forks - maintenance
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Please can you post items for sale or wanted in the correct For Sale section. Items / bikes for sale here will be removed without warning. Reasons for this are in the FAQ. Thanks
Please can you post items for sale or wanted in the correct For Sale section. Items / bikes for sale here will be removed without warning. Reasons for this are in the FAQ. Thanks
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earthbound14
- Settled in member
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:59 am
forks - maintenance
Just wondering how often people change fork seals, bushings and/or springs and fork tubes.
I've replaced seals on one shock (left side) three times now in about 30,000 Km while the other has been replaced only once and is fine. Thought it was a knick on the fork tube so we buffed the offending knick out (or so we thought but after a another cold winter oil came spilling on out again). I also have a bit of rust on my upper fork tubes (not a problem but I don't like the look of it).
Just wondering if anyone might know why I keep trashing a seal (heard somewhere that it might be a worn bushing so those are getting done today) and if it's OK to buff out rust on fork tubes.
Given the cost of tubes I'm not keen to change these. Especially considering the thrashing my bike gets day in day out.
I've replaced seals on one shock (left side) three times now in about 30,000 Km while the other has been replaced only once and is fine. Thought it was a knick on the fork tube so we buffed the offending knick out (or so we thought but after a another cold winter oil came spilling on out again). I also have a bit of rust on my upper fork tubes (not a problem but I don't like the look of it).
Just wondering if anyone might know why I keep trashing a seal (heard somewhere that it might be a worn bushing so those are getting done today) and if it's OK to buff out rust on fork tubes.
Given the cost of tubes I'm not keen to change these. Especially considering the thrashing my bike gets day in day out.
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amorti
- Regular Member
- Posts: 957
- Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
- Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
- Location: Gibraltar
Re: forks - maintenance
Worn bushes won't help seal life, they mean the seal doesn't just work up and down, but in a wobbly shape, too. Nicks, rust or chips in a fork leg will also do it in quick order. Fork legs needn't be exceptionally expensive new. If you buff a mark out, you reduce the diameter of the stanchion by a little each time, which also won't help.