jus took my baby 4 a ride noticed a funny smell, then looked down saw all this black oil on the left fork, i cleaned it up pushed on the front & more oil, i am assuming that the fork seal has gone?? any suggestions trick or info need to know if i tackle this job or is it best to send it in to a shop? or have i got the diagnosis totally wrong? any help please guys, i'm in desperate need to get it fixed in time for varsity, starting 2moro gonna be stuck in traffic in my car

have you got the manual...?

it is more than likely the oil seal that has gone,you can either fit a new oil seal or go the whole way and strip them down and service them with new oil etc.

if you have the manual and feel competent enough then do it youself.....depending on time and if you have the tools also.

if not,then put the bike into the garage and get it done.but to save some on the bill take the forks off and take them in,saves on labour costs.


william

was actually pretty easy to fix the front forks, hardest part was actually finding a way to stand the bike up, all fixed & back on the road one evenings worth of work :)! & thanx for da input william!

1700 km down the line, oh wats this oil out the fork seal! the bloody seals have bust again! damn it! after so few kms how can it be!!!

Did you put the correct amount of oil in [level, not quantity is more accurate]
Are the seals upside down [would fail early I think]
Are the chrome stanchions scored or worn.

Dave.

arsey30 wrote:Did you put the correct amount of oil in [level, not quantity is more accurate]
Are the seals upside down [would fail early I think]
Are the chrome stanchions scored or worn.

Dave.

All of the above points are good to check!

If the tubes are pitted / worn they'll break the seal

Another thing was did you do the seals yourself? Maybe you damaged them when you put them in causing premature fail

i did put the correct measure of oil in it is only the left side that has failed.
i did the job myself with the help of a friend of my fathers that i would trust with my life over any mechanic here in SA.
there is no obvious indication as to why the seal should fail??
no pitting no damage to the tubes that i can see. i doubt that they where damaged when replace but is a very real posibility.
when i replace this time do you think that i need to replace the oil as well since i have done all of that already?

Freekazoid wrote:1700 km down the line, oh wats this oil out the fork seal! the bloody seals have bust again! damn it! after so few kms how can it be!!!

Were they Honda seals?

They're better than a lot of pattern parts, but I've also seen them fail for no reason.

only use genuine honda seals as all the others go wrong way to quick

Use the old oil [filtered/strained] but run masking tape over the top edge of the chrome tube and circlip groove to prevent the sharp edges nicking the lip of the seal when slid over and down the tube.

Dave.