Well, guys, I guess all the rough terrain and potholes in my area has done its damage to my right fork seal. Before my trip I discovered a little puddle of oil on my rim and discovered that the seal is blown. Is it absolutely critical that I fix this immediately. I have already ridden it since then. I know it weakens the suspension (duh). I am also concerned that it is going to wear out the internals from lack of lubrication. Will a bit of gear oil, motor oil or ATF hurt it till I get it fixed? I don't have any fork oil on hand.
I was making my commute to college. I was going to use the gym, but I talked with someone and didn't get the opportunity. I was left with 2 extra hours so I just brought it home. The fellow I spoke with thought it was a safe idea since I was looking forward to a wind/rainstorm
. I was largely aware of it. I got to ride in some of the wind. It hasn't rained yet. Between risking having the parked bike blown over in the wind, getting water in the busted fork, and everything else, I just brought it home. One thing that really nags me -- some may have trouble understanding this -- is that I didn't use the opportunity to ride in the rainstorm
. I am afraid I missed the all that adventure
. To make it worse, it is late in the season so the next rainstorm will probably be cold
What is there to rebuilding the forks? Do I need to do both sides or just the broken one? Is there anything else I can do. I have no real knowledge on this subject.