Leaking fork seal

[Tricky]

I think for my first two years of riding my bike always had a leaking fork seal. I was too skint to get them fixed. I used to wipe the oil away before MOT tests.

I'd be very impressed if anyone can change them in 30 minutes, I'd have thought more like two hours. 20 years ago I think 100 quid was a good deal for getting them done, all in.

IIRC it was a 30 min job on the LCs.

But I watched the lad split the forks on my Husky TE300i. Needed 2 special tools.

It's a 30 minute job on rwu forks so long as the old seal comes out easily.
On USD forks it's an arse of a job

I think the exact opposite- it's a piece of piss on most current USDs- certainly is on KTM WP forks, as long as you have a seal driver and spanners of the right size, whereas I've had by far the biggest hassle with ye olde 70s/80s RWUs if the bottom screw has been loctite-ed into the damper rod and/or been in there for ever.....

[Dodgy69]

I heard about fork marks on new bikes being grease from the factory.

[Bustaspoke]

I heard about fork marks on new bikes being grease from the factory.

It's a Triumph,they're notorious for not having any grease!

[mangocrazy]

It's a 30 minute job on rwu forks so long as the old seal comes out easily.
On USD forks it's an arse of a job

I think the exact opposite- it's a piece of piss on most current USDs- certainly is on KTM WP forks, as long as you have a seal driver and spanners of the right size, whereas I've had by far the biggest hassle with ye olde 70s/80s RWUs if the bottom screw has been loctite-ed into the damper rod and/or been in there for ever.....

I'd make the point that KTM WP USD forks are unusual in that they don't require a special tool to undo the damper rod. Trinity's bike won't have KTM forks, so it's highly likely that it will need at least that special tool. A seal driving tool is also a Very Good Idea, as it removes the likelihood of damaging the new seal on insertion.

[Trinity765]

Not heard back from Triumph yet.

[weeksy]

Your dealer sounds rubbish. These the same ones who were a bit crap with the 765.?

Speak to Sarah at Steve Jordan motorcycles, tell her Weeksy, Bigyin and the rest of the trc crew sent you

[Whysub]

Your dealer sounds rubbish. These the same ones who were a bit crap with the 765.?

Speak to Sarah at Steve Jordan motorcycles, tell her Weeksy, Bigyin and the rest of the trc crew sent you

Maybe they are trying to get the factory to agree to the replacement, rather than being a rubbish dealer.

Sarah Jordan is great to deal with, but never had my suspension done there (MCT were nearer)

[Count Steer]

I think Trinity was introduced to the Jordan enterprise over a suspension issue before.

[weeksy]

Your dealer sounds rubbish. These the same ones who were a bit crap with the 765.?

Speak to Sarah at Steve Jordan motorcycles, tell her Weeksy, Bigyin and the rest of the trc crew sent you

Maybe they are trying to get the factory to agree to the replacement, rather than being a rubbish dealer.

Sarah Jordan is great to deal with, but never had my suspension done there (MCT were nearer)

That's not the impression I get from posts in this or the noisy engine thread

[Bigyin]

I think Trinity was introduced to the Jordan enterprise over a suspension issue before.

She was, i got her in with them quickly because of a short time to sort an issue before another trip

Sarah knows you now @Trinity765 ....if you need something done quick give her a bell

Once you have it sorted have a look at these as i had issues on the Multi with a couple of seals going within not a lot of miles so fitted some seal protectors and havent had an issue in over 40000 miles since between the 2 bikes. designed for offroad bikes but work really well on the Multi

[Trinity765]

Good shout about Steve Jordan - I may resort to that.

Plan A is to have a go at the hack this evening. Run a thin/soft/no rough edges bit of plastic around the fork seal to see if that frees any dust/dirt. Then bounce it up 'n' down for a bit and check for leaks. If that doesn't work plan B or C or even D.

I'll chase Triumph up today - not happy with their customer service but you never know, they may say bring it up and we'll sort it out under warranty before your travels.

My bike is booked in for tyre swap next week with some local mechanics that I trust so plan B will be to talk to them about it and plan C is to cry uncontrollably on the phone to Sarah Jordan

[Mr. Dazzle]

The recommendation always used to he a bit of old film/negative. But who has that any more? Slide a jpeg up there

[Trinity765]

The recommendation always used to he a bit of old film/negative. But who has that any more? Slide a jpeg up there

I'm going to use one of those dealership plastic key fobs - the one's that they write the reg on.

[Count Steer]

The recommendation always used to he a bit of old film/negative. But who has that any more? Slide a jpeg up there

I'm going to use one of those dealership plastic key fobs - the one's that they write the reg on.

If you have any of those A4 binders with a clear plastic cover, that should be thinner and flexible but also stiff enough for the job. (Oddly enough I bought a roll of it (clear vinyl) from a handicraft stall on Saturday - if all else fails I can post you a sheet ) The fob/tag may be a bit too thick.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Or even a bit of that sort of plastic vac packaging that's impossible to open. The kind they always ship scissors in, but which you need scissors to get in to.

[The Spin Doctor]

It's no panic, your dealer should sort easily and quickly. Whether it's classed as warranty or wear and tear is open to debate but it's a 30 minute job.

Thanks. I've Googled it, of course. There's a tool that you can buy - a bit of plastic, that you can run around the seal - if the dealer can't fit it in I shall cut up a plastic milk bottle and 'ave a go myself

How much oil can you afford to lose before needing a top up?

The fork seal cleaner may or may not work... it may be a bit of grit that's got stuck in the seal, and if that's the case it may work. If the seal is damaged, it won't improve matters. But do be careful what you use... too 'fat' and with too sharp edges and that will damage the seal.

The amount you'll lose from a weeping seal is negligible. It's keeping it off the brakes that really matters. But it's not a bad idea to replace fork oil every couple of years. Memo to self - do mine.

I did buy one of those 'bits of plastic', and then of course when I wanted see if I could sort out a slight weep from the seal the other day, I couldn't find it and had to improvise with a bit of thin, bendy plastic that happened to be lying around. Naturally, the special bit of expensive plastic turned up the very next day.

[The Spin Doctor]

I had the same problem, even though I had both fork seals replaced last year.

One thing I always insist on - I have supplied them myself in the past - is that OE fork seals go in. Aftermarket seals always seem to fail in a fraction of the time the originals lasted... rather like batteries. My battery on my XJ6 is coming up to 14 years old.

[The Spin Doctor]

The recommendation always used to he a bit of old film/negative. But who has that any more? Slide a jpeg up there

.png surely

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I think the exact opposite- it's a piece of piss on most current USDs- certainly is on KTM WP forks, as long as you have a seal driver and spanners of the right size, whereas I've had by far the biggest hassle with ye olde 70s/80s RWUs if the bottom screw has been loctite-ed into the damper rod and/or been in there for ever.....

I don't bother taking the fork apart to replace the seal, you can prize them out with a small screwdriver and then just fit the new one with a seal driver, getting the screw out of the bottom of a damper rod can be a complete horror.

I had a 1986 KTM 250 with WP USD forks, from memory they were pretty easy to take apart.

[Bustaspoke]

I don't bother taking the fork apart to replace the seal, you can prize them out with a small screwdriver and then just fit the new one with a seal driver, getting the screw out of the bottom of a damper rod can be a complete horror.

On RWU forks,I've prized them out with a screwdriver a couple of times myself,also drifted a brush handle into the damper rod to stop it turning.
I did a seal on my SV650S last month,that was easy as the S model has a preload spacer on top of the fork,screw it right in & nothing spins when you undo the Allen bolt at the bottom of the fork leg.
Not yet had to do the seals on a USD fork...