Replacing the front seal- located on the fork.

Hi Bill:
That's the nature of the beast as it get's older.
There are seals in the forks and if the piston (Chrome sliding part) is not damaged, you may be good for a few more summers just by changing the seals.
There are some people who suggest adding a bit of automatic transmission fluid, or something like a seal renew fluid to the fork oil. If you're going to try this you have to block the bike up so that the front wheel is just kissing the ground. Then you remove the plug from the top of the fork. There is a spring that will leap out like a snake from a mailbox so make sure you control it.
Depending on the age of the bike, condition of the forks, and the availability of parts, sometimes is just as economical to replace the forks. Who knows, it might even lead to some extreme customizing!

cOULD LEAKING FORK SEALS CAUSE FRONT BRAKES TO FOUL? -- YES
You shuld get a manual, you must check the surface of the fork, if there are scratches, you will destroy a new seal.

Have a 2006 suzuki s40 formerly known as the Savage 650 one cylinder. I ordered parts and tools to change front fork seals from Suzuki and its been 6 months they are on backorder. I decided to go another route since I need my bike running to and fro work. I went on ebay and bought good used forks from a parted out 06 that had really low miles. Put these on and all is great. The forks were $150.00 but that is not bad considering I did not have to buy fork oil, seals, tools for the job. Just had to put that on. Right now there is a set for a very reasonable price. Good thing about the s40's or savages plenty of good used parts to fix and they are easy to work on. I did it so anyone can. If you have any further questions on this Suzuki let me know.

You need to take them to a Yamaha dealer because you can't do them without seal installers that are very expensive. You will damage the new seals & possibly the forks too. You can save some money by removing the forks yourself. Take off the wheel & fender. Unbolt the caliper& slide them off the rotors BUT DON"T pull the brake handle while off Or you'll push the brakes closed. Now loosen the pinch bolts & slide the forks out of the crowns. Take them to a dealer.

G'day. A couple of suggestions-
Damage to the fork slider-chips or dings.
Too much oil in the fork on re-assembly can cause the seal to go.
Worn or loose fork bushes will flog the seal prematurely.
When you transport the bike-if you don't use a seal saver can pop the seals.

So let me help with these.

Be sure that the fork slider is not scored,dinged or damaged on th surface.

A good double check of the oil quantity is to ensure that when you have re-filled the tube with oil & primed it(worked the air out of it), the oil level should be 100 to 110 mm from the top of the leg to the oil with the fork fully compressed. If the level is less than this-drop it to 100mm.

To check the fork bushes-try pull on the front forks front to back(wobble) & feel for looseness in the bushes.

And finally-When you transport the bike-put a chock(I use an empty 5ltr oil container-but you can buy propper chocks from the bike shop) in-between the forks at top of the front wheel .
Now when you pull the front end down it will stop on the chock & stop the front forks being under excessive compression for extended periods-so it saves the fork springs from sacking out too.
I hope this proves helpfull.
Kind regards Andrew Porrelli

hi,replacing the seal is quite easy,although it will sound complicated,jack up or lift the bike off the ground so that the front wheel is in the air(about 12-14 inches should be enough,remove the front wheel from the bike,remove each fork leg,this is done by undoing the bolts(4 on each leg)the front fork is quite easy to work on just do one at a time,remove the dust cover from the top of the staunchion tube(larger diameter tube),beneath that dust cover you should see a retaining clip that holds the seal in place,remove the retaining clip(and dont lose it),the seal is now ready to remove,the easiest way that i know to do this is to force a screwdriver through the body of the seal,you may need to hit the screwdriver with a hammer as some seal have a tin backing plate,put a hole through the seal on each side of the fork leg taking care not to damage the chrome of the fork leg,then use the screwdriver to lever the seal out of the fork leg,to reinstall the new seal,put a smear of grease or oil around the outside of the new seal,slide the new seal down the fork leg and seat it squarely into the fork tube,very carefully tap the new seal into place being very carefull not to damage the outer surface,i use a small piece of dowell type timber to do this as the wood doesnt damage the seal surface,i use a small ballpeen hammer to tap the wooden dowell,once you have the seal seated down the tube you should be able to see the groove for the retaining clip,reinstall the retaining clip making sure it is seated corectly,replace the dust cover,if you are going to replce the fork oil or top it up do this once the fork leg is back in the bike,repeat the whole procedure for the other fork leg,once you have done the fork seals reinslall the fork legs back into the bike and refit the front wheel,to top up the oil in each leg,simply undo the large cap on the end of the fork leg,you may have to remove the handlebars to do this,be carefull as the cap will be spring loaded and can easily fly off if you are not ready for it,top up or fill with the correct weight oil for your bike(normally a 10w oil),check with your local honda agent for the correct quantity,normally between 400-500 mls,this all sounds quite complicated but is actually quite easy and can be done with a minimal of tools,each fork shold take about 1/2 hr to do...hope this is a help to you

change the oil seals and oil in the fork,and avoid wheelies on the bike and off road biking