[benonmsn]

The left side fork had a pool of oil under it this morning. dont need to ride untill thursday. wonder just how bad of an idea it is to ride it. im going to guess all of the fluid came out, or that the rest will shortly after i start riding. will it just be really rough or will I die? my work commute is about 8 miles street and 15 miles freeway. no canyons or anything crazy but plenty of stop and go.

Thanks

 

[grego10r]

just dont ride it like that fix it

 

[benonmsn]

that is certainly an option. i was planning on buying new forks in a few months and didnt really want to do a rebuild on forks im not going to be using anymore after that. Do you have any experiance riding with forks like my situation? I understand it sounds lke a bad idea.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it.

 

[5-F Dawg]

i really wouldnt try riding it like that....those forks were designed to function a certain way (with fluids) and if you dont have all of the specific parts to the unit in wont function like it was supposed to.....if it was me if buy the 15 dolla fork seal and do it your self here in a a week ill post a how to thread on how to do this!

 

[RDLYN13000]

Dont do it you will DIE!! lol

 

[mityaz]

dont ride it.

but IF you have to its not a big deal, as long as the fluid is not getting on the tire/rotor. i rode my 6r for a few months with a leaking seal. those forks were right-side-up. so containing the oil was easier - i just wrapped a pieceof rag around the leg and let the rag absorb the oil. you could try something similar - but thats a risk

 

[nashrey]

it'll be a mess cleaning up 'em excess oil everytime after a ride...and it gets worse as well. like others said, dont let the oil drip down to the brakes or front tyre

 

[benonmsn]

Thanks guys! I am pretty sure it leaked ALL the oil. based on the puddle of fluid, so i dont think it will leak muh more. Just more worried about the other fork exploding from working double tie with double force.. or something and sending me into a guard rail, or the inability to make sharp freeway turns or something

 

[SUPER K]

I can certainly remember my 1st few bikes, and leaking fork seals were the least of my worries. Be cautious and you should be ok. I wouldn't try taking any off/on ramps at warp speed..........

 

[lowkey420]

it shouldnt explode, just dont hit bumps at high speeds

 

[nickalltogether]

I rode my stunt bike about 3500 miles with 2 blown fork seals if that makes you feel any better. Went on the road with it constantly with no issues. Keep in mind though that Kawasaki forks have been known to not like extreme and odd conditions, so I wouldn't go yanking up any endos or anything. BTW, you would be surprised how much oil is in your forks, they will leave a huge puddle every night for a year and still not be dry.

 

[tasos]

Thanks guys! I am pretty sure it leaked ALL the oil. based on the puddle of fluid, so i dont think it will leak muh more. Just more worried about the other fork exploding from working double tie with double force.. or something and sending me into a guard rail, or the inability to make sharp freeway turns or something

Man, you should value your life abit more...
And you guys still want him to ride? :headshake

 

[abzx10r]

^^ I agree man, I would never ride my bike or any bike with the forks leaking...I'm waiting for the nexted thread on how AAA came and got you hahaha...

 

[benonmsn]

Super K and nickalltogether:

I think i will give it a shot on a short run tomorrow to my buddies 5 miles away. If i die, its your fault for restoring my confidence =)

tasos: are you on the I'm going to die team? :-/

 

[benonmsn]

Obviously I value my life, but i have riden far worse when i was in bad spots. I just really rather get to work in 30 min on my bike then an hour and 15min in my truck =( Its not worth dying over of course. But im pretty sure its just really a dangerous idea vs. certain death.

 

[nickalltogether]

Granted, I am not qualified to make the call, and I probably take more risks than the average person, but I don't see it physically coming apart of "breaking". It will obviously not perform as well as normal and will be pretty bouncy.

 

[CB160]

I wouldn't trust it...but I'm old and value my few years left....
A "large" puddle under the forks/front tire? hmmm....
make your best judgement and ride safe.....

 

[destroyerbmx]

i really wouldnt try riding it like that....those forks were designed to function a certain way (with fluids) and if you dont have all of the specific parts to the unit in wont function like it was supposed to.....if it was me if buy the 15 dolla fork seal and do it your self here in a a week ill post a how to thread on how to do this!

Waiting for that how to, I dont have the fancy tools to do this though but it would save about $175. I dont mess with suspension since I dont know it, right now.

 

[tasos]

tasos: are you on the I'm going to die team? :-/

I am not Bruce AllMighty, it's not my call, it's yours my friend..

Granted, I am not qualified to make the call, and I probably take more risks than the average person, but I don't see it physically coming apart of "breaking". It will obviously not perform as well as normal and will be pretty bouncy.

That's exactly the danger (it's not about breaking), try that in a curve with some speed..... And nobody whishes someone to die of course, just be safe out there...

 

[bwh998]

i know of a pc800 that kept pissing its fork oil out, so it got holes drilled in the fork bodies and then rode all over the continent.