Fork Seals - Here we go again

[Axel]

Last year my Yamaha mechanic friend did the seals three times .We changed the bushings .
This time I picked up a nice set of forks from ebay . Still no luck . One seal is leaking right away . All Balls seals this time , others before ... help

[bikerphil]

What are you using to drive in the seals? I always use a PVC pipe fitting ground down to the perfect size with no sharp edges. Do you oil them up before installing? If not, you should. Are there nicks on either the upper tubes or nicks on the lower fork leg outer seal surfaces? The leg surface can get nicked up from prying out old seals but can be smoothed out by sanding. How much air do you run? Too much air can blow them out right quick. Also too much fluid can cause them to fail. Just a few ideas.

[Axel]

Thanks Phil for your reply . I'm pretty sure he used a socket to drive them in and he puts grease on the seal . He said the Allballs seals were really tough to get on . I dont run air as I have the progressive springs and we usually put in 250 ml of fluid ( synthetic)

[motoman]

ALL you guys changing seals need to be using OEM or your pi**in' in the wind, throwing good money after bad. Already give a long explanation in a todays other thread the whys and using fork oil not ATF as that is also pi**in in the wind, then you wonder why dampening sucks and blame it on the stock springs. Sorry for the rant, but shortcuts and choosing cheap route dont cut it if your looking for proper performance period. Say what you may but been doin this many a year with motocross racing suspensions and setting them up to be disputed..same goes for any bike suspensions.

[Axel]

If I only could

OEM seals are not available for XJ's

[motoman]

Always like a challenge.......will find that out for myself tomorrow. Just base that on some other items that I was told were no longer available in the past and got. Not disputing, but will come back on this thread tomoorow confirmed or not. Have a good dealer source who has proved other supposedly N/A's incorrect.

[bikerphil]

Axel, worse comes worse, you could send them here, he'll hook you up. Possible you got the wrong bushes?

http://www.le-suspension.com/

[MindWebs]

just my 2 cents worth.

i just did my Special 2 weeks ago for the first time and i followed the manufac... instructions. i destroyed that set as soon as i slide the chromed legs in.

the "legs" have several very sharp edges on the bottem edge that sliced the seals to shreads.

i ordered a new set of seals and installed the seals over the assembled tubes and legs using a 2 ft. long piece of PVC pipe to drive the seals into place.

and that worked very well for me.
Good luck!!

[motoman]

Getting back to you as promised Axel. Your are absolutely correct! OEM fork seals ARE discontinued for the XJ 1100. That puts them in the "unobtainium" catagory. Can tell you as far as aftermarket, NoLeak brand would be the WORST choice! Think someone stated AllBalls makes these seals for this application too. Never have used these, but if they anything like the quality of their bearings, could be a good option.....JAT.

[Axel]

yes

We are on our second set of AllBalls seals . I have also tried other brands but they were all conventional types . I like the sounds of sliding the seal all the way from the top of the inner tube and settting in place with a PVC tube . Carefully done this sounds like the best idea. Mostly I believe up to this point he has tried installing the seal in the outer tube and sliding it onto the inner tube in place and presto the seal gets nicked . Thanks all

[Axel]

pipe dream

Is PVC pipe the black plastic one ?

[tinman905]

Is PVC pipe the black plastic one ?

Black is ABS ,white is usually PVC

[clcorbin]

Black is ABS ,white is usually PVC

And for THIS application, it doesn't matter in the least which pipe you use...

[petejw]

im just curious,
whats the difference between the xj and xs forks?

[Axel]

Allballs strike out

I just know they take different seals but 81 midnight forks are the same .

So finally some success with the fork seals . The problem was that the Allballs seals were so hard to press into the outer tube that it was slightly crooked and thats all it took to leak a lot . We used a different after market seal and they slid right in ,over the tube from the top and using the PVC homemade seal installer . The mechanic says he will never order Allballs again .
They seemed more suitable for a 51mm housing instead of a 50mm one.
Thanks everyone for your support