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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Fork seals and fork guards.
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Message started by och on 04/20/23 at 15:07:54

Title: Fork seals and fork guards.
Post by och on 04/20/23 at 15:07:54

I've been battling fork oil leak on my 2013 S40. I am sure it has occured as a result of me installing the "Superbrace", which I have since removed. I have tried to remedy the leak with the Seal Mate, but it worked for a short period of time and the leak came back worse than ever, and it looks like I will have to just replace the seals.

I have ordered a set of new OEM fork seals, but now I am having second thoughts - I see there are aftermarket seals on ebay that claim to be a lot more leak proof. Is there any truth to those claims?

Also, when I was installing the Superbrace, it required the removal of stock fork protectors, so I simply cut them and disposed of. The Superbrace came with its own chrome fork protectors. Since I no longer use the super brace, I wanted to get OEM fork protectors but they are no long available. Are they critical to have? Anything aftermarket I can look at?

Title: Re: Fork seals and fork guards.
Post by och on 04/20/23 at 15:21:58

These are the aftermarket seals I was talking about.

https://leakproofforkseals.com/leakproof7252_22520/

Title: Re: Fork seals and fork guards.
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/20/23 at 20:22:37

Fork protection is nice,but not crucial. If they don't offer them, meh... How crucial are they? Bummer about the brace. I'm glad I didn't have a brace when the lady turned left across me. It would have been ruined,,

Title: Re: Fork seals and fork guards.
Post by groupus on 05/01/23 at 08:10:47

Any seal will leak with time and wear. Oem should be just fine, but if you want to test the claim of those leak proof seals, now would be the time to order a set. I have no experience with them.
The fork protectors are like those bug deflectors on old pickup trucks. They keep rock chips and Kamikaze bugs off of your polished fork tubes, which keeps the seals from being damaged. What I do with every bike that I replace seals on now is get a set of rubber 4x4 shock boots. The last pair I got for like $8 at a local off-road shop, they're kind of a generic size. They fit over the forks like fork boots and keep all dust and debris out. But I also do it for the style.

Title: Re: Fork seals and fork guards.
Post by Ruttly on 05/01/23 at 10:11:50

It wasn’t the super brace unless it was over tightened. It was just an old seal. Stock protectors are garbage , all you need is seals & wipers.

Title: Re: Fork seals and fork guards.
Post by och on 05/01/23 at 12:51:59

7F58595941542D0 wrote:

It wasn’t the super brace unless it was over tightened. It was just an old seal. Stock protectors are garbage , all you need is seals & wipers.

I think it was caused by the superbrace, it might have installed it incorrectly, or maybe its just its nature, but I think the superbrace causes some sort of misalignment in the forks, and once it is removed, everything settles back and realigns after a few miles.

The first time around, the leaks started after I installed the Superbrace. I removed the brace, used Seal Mate and the leak was gone. I rode for a few weeks, everything was dry, then I reinstalled the Superbrace, and it was still dry for a little while and then started to leak again. I removed the Superbrace, but this time around Seal Mate didn't seem to work, the fork continued to leak while the bike was sitting, and the leak was pretty bad. However, after a few rides everything is bone dry again.

I cancelled the order for the aftermarket seals, but I have a set of OEM seals on order, I'll replace them if the leak decides to return.