Mechanic Monday, Tip of the week. Forks seals revisited.

Mechanic Monday, Tip of the week. Forks seals revisited.

Last year, I wrote "The top 10 fork seal tricks" I wanted to revisit the subject as I now have more hard data to the one method that balances fork seal life, damage to the slider and ease of keeping up with maintaining the leak protection for the top tip.

My often odd opinion and data support of the top method to reduce fork seal leaks is................ (drum roll)............................

The neoprene strip trick where one takes A 1/10 of an inch wide and approx. 3 to 4 mm thick piece of neoprene that is wetted with fork oil and placed between the dust seal and the fork seal. wrapping all the way around the slider so it forms a protective ring.

Pro. Works very good.
Con. Has to be cleaned after every ride or two. I have several neoprene strips pre-cut and pre oiled in a plastic bag.  So it is a quick change item. 3 minutes tops to swap them out.

Below is a copy of last years fork seal tips for the inquiring mind.

Stay greasy my friends

From last year....

Do you remember 1990? Well that was the year that most of the Japanese manufactures turned their forks upside down, Since then many of us have gotten very good at changing fork seals. I would love to tell you a perfect secret tip to keep your forks from leaking with no effort but that simply wouldn't be truthful. There are some tricks that can extend the time between seal changes but they all have pros and cons. so lets look at the top 10 tips.

1. The neoprene strip trick. A 1/10 of an inch wide piece of neoprene is wetted with fork oil and placed between the dust seal and the fork seal. wrapping all the way around the slider
Pro. Works pretty good.
Con. Has to be cleaned after every ride.

2. The full length neoprene sock trick.
Pro. Works extremely good.
Con. If not cleaned and dried after every ride it will damage the chrome on your fork tube slider.

3. The shorty neoprene sock trick.
Pro. It is easy to remove and clean after every ride.
Con. Doesn't seem very effective but is better then nothing.

4. The grease pack between the dust seal and the fork seal trick.
Pro. Works fairly well.
Con. Pain to clean and needs to be cleaned after every ride.

5. The Hour meter trick. Where you have a full fork service scheduled every 40 hours or less. Then when you have a leak between scheduled service times you only change the seals and don't service the cartridge assembly.
Pro. Saves time.
Con. Few people are that diligent with their maintenance program.

6. The clean your leaking seals with a tool between the slider and seal trick.
Pro. Many times will work.
Con. It takes a very skilled person to not push dirt up into the fork where it can damage the sliding member assembly.

7. The keep fresh bushings in your forks trick.
Pro. Always a good idea as the bushing wear the distance between the fork seal and the slider can change as the fork compresses making it easier for dirt to get in.
Con. Other then the cost of parts it's always a good idea.

8. The front tire change trick. When you change your front wheel ensure the forks are not pulled inward or pushed outward causing them to bind and damaging your fork bushings which in turn can make it easier for dirt to get into the seal area.
Pro. Always check for this !!!
Con. None

9. The $$$ trick. Buy the best seals. There is a real difference in quality from a low dollar seal and a high dollar seal.
Pro. Good seals last longer.
Con They can be more then double the price.

10. The don't damage the new seals trick. Be sure to use the correct tools, specifically a seal bullet and correct seal driver.
Pro. The new seal isn't damaged during installation.
Con. None

That's it for tip  #52
Stay greasy my friends