Changing fork oil

[Stephen_Chase]

I just noticed that the left fork on my R1100RT is leaking oil from the top seal. So, now I have another winter project relacing seals & all. Can anyone point me to a tech article that I could use?

Thanks!

Stephen

[Wooster]

Use the Search function to find Bprimm's 17/3/04 post entitled "fork seal replacement" for good summary of the task. I believe the search function allows you to specify OP (that would be Bprimm), as well as range of dates, i.e., within past two years (so to include the March 17, 2004 post) with "fork seal replacement" as title.

 

Good luck, Wooster

[Stan Walker]

I'm of the opinion that one of the causes of early fork seal failure is the faillure to keep them clean. Dirt and seals don't mix well.

 

All my bikes that don't have fork boots get a cleaning / oiling with silicone spray lube anytime they look dirty, and every 6000 mile service as well. I spray the silicone on a rag until it's wet and clean all the exposed surfaces of the fork tubes until they shine.

 

With 140,000 oilhead miles and lots of non-oilhead miles too, I've never had a fork seal fail.

 

My 2 cents

 

Stan

[ericfoerster]

Good idea Stan. That is habit I should have brought over from the dirt bike days

[Brian PDQ Signs]

You might want to see my thread in the BMWMOA forum on the problem I had.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6477

[Wooster]

Brian PDQ Signs (is that rapid Amaslan ?),

 

I agree, the hex-shaped top of the fork tubes (which lives directly under the top triple clamp or triple tree for harley riders) is a bit too large for 21 mm wrench and too small for 22 mm; what's a rider to do ?, Well, my solution was the shadetree mechanics best friend (yet often machine's worst enemy), an open end adjustable wrench (small).

As the hex-shaped top needs to be held still while the nut on top of the triple clamp is loosened/tightened, no great force (holding the adjustable wrench still) is needed.

 

Wooster

 

BTW, Amaslan is a popular sign language used by the deaf

[RFW]

I'm of the opinion that one of the causes of early fork seal failure is the faillure to keep them clean. Dirt and seals don't mix well.

 

All my bikes that don't have fork boots get a cleaning / oiling with silicone spray lube anytime they look dirty, and every 6000 mile service as well. I spray the silicone on a rag until it's wet and clean all the exposed surfaces of the fork tubes until they shine.

 

It is worth noting that silicones are lousy lubricants. Their main benefit is that they repel water extremely well.

 

So if you are using a silicone oil to repel water (and the resultant water-based crud), then it is a good choice. It you are using a silicone for its lubrication properties, this is a very bad choice.

 

Bob.

[smiller]

I used a Craftsman 22mm combination wrench and it worked fine. I first tried a a few adjustable wrenches but in all cases the jaw was too thick to fit in there, so I broke down and bought the right tool...

[Brian PDQ Signs]

Wooster the only sign language I know is some half baked peace symbol folks use on me (If you don't remember that in the old Cheech & Chong movie, time to rewatch them ) I tried all of the adjustable wrenches I had and they were all to thick, thats why I purchased the "special" wrench (cheap enough to destroy and make it fit).

[Wooster]

Brian,

 

That's it; I've slender 22 mm open end that's too big; 21's too small. Go figure; maybe it's whitworth hoho.

 

Wooster

[Wooster]

smiller,

 

craftsman 22mm combination. yah, just the thing. My 22 mm wrench is from airhead's tool kit and a little loose.

 

wooster

[Stan Walker]

Their main benefit is that they repel water extremely well.

 

Their main benefit for use on fork tubes is that they clean very well, add some lubricant to the tubes, and don't leave an oily film behind to capture dirt.

 

Stan