Leaking forks - fixed for now

[Bigwolf]

On my way back from Taos, my left fork seal began to leak.  By the time I arrived home, the left side brake caliper, left side of fender, left side of engine, etc were all covered in oily grime.  Crap!   I already had a big list of things to do.  Now, no riding until this is fixed ....... and cleaned up ...... at least clean enough that I won’t be too embarrassed to be seen riding it.

No problem, right?  Pull the fender, drop the dust seal, cut a piece of plastic to run up under and around the seal, wipe it all clean and should be good to go.  I have done it before and it was quick and simple. ..... Not this time! A few pumps of the suspension reveal that oil is still spewing out the left fork......and hey!.....the right fork is leaking too......not so bad but leaking for sure!  After several more tries on both fork tubes, the right fork was no longer leaking but the left continued to leak profusely.  No more time!  Other priorities had to be addressed.

So I went to the family reunion for a weekend.  Then I spent a couple extra days in WV and used a friend’s mill to rip out a set of boosters for the risers on my bike.  When I got home from that, I finished up the add on/rebuild of the deck on my house and began the process of painting that between bouts of rain.  Replaced the clothes dryer with one much easier for CB to use.

Finally, a small bit of time to work on that black Valkyrie that I love to ride.  I gave up on the home made seal cleaner.  It just wasn’t working on that left fork seal.  I bought a seal doctor that will reside in my saddlebag henceforth.  The seal doctor is easier to use than my home cut piece of plastic and, more importantly, it worked on the second try.  I am a happy guy! Now just have to give the old girl a bath and put the fender back on and go for a ride.  Oh, I managed to install those boosters under the risers too.  I think that extra 1 and 1/2 inch height of the handlebars is gonna be a lot more comfortable for me on long rides.

[Jess from VA]

I hate it when multiple things at my house all need attention at the same time.

One at a time is bad enough.

On the leaking seal, realize they can usually be cleaned with good success (I did it many times), but if a small chunk of a seal comes loose (like from an abrasion caused by a larger foreign object), replacement is the only solution.  While I got the leak on my right fork to stop multiple times (for many months at a time), eventually it only stayed stopped for short periods. 

My left leaked much less and finally stayed stopped, but they both got changed at the same time.

[Bigwolf]

Jess,
I know you are right.  I am thinking it might be a good time for me to get a fork rebuild kit together and have it on my shelf ready for that time when seal doctorin just won’t work.  I might even get some new fork springs ready to be put in at the same time since mine are OEM.

[Jess from VA]

That's what I did Jerry.  I got a complete set of OE wear parts for both forks.  I also had a set of Progressive springs (already had those in the other bike).  I kept cleaning them out for a number of years (and the parts just sat in my parts bin), but when Big BF (Bill) showed up, it got added to the list of things to do.  And he didn't just throw in new parts, he sanded pits out of the fork tubes.

I am still not convinced (at all) that the Progressive springs are any better than OE springs (which I still have, though I'm not putting them back in).  Ever since they abandoned their lifetime warranty on 440s (which was always supposed to be part of their high price), I think Progressive can kiss my fuzzy ass.  (I should have known any company with progressive in their name was full of crap.)   

BTW, though I ordered all possible fork wear parts, Bill didn't use them all, he showed me that some originals were perfectly fine.

This whole job is way outside my skill set, so I just deferred to Bill.  And some years later, no more leaks or problems. 

In the mean time, keeping the forks cleaned out with the Dr is a good idea.  It not only stops leaks, but slows them down, and the idea is to minimize total fluid loss until such time and a rebuild can be completed.

It was during this period I made a better effort at keeping buggies and other foreign matter off my sliders (and waxing them) so I didn't further contribute to the delinquency of my leaks.

[F6BANGER]

just did mine yesterday

[9Ball]

I did mine last summer.  The right side was leaking pretty badly.  This Spring I was getting the bike ready for riding and the right side 440 was leaking significantly and shock oil was on the wheel and the floor.

Called progressive suspension to find out they only supported lifetime warranty with the “bottom-end” 416 series shocks...pretty easy way for them to get out of their 440 lifetime warranty commitment.

I found out that the 444 series are available for my Rocket 3 and they honored the warranty with a new set for the Rocket.  Can’t slam them too hard as they took care of me, but it sucks for the hundreds and possibly thousands of Valkyries that bought into the 440 lifetime warranty sales pitch.

I replaced the steering stem bearings at the same time as the fork rebuild...should be good for the rest of my riding days.

[9Ball]

just did mine yesterday

What’s the motor in the foreground of your picture?

[F6BANGER]

Puttin a blower on it an installing it in the yellow valk. Sorry just saw your reply.