Fork oil seals

[ed]

Hi guys. My FXD with 20k on the clock has some oil trace on the forks after rides. 2001 model. Is seal replacement a DIY job? Do I need to bother for a while? I am planning to change the oil in any case in an imminent spring service, so I wonder if it would be sorted if I replaced it with thicker stuff?

Thanks


Ed

[robbiemac]

Hi Ed, replacing the seals can be fairly straightforward but it depends on your skills, available tools and having something to get the bike off the ground so you can drop the forks. The biggest hassle can be getting the stanchions out of the slider, the allen screw on the bottom of the slider can sometimes be a pig to undo. It helps big time to have the harley tool to pop the new seal in as well. Check your stanchions for pitting, cos if they have, it will trash the new seal when you fit it.

As far as putting heavier grade oil in the forks, be carefull, if you put too heavy a grade in you will end up with forks that act like a rigid front end and that can be scary (been on a GL1000 in the 80's and the owner had put 20/50 in the forks, not nice)

If you are getting a service done on it and it's a 10K, you may as well get the shop to sort it out, if you are getting it done in a shop that is.

Hope this helps you Ed.

[dpb-RK]

As above.

Caution. With the bike in the air, front wheel out and the second fork leg in your hands, the rest of the bike gets awful light at the front end and can easily tip backwards off the lift

That really is a heart in mouth moment when you catch it just in time

Tie it down to the lift first.

[S.T.Chapman]

good point Dave.
yes you can change your own seals it depends on you competence and skill.
just as a foot note, rarely do the seals leak, except when there has been some abrasive deposit on the fork stanchion, check or it will hapen again, the same is true for pitting due to salt.
make sure they have a near mirror finish;)

[Phil]

Just like they said, it`s not rocket science just be careful. Don`t use the heavier oil unless you want the forks to `clunk`.

[ed]

Thanks guys for your advice. I'll go and check the slidy bits for smoothness first - and thanks for the tip about back flips off the lift.

Just got to shift this cold first - why does the human nose produce so much snot?

Atchoo

Ed