LEAKING FORKS

[BuellinAround]

I was wondering does anyone know how or who can fix leaking front forks. my seals are leaking and want to get them fixed

Im located in so cal

 

[stamen]

There are a few youtube videos and maybe even one or two on the forum here that show you how to change them yourself, not too difficult. Are you sure its the seals that are leaking?

 

[BuellinAround]

well im not to sure if its just the seals but that's my guess at this point. On my dirt bike I had the same thing happening (oil coming out of the forks) and I had them fixed. I believe it was the seals. what else could it be?

 

[user_deleted]

weeping fluid is faulty seals. weeping fluid in conjunction with a lightly muffled "thud" noise over harsh bumps is bad inner bushings and seals. my guess would be that you have an average amount of tools and mechanical aptitude along with experience. if that is the case i would NOT attempt a fork rebuild on your own but you can economize by removing the front wheel, the caliper, the fender, a few ancillary pieces of hardware then remove the fork tubes yourself. they do not interchange with each other. in your area there are probably a ton of local dealers and shops who can rebuild the forks for you at reasonable prices. call any one of them, ask them if they rebuild showa cartridge fork tubes, and if so take them there. i would also ask if you should supply the parts or do they? if supplying your own parts then go to ASB site and order the seals and both sets of bushings. your year will dictate what bushings and seals you'll need.

 

[Chicknstripn]

I'm in the sticks of NC and before I decided to rebuild my forks, I check where and for what I could get it done. Lowest price I found was around $120, highest was at an HD shop at $400. I wound up buying some of the tools required and made my own fork spring compressor tool and spent about $120. Now I have all the tools and knowledge to do the job myself.
It seems that most any MX shop will have a tech that is willing to do the work. I guess those guys rebuild their forks often and have more experience than most street bike oriented shops. Least that's my experience where I live.
If you decide to do the work yourself follow the advice already given and do as much research as you can.
I found that the best advice was to have a service manual on hand and to be extremely organized and CLEAN while performing the work.
Let us know what you decide to do. If you go with a shop in your local area please post who and where. You never know who you might be helping out in the long run by starting this post

 

[Cosworth]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIe1esOIobQ

 

[go cytocis]

Before concluding you need new seals, it's possible they're just dirty. Use a seal-mate, or piece of plastic film, or even a business card, to slip up between the lower fork leg & the seal to clean any grit out which may be preventing a good seal.

If you find you still have a leak, as others have said above, it's certainly a doable afternoon job if you've got tools (or home-made equivalents), a manual, & a clean work area. I'd also recommend using a camera or sketch pad to document the disassembly & make re-assembly easier.

 

[BuellinAround]

Thanks for all the advice. I know that I'm going to remove the forks myself. But as far as doing them I might just have the pros do them. I'll post updates and where I find to get them done.