New fork seals advice on ones that have held up well

[2WheelFun]

Looking to replace the 79 special seals and preferably the dust seals too. Any experience out there on which brand to use or stay away from? Only looking to do this once.
TIA

[cajun31]

The fork seals are Yamaha 41y2314500. yamaha 41y2314500 | eBay
The dust seals are Yamaha 3H52314400. yamaha 3h52314400 | eBay

[2WheelFun]

Thanks, from your response, and this is just a guess...lol. Stay with OEM.

Thanks

[Radioguylogs]

The seals in most of my forks came from Rusty Riders (a.k.a. eBay seller mssuper).

They look the same as the OEM, but cost about $12/pair.

I have been satisfied with them. YMMV

[jetmechmarty]

Thanks, from your response, and this is just a guess...lol. Stay with OEM.

Thanks

As I recall the 1979 XS1100SF has a different OE part number than the SG and SH. I don't know what the difference is and the XS1100SF fiche is no longer published. I have a copy, but I don't have access to it right now. Aftermarket seals show the same for all Eleven Specials.

For aftermarket, I like these from georgefixs Store.

[Ranger_xs1100]

Will this bit of info regarding OEM part numbers copied from my 79sf parts manual help?
3J6-23145-00-00 . . OIL SEAL . . .
10M-23144-00-00 . SEAL, DUST . . .

[cajun31]

Will this bit of info regarding OEM part numbers copied from my 79sf parts manual help?
3J6-23145-00-00 . . OIL SEAL . . .
10M-23144-00-00 . SEAL, DUST . . .

nice catch Bob. I misquoted ... the parts I listed were for the xs1100F not the SF. If anyone else is interested .... this is the site I go to for reference. Yamaha XS1100S 1979 USA FRONT FORK - buy original FRONT FORK spares online (cmsnl.com)

[jetmechmarty]

Yes. Standards have KYB forks and Specials have Showa forks. They are not the same.

[2WheelFun]

Thanks folks, looks like there has been successful installation of aftermarket seals, I think I will save the money on seals and spend the ~$100 on progressive springs. The forks seem very soft at the moment. Should I bump the oil weight or adjust the level when running progressive's. On my Kaw, I bumped the weight by 5 and lowered the level 10mm to compensate for the heavier spring, that seems to have worked well.



Thanks again

[jetmechmarty]

I think I will save the money on seals and spend the ~$100 on progressive springs. The forks seem very soft at the moment. Should I bump the oil weight or adjust the level when running progressive's.



Thanks again

I wouldn't. The OE springs are progressive and pretty good IMHO. The FSM gives you a free length measurement. Check against that figure and replace it they are out of spec. Save another $100. It's my belief that you will gain nothing with Progressive springs for money spent. If you change the oil weight, you will change your high speed dampening (the way the forks react to big bumps). Higher viscosity slows them down, and maybe you don't want that. If you have air forks, you can play with the pressure and maybe stiffen it up, especially when you grab brakes. I have another Yamaha I set the oil level to 130 mm with fork collapsed and the spring removed. You can tune it 10 mm either way, but no air caps involved. My XS1100SG has Race Tech Gold Valve Emulators and Traxxion Dynamics custom wound straight rate springs. Yes, that makes a difference and is tunable, but it's not a small expense. The emulators don't mix with progressive wound springs. I hope you find this information useful.

[2WheelFun]

Very helpful, thank you!
she is a low mileage all stock example so I will dance with the girl I brought.

When the seals are bleeding out, it doesn't hold air very well. I will toss around weight and level adjustments. I also ran into an interesting oil chart that rated fork oil viscosity by brand, not all are created equal. https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mjlnnoZny...orkOilCap1.jpg

[jetmechmarty]

I also ran into an interesting oil chart that rated fork oil viscosity by brand, not all are created equal.

I understand that to be true. I moved to Mississippi running with Belray. The local places near me don't keep it. I need to keep some on hand, probably via Amazon. This rather than start the tuning process all over again.

[Bax]

Ditto on the gold valve from Race Tech (Cartridge Emulators). Big improvement on front forks.

Bax

[jetmechmarty]

Ditto on the gold valve from Race Tech (Cartridge Emulators). Big improvement on front forks.

Bax

Absolutely! It isn't cheap and it's easy to screw up. Also, for many riders, it's not a good value. IMHO, if you really want your XS1100 to be better than the OE design, send your forks to Traxxion Dynamics in Georgia. Not cheap, but if you're a demanding rider, it's worth it. They'll provide Race Tech emulators, springs, and the set-up for your weight and riding style. After that, where do you stop? 2 lb brake rotors are available. What about shocks? Good ones are expensive. It might be a lot cheaper to buy a new bike.

[Bax]

Agreed it's not cheep. I do own a copy of the motorcycle suspension engineering manual, lots of good info. I did my whole front fork setup with race tech, they also offer custom rider weight springs. I did not purchase the rear shocks yet but it's on my list. First I need to finish this "Winter Project" that is long overdue.


https://racetech.com/page/title/Suspension%20Bible