Fork Seal price.

[madmaxter39]

here is a link from TT. It has everything you need to know about doing your own forks. I have it saved in my subscription list so I can use it everytime I do forks now. I used the money I would have spent on labor to buy the tools needed so next time I save even more dough:thumbsup:

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=625393

Good Luck:thumbsup:

[llamaface]

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=748913&highlight=fork+seal

Once I figured out what I needed to do, and got the right tools, it took me about 20 mins or so to change a fork seal on my kx250. Didn't even have to drain the oil, although if the oil hasn't been changed in a while, it's a good idea to change it.

What tools you need depend on the forks and your own level of ingenuity. Regardless tho, $300 is highway robbery.

[coryf 05crf450r]

here is a link from TT. It has everything you need to know about doing your own forks. I have it saved in my subscription list so I can use it everytime I do forks now. I used the money I would have spent on labor to buy the tools needed so next time I save even more dough:thumbsup:

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=625393

Good Luck:thumbsup:

lmfao, as soon as I read that thread I knew what to expect. sure enough, it was those rockymountainayvmc videos on youtube... which are the best out there.

thats how I learned how to both types of fork seals, wheel bearings, and top end on a 2 stroke ?

[texas_hippie]

I'm with LLama on this. The thing is, if you're going to go through the trouble of a seal change, why not change the bushings,dust seals and oil too? That way you have a basically fresh new set of forks. Something you can trust. Do yourself a favor, get yourself some seal savers, install them, and it'll impove the life of those new seals you just put in immensley.

...And a question for the guy with the crowbar thingy. Why did you even mess with the lower fork leg if you were just replacing seals? Were you doing a revalve also?

Also, spend the money for the seal driver tool, as it'll save you a butt load of agravation. Do it right the first time! The plus side is, you're always going to be doing seals as eventually they're going to wear out. Buying the tool will save you money in the long run. I believe Tucker Rocky sells seal replacement kits for around $80 for WR450. With that, you get the seals, bushings, dust scraper, and everything you need except the oil. Much cheaper, and a better quality seal than the OEM. The fork oil level tool is cheap, and will save alot of agravation too. It's critical that the oil level is EXACTLY the same in each fork. Be sure to loosen the fork caps before you take the legs loose from the stearing head.

Remember, once you have the tool, it's yours forever...consider it an investment in time saved, and aggravation avoided, not to mention the brand new seal you just tore by Obama rigging it.

[mxdude629]

I'm with LLama on this. The thing is, if you're going to go through the trouble of a seal change, why not change the bushings,dust seals and oil too? That way you have a basically fresh new set of forks. Something you can trust. Do yourself a favor, get yourself some seal savers, install them, and it'll impove the life of those new seals you just put in immensley.

...And a question for the guy with the crowbar thingy. Why did you even mess with the lower fork leg if you were just replacing seals? Were you doing a revalve also?

Also, spend the money for the seal driver tool, as it'll save you a butt load of agravation. Do it right the first time! The plus side is, you're always going to be doing seals as eventually they're going to wear out. Buying the tool will save you money in the long run. I believe Tucker Rocky sells seal replacement kits for around $80 for WR450. With that, you get the seals, bushings, dust scraper, and everything you need except the oil. Much cheaper, and a better quality seal than the OEM. The fork oil level tool is cheap, and will save alot of agravation too. It's critical that the oil level is EXACTLY the same in each fork. Be sure to loosen the fork caps before you take the legs loose from the stearing head.

Remember, once you have the tool, it's yours forever...consider it an investment in time saved, and aggravation avoided, not to mention the brand new seal you just tore by Obama rigging it.

the bushings and dust seals take a loooooong time to wear out. if the bike is fairely new then they should still be good. but changing the oil is a must when you change your inner seals. And I used to use seal savers but I actually figured out my seals would last over 30 hours before they would blow. and I change my seals and oil every 30 hours so seal savers were kinda usless for me. but for the average trail rider there great.

[coryf 05crf450r]

I'm with LLama on this. The thing is, if you're going to go through the trouble of a seal change, why not change the bushings,dust seals and oil too? That way you have a basically fresh new set of forks. Something you can trust. Do yourself a favor, get yourself some seal savers, install them, and it'll impove the life of those new seals you just put in immensley.

...And a question for the guy with the crowbar thingy. Why did you even mess with the lower fork leg if you were just replacing seals? Were you doing a revalve also?

Also, spend the money for the seal driver tool, as it'll save you a butt load of agravation. Do it right the first time! The plus side is, you're always going to be doing seals as eventually they're going to wear out. Buying the tool will save you money in the long run. I believe Tucker Rocky sells seal replacement kits for around $80 for WR450. With that, you get the seals, bushings, dust scraper, and everything you need except the oil. Much cheaper, and a better quality seal than the OEM. The fork oil level tool is cheap, and will save alot of agravation too. It's critical that the oil level is EXACTLY the same in each fork. Be sure to loosen the fork caps before you take the legs loose from the stearing head.

Remember, once you have the tool, it's yours forever...consider it an investment in time saved, and aggravation avoided, not to mention the brand new seal you just tore by Obama rigging it.

I dont mean to start a huge agrument, but I think youre wrong on a few points.

first of all, I was told that from TT theres no brand thats better than OEM. but Im a honda rider. so did they mean Honda OEM parts are the best versus any other product, or did they mean all OEM products are better than aftermarket ones. OEM are certainly more expensive...

the fork oil level tool isint needed. save yourself the 30$ and do it my way: when emptying the oil from the forks, pour it into an old measuring cup. when it comes time to fill them up, put in the same amount that you drained earlier. easy.

also a fork seal tool isint needed if youve got some brains up there. a 1.5 inch piece of pvc pipe, a hose clamp, and a hammer will work just as fine. but you need to use your head a little on this. if youre a complete idiot with more money than brains, buy a seal driver. thats 60$ more in my pocket when I use the pvc pipe that I got for free since it was such a small piece.

also, I dont think the oil has to be EXACT like you mentioned. I know it should be close, but youre making it sound like 1 ml +/- will make your forks handle like junk, which im sure is not true at all.

[texas_hippie]

Ok, obviously I'm not gonna be replacing my fork seals if they're not leaking. When you say measure how much you poured out, then put that much new oil back in. How the hell do you account for the oil that leaked out that let you know the seal was bad in the first place? I've tried the pvc route, and found out that without a lathe to turn the diameter down to what I needed, it wouldn't work. All it did was to push the seal down cockeyed, and in a place where I couldn't see that it wasn't straight. The tool, (around $48 bucks) by nature of it's

exact machining, didn't allow this to happen. I had to pull the forks again, drain the oil in that tube again, straighten the seal, and then reinstall the oil, and fork in the tripple tree again. What a pain in the a$$ that was.

I'm not made of money either. I'm just an enlisted military guy, and God knows the pay ain't what I'd make in the civilian world. I'm a helicopter mechanic by trade. The right tool for the right job, always and every time. It saves from having to do sh!t over and over when you dick it up. You're right about the level. One millimeter isn't gonna hurt, you'll never notice it. Now, suppose you want a slightly stiffer fork, because of the terrain that you normally ride, or because you weigh slightly more than the average 180 pound guy that the factory set the bike up for? You gonna just dribble a teaspoon full or so in, or do you want to add the 5 mm that you're looking for with a more exact form of measurement such as the $19 tool provides? Besides, you're never going to get all the oil out of a fork tube anyway.(Where the hell did you see this tool for the money you quoted?) If you're paying that much for it, then I'd say YOUR "head work" isn't what it needs to be. Now, if you have an engineering degree in fluid dynamics, feel free to disagree with the guy that quotes in the manual, "Exact fluid levels are critical to insure proper handling of the machine". The engineer that quoted that, probably had the benefit of a college education, something I couldn't afford. But I'm gonna take his word for it, because common sense dictates to me that the levels should be the same. 5mm of fluid level will definately make a difference you can feel. Why do the race teams use as little as 3 or 4 mm to tune the bike for different tracks? I guess you are gonna save money initially, by doing things in a half assed manner, but I guarantee you that over time, you're gonna spend that money down the road, many times over.

I layed out a bunch of money for a bike. I don't mind spending a little now and then to have a tool I'm gonna use over and over for years to come. Yes, I plan on having my bike for many years. and by taking care to do proper maintenance, that bike is gonna be around awhile. I wanna ride the damn thing, not do maintenance over and over, because I was too cheap to do it right. I'm just saying that the right tool is an investment that pays for itself many times over. I guess I also like the peace of mind that comes with knowing my bike is not gonna let me down fifty miles from the trail head. I'm too damn old to be humping that far in the Texas heat.

As far as you not wanting to start a "big argument", I can appreciate that. I've seen way to much of that since the damn politicos picked that fight with Saddam back in 91' or so.

Are we good, Bro?

[texas_hippie]

MXdude...if the dust seals were still good, then what made the seals leak in the first place? I'd bet it was dirt getting past those good dust seals? Your going to be coon fingering those sliders anyway,while you're working the seals. And if you have the forks torn down that far, why not just replace them?

[Jakeblues]

Ok, obviously I'm not gonna be replacing my fork seals if they're not leaking. When you say measure how much you poured out, then put that much new oil back in. How the hell do you account for the oil that leaked out that let you know the seal was bad in the first place? I've tried the pvc route, and found out that without a lathe to turn the diameter down to what I needed, it wouldn't work. All it did was to push the seal down cockeyed, and in a place where I couldn't see that it wasn't straight. The tool, (around $48 bucks) by nature of it's

exact machining, didn't allow this to happen. I had to pull the forks again, drain the oil in that tube again, straighten the seal, and then reinstall the oil, and fork in the tripple tree again. What a pain in the a$$ that was.

I'm not made of money either. I'm just an enlisted military guy, and God knows the pay ain't what I'd make in the civilian world. I'm a helicopter mechanic by trade. The right tool for the right job, always and every time. It saves from having to do sh!t over and over when you dick it up. You're right about the level. One millimeter isn't gonna hurt, you'll never notice it. Now, suppose you want a slightly stiffer fork, because of the terrain that you normally ride, or because you weigh slightly more than the average 180 pound guy that the factory set the bike up for? You gonna just dribble a teaspoon full or so in, or do you want to add the 5 mm that you're looking for with a more exact form of measurement such as the $19 tool provides? Besides, you're never going to get all the oil out of a fork tube anyway.(Where the hell did you see this tool for the money you quoted?) If you're paying that much for it, then I'd say YOUR "head work" isn't what it needs to be. Now, if you have an engineering degree in fluid dynamics, feel free to disagree with the guy that quotes in the manual, "Exact fluid levels are critical to insure proper handling of the machine". The engineer that quoted that, probably had the benefit of a college education, something I couldn't afford. But I'm gonna take his word for it, because common sense dictates to me that the levels should be the same. 5mm of fluid level will definately make a difference you can feel. Why do the race teams use as little as 3 or 4 mm to tune the bike for different tracks? I guess you are gonna save money initially, by doing things in a half assed manner, but I guarantee you that over time, you're gonna spend that money down the road, many times over.

I layed out a bunch of money for a bike. I don't mind spending a little now and then to have a tool I'm gonna use over and over for years to come. Yes, I plan on having my bike for many years. and by taking care to do proper maintenance, that bike is gonna be around awhile. I wanna ride the damn thing, not do maintenance over and over, because I was too cheap to do it right. I'm just saying that the right tool is an investment that pays for itself many times over. I guess I also like the peace of mind that comes with knowing my bike is not gonna let me down fifty miles from the trail head. I'm too damn old to be humping that far in the Texas heat.

As far as you not wanting to start a "big argument", I can appreciate that. I've seen way to much of that since the damn politicos picked that fight with Saddam back in 91' or so.

Are we good, Bro?

Not to mention Hippie has friends that are tool whores and will buy tools then let him borrow them!??? :banghead: ?

[texas_hippie]

LOL....no one twisted your arm bitch!

Too funny!

...and I bet you won't hesitate to borrow Jaybirds seal driver when you need to change seals either, right?

[mxdude629]

MXdude...if the dust seals were still good, then what made the seals leak in the first place? I'd bet it was dirt getting past those good dust seals? Your going to be coon fingering those sliders anyway,while you're working the seals. And if you have the forks torn down that far, why not just replace them?

good logic but Ive never replaced dust seals on any of my bikes and my seals still last for a really long time (30 plus hours). So what if you do brand new fork and dust seals and the first time out is a mud race and your seals blow. Does that mean your dust seals are bad. dust seals can only do their job to a certain extend. And Im sure dirt is not the only reason that fork seals blow. Maybe just maybe a seal can wear out over time.

If you want to waste money then by all means replace the dust seals every time you do your fork seals to. its just not necessary.

[coryf 05crf450r]

good logic but Ive never replaced dust seals on any of my bikes and my seals still last for a really long time (30 plus hours). So what if you do brand new fork and dust seals and the first time out is a mud race and your seals blow. Does that mean your dust seals are bad. dust seals can only do their job to a certain extend. And Im sure dirt is not the only reason that fork seals blow. Maybe just maybe a seal can wear out over time.

If you want to waste money then by all means replace the dust seals every time you do your fork seals to. its just not necessary.

LMAO 30 + hours is NOT a long time for fork seals. try 200 hours. seriously. and after 200 hours, which is what I get, you should be replacing your dust seals. possibly bushings too. my seals last me 2-3 years. 30 hours is like a month of riding for me. theres no way in hell im re doing my fork seals every month.

but I dont jump so that might have something to do with why my fork seals last so long ?

ive never had problems with a rear shock, plenty of friends that have though. none of them being jumped.

[texas_hippie]

Cory is right. 30 hours isn't a long time at all. I don't know what kind of terrain you race in, but here it's mostly sand and mud. Two hundred hours I'd say is prolly closer to what you should expect for seal life. Now that I'm using the seal savers, I'm hoping to double that number. The gumbo mud here is so thick, after one loop, you can barely tell what color the bike is. I'm not even gonna mention the powdery sand we ride in.

If your seals blow out on the first time out in the mud, you obviously either didn't do the job right, or your freaking non replaced dust seals are leaking by. It's your bike. But if you're going to give advice to a noob on here, at least give him something he can use, or at least steer him in the right direction to make a sound decision.

[llamaface]

I ride 300+ hrs every year, and am fortunate enough to take care of my girlfriend's bike too (she rides the same amount), so I have been lucky enough to do a fair amount of fork maintenance. IMHO, a $30 fork oil level gizmo is money well spent if you're going to be doing the work very often (and if you have open chamber forks)s, but, you can make one that works almost as well for $5 by buying a bigass syringe from a veterinary or ranch supply place, and a foot of plastic tubing the right size for the syring, and then marking the tubing with a sharpie.

I also made my own 'seal driver' using a piece of pvc and a hose clamp. A real seal driver is probably a little easier to use, but mine is pretty darned easy and the $50 i saved buys beer for a whole week!!

Regarding seals, I have had the best experience with synergy seals from synergyseals.com.

FWIW, My 200 has 350-ish hours on the oem seals, dust seals and bushings, and the fork is still tight and works great. Tresa's bike has around 450 hrs on her synergy seals, and 500 hrs on everything else, and is probably due for bushing replacement, but the seals and dust seals are hunky dory. I've never actually replaced a dust seal.

Instead of replacing dustseals, I normally just shorten the seal spring 3-5mm.

At any rate, the whole point of this thread isn't really to argue about what's best, because everyone will have different experiences or preferences. The OP can replace (or just clean) his leaking seal in a few minutes, with basic tools, and should do that instead of spending a crapload of money.

[madmaxter39]

I ride 300+ hrs every year, and am fortunate enough to take care of my girlfriend's bike too (she rides the same amount), so I have been lucky enough to do a fair amount of fork maintenance. IMHO, a $30 fork oil level gizmo is money well spent if you're going to be doing the work very often (and if you have open chamber forks)s, but, you can make one that works almost as well for $5 by buying a bigass syringe from a veterinary or ranch supply place, and a foot of plastic tubing the right size for the syring, and then marking the tubing with a sharpie.

I also made my own 'seal driver' using a piece of pvc and a hose clamp. A real seal driver is probably a little easier to use, but mine is pretty darned easy and the $50 i saved buys beer for a whole week!!

Regarding seals, I have had the best experience with synergy seals from synergyseals.com.

FWIW, My 200 has 350-ish hours on the oem seals, dust seals and bushings, and the fork is still tight and works great. Tresa's bike has around 450 hrs on her synergy seals, and 500 hrs on everything else, and is probably due for bushing replacement, but the seals and dust seals are hunky dory. I've never actually replaced a dust seal.

Instead of replacing dustseals, I normally just shorten the seal spring 3-5mm.

At any rate, the whole point of this thread isn't really to argue about what's best, because everyone will have different experiences or preferences. The OP can replace (or just clean) his leaking seal in a few minutes, with basic tools, and should do that instead of spending a crapload of money.

llama, stop making so much sense on saving money for tools. I am the person that likes buying tools to work on bikes. If my WIFE reads your post, I am doomed, becouse I just ordered those tools to do my own forks from now on, as my son loves to trash parts at the track. ?

[llamaface]

llama, stop making so much sense on saving money for tools. I am the person that likes buying tools to work on bikes. If my WIFE reads your post, I am doomed, becouse I just ordered those tools to do my own forks from now on, as my son loves to trash parts at the track. ?

lol, of course these home-made tools are far inferior to the real deal, and take so much more effort to use that I am usually too exhausted to help with the dishes or vacuuming.

I like real tools, but unfortunately I like beer more.

[mxdude629]

LMAO 30 + hours is NOT a long time for fork seals. try 200 hours. seriously. and after 200 hours, which is what I get, you should be replacing your dust seals. possibly bushings too. my seals last me 2-3 years. 30 hours is like a month of riding for me. theres no way in hell im re doing my fork seals every month.

but I dont jump so that might have something to do with why my fork seals last so long ?

ive never had problems with a rear shock, plenty of friends that have though. none of them being jumped.

wow If I get 1 full hour on my bike at the track it feels like a lot.. when I actually trail rode id get quite a few hours on my bike(still maybe not that much)but a lot. now that I pretty much just ride track (and my dad dosent pay for all my sh!t any more)I only put about 30-40 hours a year on my bike(mind you thats all track). And after that much time the forks start to feel all mushy so I just replace the oil and do the seals while im at it.

The last time I had everything replaced on my suspension it lasted for about 40 hours or so before the forks were spitting out oil.

The guy did EVERYTHING. bushings, dust seals, fork seals the works. So either the guy screwed me or im just really hard on my bikes lol.

anyways if I got that much time on my seals then Id probably do everything as well. Im actually going to suggest that to my dad since he still trail rides quite a bit.

[llamaface]

The last time I had everything replaced on my suspension it lasted for about 40 hours or so before the forks were spitting out oil.

The guy did EVERYTHING. bushings, dust seals, fork seals the works. So either the guy screwed me or im just really hard on my bikes lol.

In my experience, the most common reason for seals to leak is dirt getting inside them. The most common reasons for dirt getting inside seems to me to be letting mud dry on the fork legs, and then riding more, or else using a pressure washer without sufficient restraint so that dirt is forced past the seals.

Whenever i wash my bike (not that often, lol), i squirt a little wd40 or pledge around the fork leg just below the seal, bounce the bike up and down hard a few times, then wipe the whole fork leg clean. seems to keep everythign moving smoothly, removes hard-water spots, makes dirt stick less, etc...

[mxdude629]

In my experience, the most common reason for seals to leak is dirt getting inside them. The most common reasons for dirt getting inside seems to me to be letting mud dry on the fork legs, and then riding more, or else using a pressure washer without sufficient restraint so that dirt is forced past the seals.

I dont own a pressure washer(more trouble than their worth IMO)And I wash my bike pretty much after every ride. I dont belive the seals were just leaking. if a seal is just leaking then you can take a piece of film negative or a seal cleaner thing and just kinda scrape the dirt outta there. mine were totally blown. no saving them.

[coryf 05crf450r]

I ride 300+ hrs every year, and am fortunate enough to take care of my girlfriend's bike too (she rides the same amount), so I have been lucky enough to do a fair amount of fork maintenance. IMHO, a $30 fork oil level gizmo is money well spent if you're going to be doing the work very often (and if you have open chamber forks)s, but, you can make one that works almost as well for $5 by buying a bigass syringe from a veterinary or ranch supply place, and a foot of plastic tubing the right size for the syring, and then marking the tubing with a sharpie.

I also made my own 'seal driver' using a piece of pvc and a hose clamp. A real seal driver is probably a little easier to use, but mine is pretty darned easy and the $50 i saved buys beer for a whole week!!

Regarding seals, I have had the best experience with synergy seals from synergyseals.com.

FWIW, My 200 has 350-ish hours on the oem seals, dust seals and bushings, and the fork is still tight and works great. Tresa's bike has around 450 hrs on her synergy seals, and 500 hrs on everything else, and is probably due for bushing replacement, but the seals and dust seals are hunky dory. I've never actually replaced a dust seal.

Instead of replacing dustseals, I normally just shorten the seal spring 3-5mm.

At any rate, the whole point of this thread isn't really to argue about what's best, because everyone will have different experiences or preferences. The OP can replace (or just clean) his leaking seal in a few minutes, with basic tools, and should do that instead of spending a crapload of money.

yup, I agree with you 100%, especially about saving the 50$ on the fork saver tool and using pvc pipe with a hose clamp!

how do you clean a leaking seal? does that fix the problem or hide it for a few weeks? we have these little 6$ 'seal mates" at our bike shop. you slide it under the seal and it supposedy takes all the gunk and dirt out, not sure how it fixes the seal though. I heard the negatives off a film strip will also work.