you're going to the trouble of replacing seals, have the forks rebuilt with fresh bushings at the same time.
--G

Click to expand...

Amen.

Just had my 2008 done with a suspension upgrade at 22k. Better do it soon before the brake pads and rotor gets oil soaked like mine did.

rvnmaniac said:

Just ordered a Sealmate figured for $7.48 delivered what the hell might as well have one around the house.
https://www.sealmate.net/

My thinking is a 7 or 8 year old bike with over 36K miles i might as well have the seals and dust covers replaced on both forks of course. Just the left is leaking. Just wondering at what mileage or time did others have to replace their fork seals. This is a 2007 FJR...

Click to expand...

Henry,

What are you doing this Saturday? I am hosting a tech day. I have a spare fork seal kit. Come on down with your fork oil of choice and we will change them out. Thanks to Duane(1911) I have the seal and bushing tool. Makes the job easy. I'll PM my address.

The sealmate took care of my leaking fork seal. I put 100 miles on to verify the seal was fixed and then I changed the fork oil and still not leaking.

I've never cleaned a leaking fork seal that wasn't leaking again in fairly short order. YMMV. Using a piece of film or a feeler gauge is worth a try while parts are on order

OTOH - I've never cleaned a seal that started leaking again right away. So I guess it must be a technique thing...

FWIW - I think that 35mm camera film is too thin and a feeler gauge that is thick enough is not flexible enough.

Cut this shape out of an old milk bottle and it works great. Or else pay the man at sealmate for his brilliant invention.



I carry a copy of the milk bottle seal-mate around in my tank bag at all times. You never know when a leaky seal will crop up, and it's an easy road side fix, once you have done it a few times.

PS - There is no way that a fork seal is "worn out" in 20 to 30k miles.

Actually amazing how well seals seal even when riding on truly dinged up tubes.. My DL650 tubes look like a minefield..

Add me to the list of satisfied Seal Mate users... Just used it to cure a small leak on my right front fork.

A few tips to share (these only apply if you are working at home and not on the side of the road..).

- I used a hair dryer to soften the fork protectors and the dust seals before popping these up; a little warming made it a snap to remove these.

- Do not forget to also clean the dust seal - if the fork seal has gotten dirty, the fork dust seal is way dirtier (amazing how much more dirt came out of the dust seal versus the fork seal; took three cleanings of the dust seal to get it clean).

- I also jacked up the bike to reduce the load on the front forks; not sure if this makes a difference but in my case at the first try the seal mate tool felt like it was binding, and had less drag when I did this.

It took about a dozen or more bounces to get the seals to reset themselves - I bounced it a handful of times, checked and repeated until the seal set and there was no evidence of further leakage.

Oh, and since you are doing this in the comfort of your garage - it is probably a good idea to clean the dust seal on the other side!