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.

there are 2 sets of instructions in the tech index  

Can be done in a couple of hours if you have the tools ahead of time.

many have ridden months, if not years w/out any oil.

I'd both at once, you want them matching.

Thanks, I will look into all that when I have time. Do you think I am missing anything not riding in the coming downpour? It really annoys me. I have ridden in the wet but not a real rainstorm yet. I gather that some people don't like it. Am I missing all the fun or am I just avoiding a hard time?

cheapnewb24 wrote on 11/18/15 at 13:06:27:



Don't stop there! Try a hail storm out for size. Now there is the ultimate . . .riding . . .experience. Don't  miss it!

When I do get around to actually repairing the forks, is there a way of making them stronger? I get the impression that a lot of people are blowing their forks from rough treatment. I recall somebody on this forum blaming it on wheelies. What is the best oil to use for harsh conditions, heavy or light? What brand? weight?

Thanks for sharing your experience. Informative. I bet a face shield would have been helpful in that situation. I wonder if anyone has torn up a helmet or faceshield by riding through hail. I guess hail protection would be a novel use for a helmet. No good getting KO'ed by big hail balls. If a hailstone can break a windshield, would sure do a number on a helmet, not to mention an unshielded head.

cheapnewb24 wrote on 11/18/15 at 16:40:50:


There are a few folks that have had seal leaks.....hundreds of others don't.  I really don't think rough treatment is a factor - the Savage has a pretty easy life when compared to off road bikes, and these are basically the same fork design that I had on my 1973 Suzuki motocross bike.

Next year the Savage will celebrate it's 30th birthday, and there are a lot of the bikes still running around that are 20+ years old.  Not all of these bikes are stored indoors, and rubber parts don't last forever.  Replacing aged fork seals should be considered a maintenance issue, and once the seals age and shrink/stiffen/crack they won't provide a good seal anymore.

I use 15W fork oil - or automobile ATF (automatic transmission fluid) in my forks.  The Savage forks are not sophisticated enough that it really makes much difference.

First what you may be 'missing out on' in a serious rainstorm is pure misery, not an adventure
ATF is fine in forks, though whether you want type F, type A, Mercon / dexron, or one of the newer blends I never asked
I think the Savage uses 10 weight stack, and ATF might be an improvement over that, to be honest
Try the plastic thingie Sero posted, 8 times out of 10 a blown fork seal just has a bit of gunge in it, and will quit weeping if you get that out
Sorta like an eyeball, it don't like foreign objects in there