[loueber]

i replaced my fork seal yesterday on my 06.
Its the second time it went on the right.
first went at 3k miles
then again last week at 12k miles.

to be fair i did have a few hard wheelie landings recently... so i wont bitch.. unless there is an inherent problem with the right side forks i missed on this forum.

Anyways...
the seal didnt work out properly and its still leaking..but not as bad.
therefore i have to do it again this week when i get a new washer in. ( seems like the dealer didnt install a washer that shows up on the manual)

So, since i didnt see a how to for fork seal replacements...
is anyone interested if i take some picks and post a do it yourself for the fork seals? it was pretty easy even if its still leaking...not sure if there already is one and would want to contribute back to the forum especially if we can save people from paying lots of $ at the stealership

 

[pan4905]

i say do it. my seals are leaving a light haze on the fork tube right now, so i'm sure they will eventually need to be replaced and having a how to would certainly boost my confidence to do it myself.


thanks for the help if you do it

 

[Ratfink]

i need to do mine as well so please do a how to

 

[loueber]

ok ill do it!!!
But just give me a week... i ordered the washer today and my dealer said it would take about a week to get in... soon as i get it ill replace it and post a DIY on here.

its really easy but definatly having a walk through for someone who hasnt done one ( me prior to last lweek) is a big help.




the funny part is... if you could somehow hold your bike up, where your front forks are above paralell to the ground, you could do the seal on the bike with out having to remove nothing but the front wheel!


but.. you would need some type of hoist or lift to hold you bike up in that position.



if i have another fork seal problem after i do a how to... then thats how ill do my next one...

 

[jtemple]

http://garthmanracing.com/forkseal.htm

 

[NICK ZX-10R]

i need to do mine to a how to would be great

 

[loueber]

that garthman how too is good but does more work then actually needed, unless your going to rebuild the springs or do a fluid change...for most people the how to ill post will be much easier and require much less work then actually opening up the upper part of the fork...

 

[Quig]

So you're suggesting that you could replace the fork seals by only removing the front wheel? And you're in charge of the 'tutorial' for this process?

Oh my... :dontknow:

This is when internet forums worry me. :headshake

 

[loueber]

So you're suggesting that you could replace the fork seals by only removing the front wheel? And you're in charge of the 'tutorial' for this process?

Oh my... :dontknow:

This is when internet forums worry me. :headshake

well.. when i do my walk through, ill do it removing the fork from the bike... but what im saying is 2 things..
1- the dissaembly of the upper part of the fork ( removing the guts from the fork) is not necessary for the seal.. all you have to do is remove the lower part of the fork, which is only one allen bolt.

2- my other description is IF i do it a THIRD time, ...
you CAN replace the seal without removing the fork FROM the bike... this is how you would do it..:idea:
IF you could lift the front end of the bike, as in a 12 oclock position wheelie, then you will notice that the forks go beyond paralell to the ground.. it will then push all the fluid back towards the upper part of the fork.
You then remove the one allen bolt at the bottom of the fork ( now at eye level most likely..) slide the lower part of the tube out... then replace the seal, tube, allen bolt, then lower the bike back into position to replace the wheel.


of course this is IF you could get the bike in a 12 oclock position. you would either need a hoist of some sort, or 2 buddies... lift it, then the 2 buddies balance it while you remove the inner tube of the fork...

its a relatively simple procedure..
so MY write up will be only of doing it by removing the fork from the bike, but significantly less work then the web page shows regarding disaembling the fork in its entirety...

IF i have to do it a 3rd time, then i will definatly do it with 2 buddies, 4 beers, and lifting it

 

[Quig]

Sounds to me like you're removing more than just the front wheel. :wink:

You do it anyway you want but I'll just keep doing it 'my' way. :thumbsup:

 

[garth285]

http://garthmanracing.com/forkseal.htm

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

you should def replace fluid while your in there, its cheap and easy to do really.... hell racers change fluid once a month!!! lol.... if its dirty and old, its worth the what 20 extra dollars to change out fork fluid??? if that fluid is dirty you could be greating a rough surface for the seals making them blow early....

p.s. not trying to knock you one bit... but id def suggest trying to set that front end down a lot easier or atleast doing a complete fork rebuild the right way .... fork seals should last a lot longer than 9k miles....

 

[ZX-10.R]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

you should def replace fluid while your in there, its cheap and easy to do really.... hell racers change fluid once a month!!! lol.... if its dirty and old, its worth the what 20 extra dollars to change out fork fluid??? if that fluid is dirty you could be greating a rough surface for the seals making them blow early....

p.s. not trying to knock you one bit... but id def suggest trying to set that front end down a lot easier or atleast doing a complete fork rebuild the right way .... fork seals should last a lot longer than 9k miles....

I agree.
I used your how to, and it worked awesome. I used the same kit you did, and it's really not that hard as long as you have a friend to help you. Took us a little longer to do the first fork, but we knocked the second one out in like 20 mins. It didn't hurt that i had just finished course 2 at the time :mrgreen:

 

[garth285]

I agree.
I used your how to, and it worked awesome. I used the same kit you did, and it's really not that hard as long as you have a friend to help you. Took us a little longer to do the first fork, but we knocked the second one out in like 20 mins. It didn't hurt that i had just finished course 2 at the time :mrgreen:

cool.... yeah its tricky to do it by your self, but if u weight 200lbs you can do it lol.... but yeah a second hand def works best!!!

 

[s4rhoolie]

sheesh..

Garth dude, can you please post "your way" again somewhere, that link is not working and i'm in need of new seals soon...(also seal replacement virgin)Thanks

 

[garth285]

oh yeah I forgot I had that oin my site, I'll do a seperate how to on the forums here.

 

[bluedevil]

I will add to the "How To" section multiple "How TOs" on fork seals. It's the Internet and many do things different or have multiple ways with getting around tools they don't have etc. but find inovative ways to do the fork seals or suggestions.

The point being the "How TO" should cover the parts that most members will experiance and we NEED Many "How TO" on fork seal replacements.

I will how ever as always make sure it's at least what the masses can use or is valid....I have mechanical knowledge and know what is legit.:wink:

The main thing is a "How To" should be complete with pictures if possible, and something most will most likely try or NEED the most important part.

For example if you bought a 1 off supercharger where only 5 where sold I will not put it in the "how tOs" :lol:

For fork seals I think we are lacking so the more the better. :thumbsup:

 

[Omofo]

fork seals should last a lot longer than 9k miles....

I had my seals replaced after the right side started leaking at 15k(a couple hundred miles after a lowside on some gravel), got it back from the shop and the right side was still leaking. Took the bike back to the mechanic and he said there weren't any scratches on the tubes and the forks were straight, but he would replace them again. Got the bike back and a few hundred miles later the right side is leaking again. Any suggestions on what the possible cause could be?

 

[garth285]

could be the kind of fork seals he used??? a lot of shops use aftermarket since they are sometimes faster to come in and less expensive... if he used OEM forks that I'd maybe check out the bushings as well....

 

[garth285]

http://www.zx-10r.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1369735

 

[Omofo]

could be the kind of fork seals he used??? a lot of shops use aftermarket since they are sometimes faster to come in and less expensive... if he used OEM forks that I'd maybe check out the bushings as well....

Thanks for the info. I hope he would have inspected the bushings, but I'm not familiar w/ the procedure.