Dust seal replacement without fork removal

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viprit

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[FONT=&quot]Hi,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]about year ago I bought GSX-R 1000 K1, get it for really low price, everything is good, but I have concerns about fork dust seals. Previous owner said, that he recently replaced fork seals, but said, that kit come without new dust seals, so he leaved old ones. Those old dust seals is cracked and in very bad shape, forks didn't leak, very clean, works perfectly. I don't want to remove forks ar rebuild them just because dust seals.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]My question is, can I buy new dust seals, cut them in one place with thin sharp blade and put them without removing/rebuilding my forks? In my opinion, this will be better than old ones that is missing pieces and have big cracks around whole surface.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What is yout opinion? Bike is used just for riding, no wheelies or trackdays, just street and highway.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks.[/FONT]
 
viprit said:
[FONT=&quot]Hi,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]about year ago I bought GSX-R 1000 K1, get it for really low price, everything is good, but I have concerns about fork dust seals. Previous owner said, that he recently replaced fork seals, but said, that kit come without new dust seals, so he leaved old ones. Those old dust seals is cracked and in very bad shape, forks didn't leak, very clean, works perfectly. I don't want to remove forks ar rebuild them just because dust seals.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]My question is, can I buy new dust seals, cut them in one place with thin sharp blade and put them without removing/rebuilding my forks? In my opinion, this will be better than old ones that is missing pieces and have big cracks around whole surface.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What is yout opinion? Bike is used just for riding, no wheelies or trackdays, just street and highway.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks.[/FONT]
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If you cut them to put them on, they are not going to be any better then your ones that are already cracked. Actually probably even worse, IMO do it right or don't even do anything at all

You don't want to cut a seal, that would defeat the purpose of it being a "seal"
 
You are trying to avoid a service that really isn't that bad.
Regular riding will wear your fork parts out just as fast as any other kind of riding, there is a lot of metal to nylon and metal to metal surfaces in there that rely on clean oil to keep it working well and the oil in there gets increasingly dirty and accumulates water with age :| there is no oil filter in your forks and when that fork oil gets dirty it turns into grinding compound that will destroy all the nylon first and then start to wear on metal.
 
By definition a seal is a "device or substance that is used to join two things together so as to prevent them from coming apart or to prevent anything from passing between them." Once they're cut, they're no longer a seal.

I've pulled the fork tubes from a bike and taken the tubes only into the shop to get fork seals replaced. It was not expensive because I did most of the labor. Obviously, you need a lift to do this.
 
if you look on YT there's videos of people doing this
cutting them, getting them in the tube, then gluing back together
if you are very lucky and careful, it may end up being an improvement over what's on there now
but it's not recommended
 
Trials said:
Or a strong ceiling or garage door frame that you can hang the bike from.
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Or a centre-stand or a pile of wood under something reasonably solid beneath the engine (which on most sport bikes may not be that simple).

For the OP another vote not to cut the new seals. It just seems like it is doomed to fail and waste your money. Dropping the fork legs isn't that hard or time consuming. The seal needs tension in the ring to seal properly, that tension is perpendicular to your cut. Finding adhesive (and clamping) that is effective to close the cut and maintain the seal tension over time isn't simple.
 
Removing the fork tubes to slip on new dust seals is no big deal, but if you want an alternative you can get split gaiters which just slip on in minutes.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/EASY-ON-KIJ...34a5e21:g:4LIAAMXQ2UVQ6N9H:rk:11:pf:0&vxp=mtr

Some in the ST world have added gaiters as they claim it keeps 100% of the crap off the fork tubes and prolongs seal life. While they usually pull the tubes off to add them you could use split gaiters, which IMHO would be less effective.

If you keep your fork tubes clean seals should not be a problem. My 2002 has original seals and 120,000 km with no leaks.
 
age cracked dust seal? I would ride until the fork seal(s) start leaking- and then do the job correctly..

We are talking dust seals, right? not fork oil seals. there is no fork oil leaking.


EDIT- if these cracks bother you because of how they look (old/ragged) - then drop the fork tubes and replace them correctly. By the time you discuss the "other" easier ways to do it - you could have it done properly.
 
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Is a 2001 model year with USD forks, yes? RSU gaiters won't work so good there :|
... probably carries about 450 to 500cc of oil sludge in each fork leg. USD will leak bad once they start to leak, they carry a lot of oil above the seals.
;) smooth over the cracks with some silicone rubber and call it a day unless you are going to dive right into them.
 
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OP: remember this is also a safety issue.Oiled brake pads = no brakes.
 
Wingboy said:
OP: remember this is also a safety issue.Oiled brake pads = no brakes.
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Only if the caps allow so much grit and kyfe that the fork seals go. Dust caps don't retain oil.
 
Wingboy said:
I realize that,just wasn't sure the op did.
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hat's fair enough, considering it's a guy who wants to cut and glue dust caps to avoid dropping a fork tube.
T
 
It's a USD fork, new dust caps aren't going on without completely taking the forks apart.
 
The older I get the more I realize a shortcut is very rarely a shortcut.

Take the time to just do the job right the 1st time...
 
Ask the previous owner which kit he used. Any kit I've seen comes with oil seal (inside below the rubber part you can see) and the dust caps (part you're talking about that's cracked). Look up the kit. If it comes with dust caps, he probably didn't change the fork seals.
 
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