Replacing fork seals

I'm not going to provide a blow by blow description.

The bike has no centre stand, so you need a jack to lift it.


Remove the brake caliper, and support it with cable ties

After the fork leg has been removed, stripped and cleaned, you need to drive the top bush back in. I used a piece of 40mm plastic drain pipe to do this.

The new fork seal needs to be protected from damage - this can be caused by pits or marks on the top of the fork leg. I wrapped the leg in food wrap, which I oiled with fork oil before sliding the seal into place.

The seal was driven into place using the drain pipe, with a joiner on the end.

For complete instructions for this job, see the service manual.

Fork seals.....

My right hand front fork has been weeping oil for some months, and I've been wiping a dirty ring of oil off the fork leg after each ride. Today, after a short ride I noticed a splash of oil over the dust seal. The fork leg makes a sucking sound when the forks are compressed, and when I was cleaning up, I found oil on the back of the brake caliper.

Looks like it's time to fit those fork seals I bought last year........