Bear
2
Warren,
Thanks for the heads up. I ordered the tool ($10.48 with shipping)
Thanks for the heads up. I ordered the tool ($10.48 with shipping)
In the Shop...
- Thread starter Phil Tarman
- Start date
OP
OP
That's a great-looking tool. I'll order one!
slider
Guest
7.99 free shipping at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FDMFRQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FDMFRQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
OP
OP
Thanks for sharing that, Slider. 11 left ... don't know if that's before or after I ordered mine.
Coyote Chris
Site Supporter
I have used sealmates for a few years now. They work but they are a bit tricky and it takes a bit of practice....worked on my Connie.
Just go slowly....
Just go slowly....
bicyclist
Guest
So, I gather that the sealmate is a piece of plastic with a hook shape that is used to scrape out gunk that has accumulated under the seal. Seems like something that could be made for free. The necessity to use one could be eliminated by putting a set of gaiters on the forks.
slider
Guest
That's all quite obvious but at 7.99 I would rather buy it than make it.
ive heard old fashioned camera film works too.
OP
OP
I had been told that putting one layer of masking tape around the fork and then compressing them would work. It didn't for me.
On my first bike, which had sat for about 10 months when I bought it, both fork seals leaked and the clutch seal leaked and there was another leak somewhere around the engine. After I'd ridden the bike for two months, and put about 3,000 miles on it, all those leaks stopped.
On my first bike, which had sat for about 10 months when I bought it, both fork seals leaked and the clutch seal leaked and there was another leak somewhere around the engine. After I'd ridden the bike for two months, and put about 3,000 miles on it, all those leaks stopped.
elizilla
Guest
Fork seals stop leaking when you run out of fork oil.
OP
OP
That was the case on "Cack" the orange/yellow PC800 that had such interesting ride reports on ADVRiders.
Coyote Chris
Site Supporter
Seems like when I took off my fork tubes from my connie and flushed the beezeges out of them last year, then put in a Belray product, it really helped.
junglejim
Site Supporter
It is amazing how dirty and contaminated the fork oil can become. It must pick up lots of gunk just sliding up and down the tubes.
Some forks have drain plugs near the bottom so changing oil is simple. I installed plugs by drilling and tapping on my Connie when I had them apart. Keeping the tubes clean and fresh oil helps preserve the fork seals too. But they always seem to fail sooner or later. And the bushings do wear out too, so at some point they need to be re-built.
Some forks have drain plugs near the bottom so changing oil is simple. I installed plugs by drilling and tapping on my Connie when I had them apart. Keeping the tubes clean and fresh oil helps preserve the fork seals too. But they always seem to fail sooner or later. And the bushings do wear out too, so at some point they need to be re-built.
My DRZ400 fork seals lasted 10 years in the harshest of conditions before one began to leak. I never changed the oil. I had the dealer rebuild both with new bushings/seals. After the first ride, i see a little drippage on the opposite side...i was livid! I wiped it off and rode again...dry! Im guessing there was a little oil on top of the seal after rebuilding
The fork seals in my ST1300 lasted nearly 10 yeas and 100000 miles. Only thing I did to them was wipe the sliders off after each ride. If I remembered. That was critical in the Texas summers with all the bugs. Not so bad here in Colorado. The first fork oil chang it got was when I installed after market springs @41k miles. The next was at 100k miles.
Just took a look at the NT. I have a seal weeping just a little. Might just be the cold. I will have to keep an eye on it. If it is leaking and the fork seal tool does not work, it is not that hard to change them. My NT has 18.5k miles on it now. When using the fork seal took BE VERY CAREFUL REMOVING THE DUST COVER, DO NOT SCRATCH OR NICK THE SLIDER. The Dust Cover can be a bit stubborn to get loose, especially with the plastic fork guards that are on the forks.
Just took a look at the NT. I have a seal weeping just a little. Might just be the cold. I will have to keep an eye on it. If it is leaking and the fork seal tool does not work, it is not that hard to change them. My NT has 18.5k miles on it now. When using the fork seal took BE VERY CAREFUL REMOVING THE DUST COVER, DO NOT SCRATCH OR NICK THE SLIDER. The Dust Cover can be a bit stubborn to get loose, especially with the plastic fork guards that are on the forks.
the NT has those black "deflector" looking projections on the front of the fork. could they be lengthened? dirt bike type boots seem like a good idea? i wonder about those neoprene dealies, seems like they would trap dirt and water?
OP
OP
silverstrike, I've got the "neoprene dealies" -- NOJ fork guards -- and I haven't noticed anything being trapped by them. If it didn't take pulling the forks, I might go with the gaiters like old Triumphs and dirt bikes use.
Coyote Chris
Site Supporter
Phil, what is to stop us from getting some old or new gaiters, slitting them up and down, and wrapping them around the NOJs? Kind of like falsies...put the crack toward the engine and seal it with black RTV.
OP
OP
Chris, I guess you could do something like that. If I never have another fork seal failure, I'll be perfectly happy with the NOJs. I think they protect the fork. My guess is that there was a burr on the fork that didn't get polished out when the first seal was replaced.