1125 Fork Seal replacement

[1badtitan90]

Well it looks like last years fun (wheelies) has caught up to me this year. Or it could have been the cold shrinking the seals but I am in need to replace the right fork seals.. I will do both but just not sure on what people have encountered in doing this themselves.. I am mechanically inclined. Just never done fork seals.. I have the Service manual which I believe gives me all the info needed. Is there any special tools involved.. Any suggestions for fork oil and fork seals.. Thanks

 

[stellio78]

Maybe try this first

http://youtu.be/8wlzfoVroSY

 

[1badtitan90]

Wow. Thanks stellio.. for 5 bucks why would I not try this first.. get two. Leave one in the bike and could fix some buddies as I'm doing it

 

[go cytocis]

Seal mates are cheap enough that they are definitely worth trying before embarking on a seal replacement job (though you can accomplish the same thing with a piece of film or business card for free).

You should also try shooting a little WD-40 up in there to give it a rinse. You can also try rotating the fork leg upper 180 deg to see if you can get a better seal.

If you find you're still leaking after all that, a seal replacement can be intimidating, but actually simple enough if you have a clean workspace, some proper tools (incl. spring compressor & fork seal driver), a shop manual, a good quality replacement seal kit (both oil & dust seals) like All Balls, patience, & ~1/2 day. I'd recommend documenting how it came apart with pictures, especially if this is your first time and/or if you need to take a break between disassembly & reassembly.

 

[captain chaos]

Just did my first fork seal recently. Like you I'm mechanically inclined but had never done fork seals.
What I found is that it's not a terribly difficult job save for a couple of things.
1) compressing the spring to get to the nut inside (for releasing the preload cap) can be a bear without a compresser, but IS doable. A second set of hands to hold the fork as you wrestle it helps, I had my 8yr old do it. [up]

2) pay close attention to the order that things came apart. There are several washers that look similar and it's easy to get them confused. I don't know about the 1125 manual but the one for the Bolt wasn't terribly clear on order of assembly or showing the slight size differences.

I found this video to be helpful to get the basic idea of what I was diving into:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIe1esOIobQ
All I can say though is that that guy either has gorilla hands or the Uly has softer springs than the Firebolt as sliding down the spring/sleeve on my Firebolt was DEFINITELY a 2-hand ordeal! lol!

oh, and if you're creative or used to working on things without every specialty tool known to man the job can be done pretty easily with no special tools. [up]
I cut the old seal in 1/2 and used it to drive in the new one myself.
Just be sure not to damage the seal or the bushing while installing them (they both have a mild press-fit).

 

[Matteson]

Be sure the rebound screws are flush with preload nuts before install. This makes certain they are even when you adjust to desired settings. I messed up and didn't do this the first time. So I had to take them off again and get it right in order to get my suspension settings correct. I read a Twin Motorcycles thing where they did a rebuild on an 11. Maybe you could try finding that on there website. Very helpful.

 

[go cytocis]

oh, and if you're creative or used to working on things without every specialty tool known to man the job can be done pretty easily with no special tools.

Yup, if the OP ends up replacing the seals, a piece of PVC pipe can be used as a seal driver, and a ratchet tiedown as a compressor.

 

[1badtitan90]

I did already order the seal mates.. if this doesn't fix the issue I will do a writeup as to how I rebuilt them.... thanks guys

 

[Matteson]

use a very small feeler gauge. Seal mates are pointless

 

[mmcn49]

Recently changed the fork oil on one of my Buell’s. Did a write up with pictures so I wouldn’t have to relearn the procedure every time I change fluid. Posted the write up on another (non-Buell) forum. The assembly and disassembly procedure may be useful.

http://pnwriders.com/mechanical-technical/192595-showa-43mm-fork-oil-change.html

Next I have to change out the fork seals on my other Buell. The video is interesting but I have two comments.

1. Use a strap wrench for counter torque instead of a pneumatic impact wrench.
2. Before hammering the seal out of the fork tube, heat the tube with a heat gun. The seal will pop out fairly easily with minimum hammering.