TMF
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2022
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 21
- Location
- Brookeville, MD
- My Bike Models
- 76 Honda GL1000
92 Honda ST1100
97 Honda Transalp
96 Triumph Trident
00 Triumph TT600
07 MiniTrail 140
03 Suzuki SV1000S
The seals in my '75 have been sitting since at least 1997 and probably much longer. They were in surprisingly good shape with no leakage onto the fork tubes but due to their age they are being replaced anyway. When you look into it there are a number of techniques for removing seals but I'm going to relate an easy and simple procedure that worked well for me yesterday:
1. Remove the forks from the bike. Remove dust seal, spring and tube from the main fork body.
2. Put some penetrating oil around the top perimeter of the fork seal.
3. Use a heat gun pointed at the upper section of the fork body where the seals are located; rotate and get that area hot. You're heating the outside of the fork body. Takes 2 - 3 minutes. You'll need gloves.
4. Take the largest flathead screwdriver you have and put it in the space below the seal and above the larger round washer that sits below the seal. That area is roughly a quarter inch in height.
5. Finally, twist the screwdriver sideways to lever the seal upwards; work your way around the seal as necessary. The sideways twist works better than trying to pry the seal directly upwards.
1. Remove the forks from the bike. Remove dust seal, spring and tube from the main fork body.
2. Put some penetrating oil around the top perimeter of the fork seal.
3. Use a heat gun pointed at the upper section of the fork body where the seals are located; rotate and get that area hot. You're heating the outside of the fork body. Takes 2 - 3 minutes. You'll need gloves.
4. Take the largest flathead screwdriver you have and put it in the space below the seal and above the larger round washer that sits below the seal. That area is roughly a quarter inch in height.
5. Finally, twist the screwdriver sideways to lever the seal upwards; work your way around the seal as necessary. The sideways twist works better than trying to pry the seal directly upwards.
