Buy cheap get cheap results

[confish04]

First off my name is Gerard & i`m a cheapaholic Well for the first time i got bitten bad with a cheap part (yea right) i was at the local bike shop & thought while i was there buying handle bars & grips for my 80 MNS , i`d ask about a set of fork seals. Well he had a set on the shelf (don`t know how long they were there) & asked how much . He said $16 bucks for the pair, i said sold , and i went on my merry way. Well i installed them last week with out a bit of trouble, until today. While i was on an errand i noticed the front end started to feel funny , so i looked down & found fork oil pissing all over everything Well got home & ripped it apart to find the right seal had fallen apart , so off i go to the local Yamaha shop this time & figured if i paid $16 for 2 it shouldn`t be so bad , i paid $36 bucks for 1 & Well after lookng at this new twice the price part i noticed it being a much better quality than what i had put in the first time. So now i`m waiting for the left one to fail so i can do this job again . So don`t be a cheapaholic & buy the best the first time

Gerard

[cajun31]

Brings up an interesting question

Gerard,

Sorry to hear about your problems, but it does bring up an interesting question.

I see seals listed on Ebay all the time for about the same price you paid for the set that fell apart.

Does anyone have any experience with these seals and if so have you had good or bad results with them?

[trbig]

I've heard several people say that the OEM seals are the only ones to buy. Dale_1 said he had good luck so far with the aftermarket ones... but that is seriously the only person I've heard say that so far. I'm sure there's others that have also... but I bet there's lots more bad luck stories to them than good.


Tod

[confish04]

Re: Brings up an interesting question

Originally posted by cajun31
Gerard,

Sorry to hear about your problems, but it does bring up an interesting question.

I see seals listed on Ebay all the time for about the same price you paid for the set that fell apart.

Does anyone have any experience with these seals and if so have you had good or bad results with them?

The same ones seen on abay with the green pacage back ground are the ones i bought. I guess when it comes to rubber seals the factory is the way to go

Gerard

[skids]

Re: Re: Brings up an interesting question

You must know the brand! We can't just go around avoiding the color green.

Originally posted by confish04
The same ones seen on abay with the green pacage back ground are the ones i bought. I guess when it comes to rubber seals the factory is the way to go

Gerard

[yadada]

I've got 8k on a pair from Parts n More. No problems yet. Now where is some wood to knock on?

[Snow]

I've had the 'Leak Proof' ones fail on me within a few months and haven't had one single problem with the oem's I've installed. OEM's are available at the dealer or bikebandit.com for about the same price you paid for those seals at the shop.

[Jerry]

Also check past threads; there are some incorrect application charts out there. Most models with the leading fork (axle in front of the fork leg instead of through it) use a slightly (about 1mm IIRC) larger seal (inner and outer) than the others. Doesn't sound like much, but makes a big difference.

[mason79]

yeah if something cheap requires extensive labor and effort to get to, i normally don't skimp and get the best, the time to redo it isn't worth it.

especially if in involves the posibility of dropping the bike which in the case of fork off, that may apply...

[Snow]

Yeah, forks aren't something to play around with like that... a bad fork seal was 1/3 responsible for me almost dying a few years back...the other 2/3's was other stupid stuff...minimize risk, live longer.

[79XS11F]

I have always bought OEM parts if and when they are available. It's the only way to go given that the parts are for use on a high performance vehicle
Rob

[confish04]

Re: Re: Re: Brings up an interesting question

Originally posted by skids
You must know the brand! We can't just go around avoiding the color green.

OK the green package was from Vesrah part # AR-3702 They felt good & the left leg SO FAR isn`t leaking (so far)

[thewiz]

jackin' up ...

my F today to do the same job .... bought the seals from a local bike shop for 7 bucks a pair. They came in a Parts Unlimited package, made in Italy, brand name looks like NTK??

Long as they fit, I'm gonna' use 'em, but I'll watch closely .... like I think Snow is saying, that front end gets pretty squishy/scary with bad seals and no oil in there .... and overall handling just plain sucks.

[confish04]

Hope you fair better than i did. Who knows maybe it was one in a million (i think i`ll play the lottery)

[snowdog51]

fork seals

everybody that works on bikes for money
knows aftermarket seals suck the only way they dont'n leak is if you don't put in fork oil.
as ever bill


ps don't ride faster than your sweet angel can fly.