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leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:32 pm
by vectrose
Hi all, I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be? Thanks for any advice. Vec

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:01 am
by sh8knj8kster
--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Vectrose" wrote:
> > Hi all, > > I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be? > Thanks for any advice. > > Vec >
~~~Last two fork seals I had to replace was on my Honda Silverwing scooter, a steed known to go through fork seals, if you don't protect the male slider tube, which I didn't. That particular scoot, Honda neglected to shield the male tube from road debris, so unless you installed a fork gaitor, (I never did), detritus from the road could and would invaribly ding the plating on the tube which in turn would rip the fork seal Anyways, I see no wisdom in replacing a fork seal that isn't leaking but others may have better and different ideas IMO, no special skills are needed to replace a fork seal, so long as you can read, then it's adventageous to follow the factory service manual, or Chilton's Only non common tool called for when replacing most fork seals is a seal driver. I make mine out of over sized plastic water pipe (PVC tubing) then neck it down. to get the correct diameter needed to drive the new seal in place I rip one end of the tubing with a saw of some sort and use a rtadiator type hose clamp to draw the diameter down to what's needed Here's a pic of the ripped tube I use for a fork seal driver http://www.flickr.com/photos/26137108@N04/3613771237/sizes/o/ Jake Reddick Fla. What is a DPO? Dipshit Previous Owner; i.e., the idiot responsible for all of the damaged threads, missing parts and hacked electrical connections on the used KLR you just bought. You don't notice these problems immediately, of course... KLR FAQ http://www.shakinjake.blogspot.com/

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:38 am
by dooden
I got a 4-way 1 1/4" PVC connector.. slide it down and tapped on the two sides to seat the seals. Dooden A15 Green Ape If it was me, set some time aside and do both if you have never serviced the forks, the oil that KHI puts in them really looked nasty when I did mine. Many report ATF works fine, at $4 a quart its my next fluid for a fork change.
--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "sh8knj8kster" wrote: > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Vectrose" wrote: > > > > Hi all, > > > > I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be? > > Thanks for any advice. > > > > Vec > > > > > > > ~~~Last two fork seals I had to replace was on my Honda Silverwing scooter, a steed known to go through fork seals, if you don't protect the male slider tube, which I didn't. That particular scoot, Honda neglected to shield the male tube from road debris, so unless you installed a fork gaitor, (I never did), detritus from the road could and would invaribly ding the plating on the tube which in turn would rip the fork seal > > > Anyways, I see no wisdom in replacing a fork seal that isn't leaking but others may have better and different ideas > > > IMO, no special skills are needed to replace a fork seal, so long as you can read, then it's adventageous to follow the factory service manual, or Chilton's > > > Only non common tool called for when replacing most fork seals is a seal driver. I make mine out of over sized plastic water pipe (PVC tubing) then neck it down. to get the correct diameter needed to drive the new seal in place I rip one end of the tubing with a saw of some sort and use a rtadiator type hose clamp to draw the diameter down to what's needed > > > Here's a pic of the ripped tube I use for a fork seal driver > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/26137108@N04/3613771237/sizes/o/ > > > > Jake > Reddick Fla. > What is a DPO? > Dipshit Previous Owner; i.e., the idiot responsible for all of the damaged threads, missing parts and hacked electrical connections on the used KLR you just bought. You don't notice these problems immediately, of course... > KLR FAQ > > > > http://www.shakinjake.blogspot.com/ >

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:16 am
by transalp 1
Funny you should ask... I'm off to pick up two fork seals and dust boots for a GS500 that came in the shop yesterday. If you've never taken a fork apart, I recommend you do the homework and see what's involved before you begin. A shop manual is a plus. Having someone to assist in disassembly/reassembly isn't a must. But, it sure will be a LOT easier and less frustrating. Some will point out it's possible to change the seals without disassembling the tubes. Depending upon the bike's age & mileage, taking apart and thoroughly cleaning the parts before putting stuff back together will help in the long run. While you're at it, now's a great time to put in some aftermarket fork springs to restore your bike's ride. =) eddie
> [Original Message] > From: Vectrose > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> > Date: 6/30/2010 11:32:45 PM > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] leaking fork left fork seal > > Hi all, > > I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork
seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be?
> Thanks for any advice. > > Vec > >

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:42 am
by Jud
--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Vectrose" wrote:
> > Hi all, > > I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be? > Thanks for any advice. > > Vec >
Before you replace them, try sliding a thin piece of flexible plastic, like a motel key or a strip of photo film (everybody has some of that lying around, right?), under the seal and around the fork tube. A lot of times, the leak will be caused by a trapped piece of grit. If you can get it out, no need to replace the seal.

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:01 pm
by k650@verizon.net
Or wrap a piece of 2" wide masking tape around the fork above the seal and bounce it up and down a few times then remove the tape. Walt -----Original Message----- From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jud Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 12:38 To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: leaking fork left fork seal
--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Vectrose" wrote: > > Hi all, > > I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be? > Thanks for any advice. > > Vec > Before you replace them, try sliding a thin piece of flexible plastic, like a motel key or a strip of photo film (everybody has some of that lying around, right?), under the seal and around the fork tube. A lot of times, the leak will be caused by a trapped piece of grit. If you can get it out, no need to replace the seal.

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:44 pm
by Jeffrey
My left one leaked too. I added a tablespoon of TransX and it fixed it within 20 miles and 2 days of riding. Jeffrey #3

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:24 pm
by Chris
Thanks! I don't have a piece of film lying about (what is that, anyway? :-), and was  wondering what to use instead. Chris, bouncing along
On 7/1/2010 2:00 PM, k650@... wrote:   Or wrap a piece of 2" wide masking tape around the fork above the seal and bounce it up and down a few times then remove the tape. Walt -----Original Message----- From: DSN_KLR650%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650%40yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jud Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 12:38 To: DSN_KLR650%40yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: leaking fork left fork seal --- In DSN_KLR650%40yahoogroups.com, "Vectrose" vectrose@... wrote: > > Hi all, > > I haven't posted for some time but am looking for advice. My left fork seal seems to be leaking. First off, should I buy two kits from the dealer and do this myself to both sides? How hard can it be? > Thanks for any advice. > > Vec > Before you replace them, try sliding a thin piece of flexible plastic, like a motel key or a strip of photo film (everybody has some of that lying around, right?), under the seal and around the fork tube. A lot of times, the leak will be caused by a trapped piece of grit. If you can get it out, no need to replace the seal.

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:52 pm
by Jeffrey
if the bike has more than 30k on it and the fork oil has never been changed; you should rebuild them. If not, try low effort/low budget fixes. Jeffrey #3

leaking fork left fork seal

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:47 pm
by fasteddiecopeman
ATF - BIG thumbs UP!!! Ed (who's used it for the last 35 years in forks)
--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Dooden" wrote: > > I got a 4-way 1 1/4" PVC connector.. slide it down and tapped on the two sides to seat the seals. > > Dooden > A15 Green Ape > > If it was me, set some time aside and do both if you have never serviced the forks, the oil that KHI puts in them really looked nasty when I did mine. > > Many report ATF works fine, at $4 a quart its my next fluid for a fork change. > > >