fork seal still good for safety?

R

ROCSTAR22

Active member
Hey guys, I just installed my new tires for my bike and as I held the top of the fork just above the dust seal, I noticed a really light film of oil on it. I took a picture of the fork. Now I was told by a reputable mechanic that alot of forks will leave a film of oil on the forks and it is normal. In the pic shows a really small amount of oil build up (just under the lower triple tree.

photo1.jpg


My question is this still ok to be safety test? is there any true danger behind this?

My bike is pretty much ready to get safety done, my back tire was bald but I just had a new set of tires installed. rear brakes are good and the fronts have some life in it still )will try to post pics of it)

Thanks for the input everyone
 
Wipe it down, pump the forks a few times and check again. If it is there again, you should probably replace them. Especially if the fork oil has never been changed on the bike.
 
Many times there is residual oil under the dust cap. the oil MAY not be from a leaky seal. Wipe it down and your likely fine but as the post above says if in fact the seal is leaking you should replace it asap it will only get worse and oil will migrate to the brakes.
 
I'd be very surprised if any place but a bike shop even looked at the fork seals during a safety inspection.
 
So I pumped the front end of the bike several times and im not finding any oil what so ever. I do plan on replacing the oil but I want to do it when its much warmer outside. I thought checking the forks were one of the main components that they check
 
AF4iK said:
I'd be very surprised if any place but a bike shop even looked at the fork seals during a safety inspection.
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I'd be surprised if they didn't...... it's usually the easiest thing to identify and mandatory maintenance to point out. One of the first few things I always witnessed being fingered on the bike were the forks seals.
 
pop the dust cap up, if you see oil on top of the seal, you got a leak. be sure to change both seals at the same time, do it as a set then you might as well change your oil then.
 
Mr.Azim said:
I'd be surprised if they didn't...... it's usually the easiest thing to identify and mandatory maintenance to point out. One of the first few things I always witnessed being fingered on the bike were the forks seals.
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I'd expect that from a bike shop but not from mainstream consumer garages. There's virtually no liability for performing a safety inspection so they just bring it in, honk the horn, maybe check the tires and send you on your way. At least in my experience having watched them.
 
Problem with the regulations is that they are unbelievably vague.

With regards to this specific question, the line from the regulations is:

"4. (1) Front and rear springs, shock-absorbers, swing arms, their supports and attachments shall not be loose, bent, cracked, broken, excessively worn, disconnected or missing." (http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900611_e.htm#BK13)

The definition of "excessively worn" is pretty much at the discretion of the signing technician.
 
regder said:
Problem with the regulations is that they are unbelievably vague.

With regards to this specific question, the line from the regulations is:

"4. (1) Front and rear springs, shock-absorbers, swing arms, their supports and attachments shall not be loose, bent, cracked, broken, excessively worn, disconnected or missing." (http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900611_e.htm#BK13)

The definition of "excessively worn" is pretty much at the discretion of the signing technician.
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If a seal being excessively worn causes leakage, then the seal is excessively worn.
 
Finally Brought the bike to Ted to get it certified. Bike passed so Im good to go. hoping to change the fork oil when it gets a bit warmer. I think it was just oil residue. I pumped it again before getting it certified and the fork was nice and clean.

Thanks for the help everyone. cant wait to ride for the long weekend
 
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