need help with leaky fork seals?

[dynodon]

My GoldWing developed a bad leak in the Right fork right before taking a trip to FL two weeks ago. If I had known of what I am going to tell you now, I could have saved a lot of mess. The only solution for leaky fork seals is a new seal...right? WRONG!

 

There is a guy selling a special tool to clean and reseal those leaky seals, but if you have some old 35mm picture packs around, you can do it for free with a strip of 35mm film negative. Trust me, I did this and it works like a charm.

 

Turns out the reason most seals leak is they get dirty from inside. If you take a strip of film negative (trim the "sprockets" off because they can break off, so the sides are smooth, and round the corners of one end) and after raising up the dust seal, slip the negative under the fork seal, keeping it tight to the fork tube. The film will go in the seal maybe 1/2" or so. Stop at that point and then carefully and slowly just slide the negative around the tube, keeping it mostly vertical with the tube. Do this about 2-3 times, just sliding it around the tube with it under the seal. Remove the film and wipe down the tube, and test it by bouncing. It should stay dry. If you notice any more oil, try it again. But it shouldn't need it.

 

Like I said, my fork was squirting all over my bike while riding and while it was bouncing in a trailer on the way to FL. After getting back I found this solution on an 1800 site, and tried it and I now have about 150 miles on since the "fix" and my forks are bone dry. May not last forever, but the guy that I heard this from said he hasn't replaced a seal in many years. I need to replace the fluid in my fork, but if I had caught it sooner, I wouldn't have to do that.

 

Try it, all you have to loose is one film strip (make it one you don't care about!).

[flb_78]

That's because all the oil has already leaked out!!

[dynodon]

Not quite, but almost.

[Eck]

You are speaking of an old quick temporary repair trick, which can also be done with a thin piece of plastic like and old credit card..and it is one trick used to help sell a bike with bad forks.

 

It may appear to work for a day or two but it will leak again, or as mentioned, it is out of oil.

[dynodon]

Eck, with due respect, mine is still bone dry and there is still oil in the fork. IF I had known about this before my trip, ALL the oil would still be in the fork and my bike would be a lot less messy. I would not recommend using an old credit card, it is MUCH thicker than the film strip, and would probably hurt the seal, and thus why it may not work as well for some people.

 

I presented the "repair" because it works, and I admitted it may be temporary, but several people on another list that tried it are still riding a year or more later on the same seals.

 

If it costs nothing, and helps keep the oil in place and the bike clean, even if only for a few weeks/months or even days, it is worth passing along.

 

the key thing here is that it WORKS! So letting people know about it is a good thing.