FORK OIL SEAL interesting information!!!!

[picos mestizo]

[jonny955]

Looks too good to be true but the explanation is logical.

Surely it has to be worth a try if you can pick the tool up as cheaply here in the UK?

Jon

[picos mestizo]

Looks too good to be true but the explanation is logical.

Surely it has to be worth a try if you can pick the tool up as cheaply here in the UK?

Jon

I agree with the logic.
Hardly a high friction area which would get damaged by heat.
So dirt trapped between seal & tube is a definate posibility.
If the tool is not available in the UK then it might be a good use for old or "maxed out" credit cards.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/25152368 ... 108&ff19=0

[special one]

They have been out ages, I've read on other forums some guys have had good success from tools like this, defo worth a try, especially on upside down forks that are used on the dirt.

[Old Git Ray]

I have a couple that I use. As you can see they are easy to use and yes, they do work. If you cannot get them, old 35mm film negative works too.

Credit cards however will be far too thick.

Having said that, fork socks are a better idea and stop the problem from occurring in the first place. The only problem with upside down forks is that you usually have to put them on from the top and that means dropping the forks. Not a big problem if you are used to spannering.

[PHILinFRANCE]

Had one for a couple of years now and used it several times , in fact the last time was last month on the DR 650 , you can feel the grit in the oil when you slide it out

[Apache664]

I have one and use it occosionally whilst out and about although its not really strong enough for regular use.

At home I normally use the narrowest feeler guage on my feeler set which is a lot more robust than the plastic and does the same job with a bit of a twist as you pull it out to get rid of the grit.

[picos mestizo]

Had one for a couple of years now and used it several times , in fact the last time was last month on the DR 650 , you can feel the grit in the oil when you slide it out

I take it they work on "Downside Up" forks as well Phil.

[V_King]

older mx riders were using a bit of photo film to scrape out the dirt of seals for years :laugh:

on the other hand, the guy makes very big claims about seals not needing change. you want it or not, the seal lips get damaged, the rubber itself degrades due to atmospheric conditions and the seals needs changing, especially in mx bikes, unless you prefer changing the sliders every two-three years :pinch:

[daytona-supersport]

Interesting video. Handy looking tool and a bit of thin film shaped would do the same job. What I'm not understanding is why so few people don't use the readily available neoprene fork gaiters. Years back when USD forks were first introduced the failure of fork seals was a problem and has been ever since. The reasons are obvious, mud is collected on the lower fork leg, if it dries, it leaves a film of small grit particles adhering to the lower leg, these will with suspension movement be carried past the dust seal and into the oil seal causing the seal to fail. Cleaning this contamination from the seal may often effect a cure.

Now why not sort the problem at source. FIT NEOPRENE GAITERS to protect the fork legs from getting covered in mud in the first place.
I used to ride with a number of guys that were not particularly adept working on their machines, they were OK for servicing but not the more complex jobs. I would very often need to replace the seals in their bikes forks. (I did so many that I bought a fitting tool to whack the seals in place). But, I only did the job once. I insisted that along with the new seals, gaiters were also fitted. I can't recall a single instance of seal failure after fitting gaiters onto any bike of any make.
And believe me we are talking a fair number of fork legs here.

Fit gaiters. Do not fit zip ties around the lower end of the gaiters. After cleaning down the bike after a ride, squeeze any excess water out and lift the gaiter to spray a good dose of WD40 up the gaiter. This helps to protect against corrosion and keeps the gaiter to fork leg contact nice and slippery.

Tip, Do not fit replacement carbon fibre lower fork protectors in place of the OEM parts or moulded plastic parts. The fit is usually suspect due to the far less accurate moulding process used and they may not bear correctly on the guides and will chew the heck out of you lovely shiny forks. Carbon fibre composite is quite an aggressive material against aluminium.

If gaiters are not listed for your machine, it's worth checking out the diameter against your mates WP forks on their KTM. I have used KTM gaiters on other makes
and the fit has been fine. (thumbs)