1200RT Fork drips oil,

[bimmers]

Noticed some red oil on front wheel rim while bike had been sitting for a day. Put it on the centerstand and did see a small drop appear a day after i thought I had wiped the right hand fork and around it.

Is there any bottom hole from where it could come or is it only the seals up between slider and the fork tube. 

How much oil do they contain if I rebuild one or both? What should I watch out for?

Can I get the bush out and replace it without special tools, how would I do it?

 

thanks for any help.

 

H

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, bimmers said:

Noticed some red oil on front wheel rim while bike had been sitting for a day. Put it on the centerstand and did see a small drop appear a day after i thought I had wiped the right hand fork and around it.

Is there any bottom hole from where it could come or is it only the seals up between slider and the fork tube. 

How much oil do they contain if I rebuild one or both? What should I watch out for?

Can I get the bush out and replace it without special tools, how would I do it?

 

thanks for any help.

 

H

 

Evening bimmers

 

First off, make darn sure that the  oil leak is coming from the fork seal (probably is but do verify).

 

If so & your fork hasn't lost a lot of oil then you can probably just clean the seal to fork tube then work some power-steering stop leak (seal conditioner)  into the seal & your leak will disappear. Oil in forks is JUST for lubrication as there is no valving inside the fork tube.

 

In most cases the seal leak isn't a bad or worn seal but just road gunk & soap built up between the seal lips & the fork tube.

 

To clean the seal just carefully pry up the upper dirt excluder (upper seal), then slide it up the fork tube out of the way,  then use a seal cleaner tool, or piece of old 35mm film negative,  to work the dirt & gunk out of the seal-lip-to-fork-tube area.

 

Then with the seal lips held out away from the fork tube slightly drip a little power-steering stop leak in between the seal lips & the fork tube (maybe do it twice a few hours apart). I use an old hypodermic syringe with needle to squirt in a little power-steering stop leak,  but sticking a piece of wire into the stop leak can then allowing the fluid to drip down the wire into the seal area will also work. 

 

Then slide the  upper dirt excluder back down, then drip a few drops of power-steering stop leak under the excluder seal lips (between the upper & lower seals. 

 

This will usually stop the seal leak for a long time.

 

If it still leaks after dong the above then you will probably have to take the fork tube apart & replace the seal & dirt excluder. Probably not the bushings but that is possible (you should get a service manual before doing the bushings) 

 

 

[bimmers]

thanks, I bet you are right as I was riding through the sandstorms from the beach in FL a couple of weeks ago. Film negatives I have plenty of so thats a good idea. also new to me was that there is no damping function in those legs, just alignment and all suspension is through the telelever and shock.

Appreciate it another major project avoided, for now anyway.

 

Hans