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fork seal leak

13K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Sev 
#1 ·
i recently noticed oil coming from my right front fork seal, is this dangerous to be driving around? just curious because i don't have the money to fix this just yet... im driving a 97 ninja 250
 
#3 ·
There are a few reasons to get it fixed sooner than later:

1) the leaking oil "could" get on your tire and cause issues (not good)

2) If it runs out of fluid, the internal parts will wear faster and then you'll need to replace the spring and potentially the whole fork.

I have a leak on my 06 ZX10. Most places will replace seals and change fluid in both forks (brought in on the bike) for $225. It's about 3 hours of labor plus the parts.

My 2 cents.
 
#4 ·
you don't have USD forks so it's not as big of a deal as if you did. with the USD's the oil just flows out, it's much slower with conventional forks.

fork oil getting onto the tire isn't of great concern, but it can happen. the bigger deal is if it gets on the brake pads it will severely diminish braking action. plus you'll have to spend some money on new pads too.

changing the seals on a conventional fork is exceedingly simple, but if you have no idea what you're doing and have no tools i would take it to a shop to get done right.

it's a good chance also that your fork oil has never been changed, which is a problem. it should be done every 3 years or less. i usually do mine once a year or more. regardless if only one seal is leaking have them replace both at the same time.

also consider getting your shock serviced.
 
#5 ·
You'll end up with effectively under damped front suspension. That can make the bike unstable, especially under braking. That's more of a risk than the risk of oil getting on to your brakes.

Seals are very cheap, and not difficult to replace yourself. Check that the fork tubes are in good condition - pitting or flaking of the chrome rips the seals and will bugger the new ones. Polish the stanchions to remove any rough edges, and minor pitting can be filled with Araldite. Badly pitted tubes are best replaced. They're not cheap.

Rob
 
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