Front fork leak. About changing the seals.

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MjW
Posts: 503
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:34 am
Current Ride: TMax 2009 ABS
Location: Sweden

Front fork leak. About changing the seals.

Post by MjW »

My front fork of my XT660X started leaking. I asked my local dealer/service how much it would cost to change the seals and they said around €350.
Say what?!

I could change the seals and install öhlins springs for way less than that, assuming I could do the work my self.

Have any of you done it? Is it difficult?
I see that there are a lot of "how to" videos and guides online.

How long do you think would it take for someone who is inexperienced but can follow instructions?
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2wheelover51
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Current Ride: 2012 Burgman 400 Limited
Location: Poole, Dorset

Re: Front fork leak. About changing the seals.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

It's not a particularly difficult job if all of the parts loosen easily, however sometimes taking out the damper tubes can be difficult if they've not been taken apart before, and a vice with aluminium jaw protectors is needed to grip the stanchions while you loosen the allen key to dismantle them. If you use a rag or bits of wood etc. to protect the stanchions and it slips you can mark the tubes enough so they're scrap and won't seal, necessitating new tubes or rechroming. DAMHIK! :? :D I would say really it's a job for some one who is spanner friendly.. :)

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MjW
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Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:34 am
Current Ride: TMax 2009 ABS
Location: Sweden

Re: Front fork leak. About changing the seals.

Post by MjW »

Thank you for your input. I'll check today with a friend that has a home garage. He has the tools and hopefully has done this before.

I'm afraid if I attempt it alone it will take at least 2 weeks for me to obtain all the tools and actually do it.
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Bobs
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Re: Front fork leak. About changing the seals.

Post by Bobs »

MjW, they're conventional forks (as opposed to Up-Side Down / USD sports jobbies) so they should be easy enough to do. They're pretty much all the same regardless of the bike so there are plenty of youtube videos, like this one:


Once you've got the forks off the bike, carefully undo the cap on the top it will be fine pitched and under tension from the spring so be careful or the spring tension can strip the last few threads off and make reassembly a nightmare. Drain the oil, then oik out the dust seal (the top seal you can visibly see) and take out the retaining wire clip under that, flip them over and take out the screw at the base of the leg, then use the stanchion (the bit that is held in the motorcycle head stock) as a slide hammer on knock out the old seals. There are a few pit falls to watch out for, but watch a few video slips first and see how they do it, it'll only be variants on a theme.

Its a good idea to invest in a large (100ml+) syringe so you can accurately put the right amount of new oil back in, unless the service manual gives a distance in millimetres to dip the oil level as a check.

Personally I'd look at using a heavier fork oil (10w instead of 7.5w for example) rather than investing in some 'racing' springs, I've been there before with a Triumph Tiger 955i, massive endure style thing with a super bike engine, put uprated springs in it but made sod all difference. A well maintained fork with good oil should be good for most riding conditions/styles. Changing the oil tends to get forgotten about so its easy to think that a stiffer spring would make a difference when all you actually need is fresh oil.

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