Replacement fork seals

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Red Rex
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Replacement fork seals

Post by Red Rex » Sun Oct 30, 2016 1:29 pm

Your opinion / experience welcome.
At the start of this year I noticed the RH fork seal was weeping a little oil.
I ordered a set of seals and shields from the Wemoto website via Amazon.
When they arrived I had two sets by mistake ( ... result !!)
Not having any workshop facilities I took the forks to my local mechanic who charged £80 to replace the seals etc and fill with the required oil.
All good for about 500 miles , then I noticed more leakage (from both fork legs)
I decided to have another bike shop do the replacement with the second set of Wemoto seals and shields.
This time it cost me £95 !!
Now , less than a few hundred miles later I notice a slight deposit of oil around both forks legs.
I've had a good look at the sliders and can't see any signs of pitting / scratches / etc.
So my question is ... are the Wemoto seals any good or do I need to get some genuine Yamaha ones ???
Rubber side down, Red side up is my preferred riding style.

nr
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by nr » Sun Oct 30, 2016 5:33 pm

I dunno about the TRX in particular, but I recently had to replace the seals on my TZR250. I got some aftermarket ones. They leaked within the first 20 miles, on the way to the MOT station. I got it though the test by explaining that I'd just changed them, so there was probably just a bit of oil under the dust seals still.

Replaced them with genuine Yamaha seals, and they've been perfect ever since.

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Snod Blatter
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by Snod Blatter » Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:22 pm

NOK seals or bust..

Were the Wemoto ones Nikone? Or Athena? They're cheap but they don't last.
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bagmaker
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by bagmaker » Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:17 pm

i had one leak for a few months but it eventually stopped.
Didn't seem to change the handling :roll:
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jjmoto
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by jjmoto » Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:00 am

The right hand fork seal on mine leaks a bit intermittently can't see or feel any pitting or damage to the fork leg. Seals are genuine Yamaha fitted just before Classic TT last year

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Silver
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by Silver » Mon Oct 31, 2016 10:18 am

I think they are in upside down. The trx seals are a bit difficult to see which way up they go, you need to look at the inside face to see which way the seal is facing. Normal seals have a flat top, but the trx ones don't for some reason. I think the second shop just copied what was in the forks before.
You can do them yourself without any special tools. All you need is a couple of lengths of plastic waste pipe and a large jubilee clip. There is a great youtube video by "Dell boys garage" which I used to get me started.
Also make sure you use a plastic slip to get the seal past any corrosion on the fork upper otherwise the seal will be damaged before it gets in position.
Dave
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Red Rex
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by Red Rex » Mon Oct 31, 2016 10:49 am

Cheers Dave ... I'll check that out :)
Rubber side down, Red side up is my preferred riding style.

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dicky
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Re: Replacement fork seals

Post by dicky » Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:08 pm

A good trick from the off road riding community.
If you have a weeping seal it may not be damaged, just might have some crud stuck inside the lip allowing oil to leak down.
You can buy 'seal savers', a bit of plastic about the size of a business card with a sort of hook shape cut into one corner. You gently slide the end up under the seal, then wipe it around the fork and back out again to dislodge any crud.
Or you can just use a business card. Has worked for me on my KTM motard and the big aprilia Falco.
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