Time to fix that weeping seal...
Don’t risk oil on your brakes, fix old seals this weekend
It’s just a little dribble. What’s the worst that can happen? Well, for starters you won’t get though your next MoT – but worse than that, you might not make it home.
A weeping fork seal will almost always mean oil seeping all over your brake pads, dangerously reducing your stopping power. Why risk it?
Time for a change.
Lift up the front
Replacing a busted fork seal requires the removal of the fork leg from the front end of the bike – but that’s not as challenging as it sounds. The first thing to do is secure the bike on a suitable stand. Bikes with a mainstand, such as this Yamaha Fazer, make things easy, just be sure to tether the back end down to keep the front wheel raised.
Loosen the cap
Before removing the fork leg, measure the amount of distance the forks protrude above the top yoke, using a vernier or steel ruler. This will ensure the ride height is preserved. Make a note of the position of handlebars if they are the adjustable type. Next, loosen the fork cap by half a turn to make it easier to undo later when it’s off the bike.
Strip for access
Remove any items, such as mudguards and fork braces, that prohibit access to the fork pinch bolts and could restrict the stanchion’s removal. To make reassembly easy, lay out components and their fixings neatly to one side in a logical order. Remove the front wheel and then undo any ancillary items that are attached to the forks, such as brake hose clamps etc.
Leg out, seal off
Now loosen the pinch bolts on the top yoke and handlebar clamp – there is no need to remove the bolts completely. Loosen the bottom yoke bolts and as you loosen the final one, support the fork leg with your other hand in case it falls out. If it’s a bit tight you can pull it out using a firm twisting action. Once out, you can remove any guards/gaiters and the outer seal.