Help needed with suspension please (advice)

[Spiderman32]

hi there

i have a problem but was wondering if anyone has another solution?/same problem ?

My fork seals are leaking again yes again i have a massive leak a couple of months ago oil all over the front brakes etc ...
i took the bike into a local bike shop and had the seals replaced all for £115.00 reasonable i thought but i was told that it might not work because the forks weren't in that good a condition . low and behold i've noticed them leaking again all be it only very slight on the right hand fork leg but still a pain in the butt
is there another (cheaper) option than buying new stancions and rebuilding them again (if not any ideas where's cheap ?) as money is tight i'm trying to do as much as i can myself as this month i was going to get new tyres done at a local tyre place but now i'm going to have a go myself cause i can save myself about £70.00 on the job with will allow for a new chain etc ..

any ideas would be great also is it worth changing the fork legs as well ? (could that be the problem ?) plus anyone know of cheap springs for the forks cause if i'm doing it i may as well do it properly and once ! or would it be cheaper to change to a different fork set up all together ?

[sirch345]

What is the condition of the fork legs (the stanchions) Most (unless protected) have some stone chips to the chrome, but unless they are in the travel part they don't usually case a problem with the seals. You should be able to check for stone chips or pitting in the travel part of the stanchions. The travel part is the clean part

If you do have some damage to the chrome surface in the travel area that will be what is wrecking the seals. A cheap way around this is to rub down the damaged chrome with either fine wet and dry (make sure you remove all residue if using that method, you don't want any sanding grit going down inside the forks as you can imagine), or a scotch bright pan scrubber which in my opinion is a better option. It's not the pitting that causes the damage, it's the sharp edges from the damaged chrome. You'll still need to replace the seals after doing that.

As for fitting different forks you'll still most likely need a re-spring anyway to get the best from them, so there will not be any saving if you decide to go down that route.

Chris.

[MacV2]

Sounds as if you have an issue with the stanchions causing the seals to wear & leak.

If it helps in any way on Thurs I'm having a fork transplant a spare pair of forks will be refreshed & swapped leaving me with a pair of forks.

These could do with new springs & oil which will mean new seals as well but in the time I've had the bike they have never had a leaking seal so they must be ok if a little tired.

Pm me make me an offer I can't refuse, fit them & use them until finances allow for the new spring fettle.

As for cheap springs....Hagon progressive are about £80 from Wemoto but add to that seals, dust seals & whilst out you may as well do the bushes as well.

Mac

[popkat]

What did the dealer say was wrong with the forks ?, did they change the top bushes ?

If the chrome on the fork legs is in good condition and not worn away then i'd say the bushes are worn. Make sure the chrome is smooth, take off any raised edges with a bit of fine wet and dry, don't rub too hard, just enough to take off any high edges from pitting or stone chips, any small pits will be ok so long as there's nothing to rip the seal.(unless the legs are riddled with pits)

New bushes should cost around £10 each plus the price of seals and oil, go for genuine Honda as they'll be the best.

If you havn't fitted new seals/bushes before do some reading up on how to do it first, you'll need to know about the damper screws, air gap and charging the cartridge..