clean your fork seals to help with leaking

[greatmaul]

Hi! On my (other) bike, I had a very leaky fork seal, such that when I pushed down on the bars, oil would leak out and drip down the fork and blow all over the headers and make a wonderful smell.

Anyway, I was about to take the bike in to have the fork seals redone, even though the previous owner said he had had them done, and someone mentioned I should try a "seal mate." It's a super thin piece of shaped plastic, pretty cheap at 2/$7 or so and you just slide it between the fork and the seal, rotate and remove. http://sealmate.net/

I didn't think it would make any difference, but it worked right away. I pushed up the dust seal, wiped the area clean, then slipped the thing in, rotated it around the fork, and that was it. After that, you push the forks and clean the forks a few times to reseat the seals, and that's it. No more leak.

I guess the thing is that any dirt that gets on the fork tube can get into the fork seal, and that's the cause of many fork seal issues. People with gaiters have much less of a problem with leaks, but exposed fork tubes are in fashion, so we all have to deal with this issue.

I'm also ordering some "dirt skins," which are like gaiters, except you they attach with velcro, so you don't have to take the forks apart to put them on. That will also help against dings, etc on the fork tube, which if you have them can tear up your fork seals as well.

I've seen recommended that you should wipe down your fork tubes with a cloth every time you stop for gas or get to or from where you're going. Even a tiny insect wing or part can cause a fork seal leak.

[Water Warrior 2]

A common way to clean out the dirt is by using a piece of film for your camera. Never done it myself but it is a recommended penny-tech way to save money.

[greatmaul]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

A common way to clean out the dirt is by using a piece of film for your camera. Never done it myself but it is a recommended penny-tech way to save money.

Oh, I think that would totally work. Film would have about the same thinness and strength that the sealmates have. I guess the only problem these days is finding it.

Actually, I was totally surprised that it worked, though. I thought I would have to have the whole front end torn apart. Supposed to be doable by a home mechanic, but I don't think I have the chops for that yet.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by greatmaul

Oh, I think that would totally work. Film would have about the same thinness and strength that the sealmates have. I guess the only problem these days is finding it.

Actually, I was totally surprised that it worked, though. I thought I would have to have the whole front end torn apart. Supposed to be doable by a home mechanic, but I don't think I have the chops for that yet.

I had to get new fork seals in a Yamaha DT 175 years ago and it was relatively pain free and quite doable. Nothing was hidden under plastics, just like the GZ. I did not do the seals myself but just took the forks to a shop for new seals to be installed. The seals were damaged due to a really hard crash landing after my 2nd wife had a nasty oops and did a lot of damage to herself. The shop discovered one slightly bent fork tube and straightened it while they had things apart. Re-assembly was the reverse of pulling it apart and all was well. The GZ would be a similar job with no surprises. I might have tried the seal replacement myself but at the time I did not have the interenet and it's resources to draw upon.
On a larger bike like the Vstrom my most needed and handiest tool would be a camera to record where everything goes. Still a simple job but a bit more time consuming. I would undoubtedly turn chicken and have a shop do the seals though.