• RME Gear & Apparel

Leaky fork seal

M

Moabxjeeper

Active Member
Location
SLC, UT
Hey all! I'm fairly new to RME, so allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Josh, currently have a '92 Cherokee for wheelin', a '92 F250 460 for towin', and now an 07 KX250F for ridin', which is where my question comes in.

I just bought this bike a couple weeks ago and took it out for my first ride. It runs great and everything, but last week I came home to an awesome puddle underneath one of my forks. Does anyone have a good recommendation as far as where I can take it to get the seals replaced? I got a quote for about $120 (for both forks) which didn't sound too bad, but does anyone have a better recommendation?

I considered doing this myself until I saw all the tools you need for it, none of which I have and I'm going out to Knolls on Saturday and would like it fixed before.

Thanks for your suggestions.
 
TRD270

TRD270

Emptying Pockets Again
Supporting Member
Location
SaSaSandy
I had mine done at South Valley Motorsports, saves you a little cash if you take the forks off and take them down there off the bike. No complaints, can't remember what I paid but never had a problem after the install
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
rockymountainatvmc sells the tools you need. Even with the economy shipping, you'll have the parts at your house within 2 days. It'll still be cheaper than $120 including the tools. If you like getting your hands dirty and learning, it's really not bad at all.

Check out this video:

[video=youtube;Y43k1qFVGW4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y43k1qFVGW4[/video]
 
thefirstzukman

thefirstzukman

Finding Utah
Supporting Member
Location
SPANISH FORK, UTAH
I bought the tools to do my fork seals and it took me less than an hour to do them start to finish my first time. I had the last set of mine done and they leaked from the dealer and would never pay to have them done again. They are easy to do and worth doing them yourself.
 
anderson750

anderson750

I'm working on it Rose
Location
Price, Utah
sixstringsteve said:
rockymountainatvmc sells the tools you need. Even with the economy shipping, you'll have the parts at your house within 2 days. It'll still be cheaper than $120 including the tools. If you like getting your hands dirty and learning, it's really not bad at all.

Check out this video:

[video=youtube;Y43k1qFVGW4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y43k1qFVGW4[/video]
Click to expand...

If the guy in this video can do it.....anybody can............Just kidding, Eric is a good guy.

Get the tools and do it yourself. It is a lot easier than you would think.
 
M

Moabxjeeper

Active Member
Location
SLC, UT
I may have to look into doing this myself. I consider myself fairly mechanically inclined, so I could probably figure it out. If not, you guys might be getting a call from me. :D

I know I'm going to need the 46/50mm fork cap wrench, but what else will I need?
 
YOUKNOW

YOUKNOW

Well-Known Member
Location
South Jordan, UT
If the seal is leaky because of a small piece of gravel or something stuck between the seal and tube making it leak, you can take something very thin like an old film strip that you don't care about and slide it up between the seal and the tube, then slide it around the circumference of the seal to see if anything comes out. I did it once, it worked for me, but may be other reasons as well. If your seals are no good, then this will not work. If it does work, be prepared to add oil to the tube that you have already lost the oil from.
 
R

rholbrook

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville, Ut
YOUKNOW said:
If the seal is leaky because of a small piece of gravel or something stuck between the seal and tube making it leak, you can take something very thin like an old film strip that you don't care about and slide it up between the seal and the tube, then slide it around the circumference of the seal to see if anything comes out. I did it once, it worked for me, but may be other reasons as well. If your seals are no good, then this will not work. If it does work, be prepared to add oil to the tube that you have already lost the oil from.
Click to expand...

This is correct and can be done. I actually cut my into a hook shape to clear some crap out. It is important to get the right oil level when you are done if you do it this way. You will need to know the correct weight too. If you dont have the same oil levels in both your tubes, it can cause your front end to wash out in corners.
 
M

Moabxjeeper

Active Member
Location
SLC, UT
UPDATE: Got the fork seal done yesterday, took it out for a ride up by the B today. So far, not a drop of oil has leaked out.

Thanks a bunch guys, I really appreciate the info. Big thanks to Caleb (and rholbrook for referring him!) for getting me all the stuff I needed at a good price.

Only 1 problem with the bike.. After today's ride, I'm already considering selling it and buying a 450. The power seemed great and all at first (and really it is, it's just all in the high RPM) until I rode my dad's YZ450F. I actually find his bike a lot easier to ride.
 
Caleb

Caleb

Well-Known Member
Location
Riverton
YOUKNOW said:
If the seal is leaky because of a small piece of gravel or something stuck between the seal and tube making it leak, you can take something very thin like an old film strip that you don't care about and slide it up between the seal and the tube, then slide it around the circumference of the seal to see if anything comes out. I did it once, it worked for me, but may be other reasons as well. If your seals are no good, then this will not work. If it does work, be prepared to add oil to the tube that you have already lost the oil from.
Click to expand...

You can also buy a tool that's made to do just this. I can't remember who makes it, I think it's made by Seal Saver.
 
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