What causes fork seals to go bad?

Causes of Fork Seal Damage Physical Damage: One of the least common causes of a bad fork seal is physical damage to the seal. This might be caused by getting into an accident on your bike, sharp rocks that get caught in the seal and scratch/tear it, or a nick in the fork tube that rips the seal.

Why do my fork seals keep leaking?

Fork seals leak from normal wear and tear, age, and debris getting into the seals. However, the majority of the time your fork seals are leaking it’s simply because debris is caught in the seal holding it open and allowing fork oil to sneak by. When you first notice the leak is the best time to take immediate action.

How often should you replace fork seals?

So what’s a reasonable interval? For sportbikes, simple replacement of fluids and seals at 10,000 miles will bring new life to the bike. Touring bikes and cruisers can probably double that interval before the service will offer noticeable improvements.

Are fork seals hard to replace?

Replacing your fork seals is an easy enough job if you know a few tricks. The first step to any DIY job is to do a little research and get all the parts you’ll need for the job. You’ll at least need the new seals and fork oil but should also consider wipers, bushings and any seals or o-rings for the caps.

How to tell if your dirt bike fork seals are leaking?

You can easily identify leaking fork seals by inspecting the fork tube just beneath the dust seal. If it is leaking, you will notice fork oil on the exterior of the tube. This problem should not be ignored because the oil will continue to drain out of the fork. This will affect the fork’s performance and can make the dirt bike unsafe to ride.

What causes Fork seals to go bad?

Imperfections on the inner tube: Stone chips, dents, scratches and elevations on the inner tubes will wear away the fork seals as they slide over them during use and cause them to leak prematurely. When changing the seals you should always check for imperfections and sand them off using very fine sandpaper (400 grit).

What causes fork oil to leak out?

This would allow dirt and sand to both enter the fork oil reservoir past the seals, and allow fork oil to leak out. Dirt has found its way past the dust wiper and is sitting next to the seal. Eventually this will work its way into the seal causing it to fail.

What are the parts of a dirt bike fork?

The fork of a dirt bike is the part used to connect the main frame to the axle and the front wheel. This part helps in braking, suspension and in changing direction while riding. The fork is made up of 2 tubes containing lubricating oil and both of them have seals. These seals are 2: the oil seal and the dust seal.