Leaking fork seal - how serious?
 

I'm prepping my TT600R for a 2 week trip. 99 percent asphalt in Europe and leaving early next week.

I've got neoprene fork gaiters mounted and today I noticed that the lower part of the gaiter, on the right fork (opposite the brake disc), was soaked in oil.

I lifted up the gaiter and my fork seal is leaking. I don't know how long its been leaking or how much its leaking.

I don't have the tools, parts or workshop to fix it myself.

How serious a problem is it? I could get it fixed at my dealer, but it'll blow my vacation budget and I'll probably have to cut my trip short. As it is now, I can't feel any stability problems.

Would I be asking for trouble to head out anyway and fixing it later?

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The suspension will go boingy/wooden as the oil goes. Might develop bad habits at speed/under braking. How lucky do you feel?

I'd get it fixed or at least carry the parts.

Andy

I've just come back from Italy on a bike with no rear suspension damping at all, so it's not the end of the world and I never felt unstable on it. However you might like to check whether the seal has actually failed or whether you've just got some dirt in it that's letting oil past. Here's a YouTube link showing how to clean the seal yourself -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lJH3nnw6mM

Back in the days of film photography a piece of 35mm film was perfect for DIYing the tool but these days there are commercial ones available.

Does it work? It has for me - once.

what backofbeyond said :thumbup1:

I had this trouble just before a trip, I used a piece of card laminated to clean out some dirt and fixed it - 3years later still no problem with leaking. Worth a try.

Yes, ive heard about that trick. I saw the Motion Pro Sealmate which was designed for that.

Too bad everything is digital nowadays, cause 35mm film is rarer than hens teeth. :D

Ill see if i can find something to clean the seals with. Thanks.

I remembered my AX-1 from back in the day. The rear shock started leaking. Sent it to a mechanic, and he ruined what little damping there was. The only suspension left was what the spring provided. Never the less i rode that thing for another year, often 2-up, and just learnt to cope with it.

Changing the seal on those non cartridge type forks is child's play. A novice mech can do the job in under an hour once fork is off bike. (which you can easily do ... I hope!)

The other trick besides cleaning out with film is to rotate fork tube within fork.
Just loosen upper and lower triples, rotate tube ... and hope your lucky and can avoid where cut or nick in seal is. It MIGHT work. Pick your spot and hope for best! (has worked for me as mid trip kluge temp fix)

If you do this be sure to REFILL with proper fork oil (5W or 10W is good) to proper level (more or less)

If it leaks mid journey be sure to wrap fork lower with rag (just below fork seal) to keep oil off brake disc/pads and tire. (doh) Change rag daily.

But really, putting in a new seal is so easy and cheap ... a NO BRAINER ...
DO IT ... it won't break your budget! Skip a couple bier .... and you've paid for it!

Agree with mollydog.

35mm film ... other sources of thin plastic is the packing on some products you buy. Simply cut it up, remove any sharp edges and there you go.

Fix it yourself. If you were away on your trip and it failed you'd have to get it fixed. The replacement is simple, a shop may be too busy to do it so you may be forced to do it yourself on a trip. So now is a good time to learn.

Woe and behold i found some 35 mm film at work. I removed the sharp edges and cut a small "hook" and proceeded to slide it between the seal and fork several times and in both directions.

I didnt notice any grime that came out.

Between each run id compress the forks and wipe them dry off oil.

Now it seems that the leak has gotten much less ie. there'd be less and less oil left on the fork every time i compressed and wiped.

Quick question...are the forks supposed to be complety stone-dry every time theyre compressed and rebound?

I might have fixed the problem, and the little oil showing might be the residual oil caught between the seal and fork.

I dont know for sure :confused:

P.S
I appreciate the help fellas!

No, it's not, it is commonplace all around you.

Just visit a local cinema about half an hour before the first showing of the day begins, ask the projectionist if he would be so kind as to give you a 6 inch long strip of leader or scrap film.

Most all cinemas still use 35mm film.

Michael

Yes .. for practical purposes. There would be some microscopic particles.

How much oil is there on the other side? Assuming it is not leaking. Use that as your reference. Wipe both sides down, then compress, rebound, wipe and repeat. If the last time you wipe (you'll get tired!) .. both sides have 'no' oil ok, ... if the 'leaky' side still has oil and the 'nonleaky' side has no oil you know the answer ...

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Cinemas are going digital too... :innocent: Think the IMAX ones as still film, but they are bigger than 35 mm.

No more oil in forks? If your leak has gone on for a while it's likely your fork is empty of it's oil. This will hurt performance. So it may have pumped all oil out and that is why you no longer see oil on tube. (or maybe you got very lucky .. I hope!)

Loosen top triple clamp and carefully remove top cap on fork. You could do the same on NON leaking fork, then put a stick or dowl down good fork to measure oil level. Match leaking side to good side by adding fork oil (5W) to leaking side. Simple.

In a few minutes of riding and braking you'll see if seal is still leaking or not.

It's such an easy fix, I would simply bite the bullet and replace the seal. (or have a PRO do it) Make sure they smooth out the fork tube and remove any nicks or imperfections otherwise you will simply cut your brand new seal right away.
Use fine Alu or Steel wool to smooth and polish fork tube. It needs to be perfect.

Very irritating to deal a leaking fork seal once on the road (been there, done that! doh)

Even if it's not leaking now ... it will most probably resume leaking at some point.
(Or not ... if you're very lucky)

bier

I think ill do the right thing from the beginning and have a mechanic fix it.

I found a Yamaha dealer in Germany, on my route, that'll fix it for 190 EUR incl. parts, oil and work shop hours. That's around 30 percent cheaper than here i Denmark. I can live with that. Like i said, i dont have the place or tools to do it myself, even though im sure i could.

The dust seals though, cost a whopping extra 97 EUR for a set. I thought they might have mistyped, but i doublechecked online and both WeMoto and Motorcyclespareparts.eu list them at around the same price. My local Yamaha dealer was also surprised at how expensive the TT600R fork parts were compared to the XT.

The current dust seals are slightly cracked now, either caused by sun or old age, but still in one piece. Im tempted though to reuse the old ones, as i already have fork-gaiters mounted. But i know it would be better to bite the bullet and install new dust seals while im at it.

eBay has non-OEM dust-seals for a fraction of the cost, but ive heard from others who recieved seals that werent a perfect fit.

Why does stuff like that always happen before a trip?

Because you're lucky. Far less fun to have seals need replacing when you're actually under way and have to wait for parts or find a mechanic when you don't speak the language.

Aside from deteriorated handling, the problem with leaky seals comes when your brake pads get contaminated with oil. Then you've got no front brakes. That's bad.

Good luck.

Mark

For just a two weeks trip i would not bother. The oil will slowly come out but you can clean it. It will stop coming out once its half empty. Without oil the suspension will be more like a sofa but as the other side is still working i dont see a problem. If you feel any problems while riding you can refill the fork with normal engine oil. Been there done this. New seals can be boght at louis.de for 9,99 Euro per pair. To replace them will take you one hour. Many tutorials about this on the internet. Have a great trip and dont worry too much ;)