97 front forks are obviously leaking

[shadowmagic]

So my front forks are obviously leaking towards the bottom. Any tips on if this is an easy job to DIY or what the cost is to take it in? Any help, as always, is greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

[Tfrank59]

Get a seal mate or seal doctor and should fix it up if it's not too far gone

https://www.ebay.com/i/133167554348?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=133167554348&targetid=917185845248&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9033462&poi=&campaignid=10459841973&mkgroupid=104612009900&rlsatarget=pla-917185845248&abcId=2146002&merchantid=6296724&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpu7As-HF6gIVAx6tBh2pFQlDEAQYASABEgLjUvD_BwE

[shadowmagic]

Ok Frank, thank you for that tip. Ill order one now and give it a shot. I assume I need to add some kind of oil in there as there is a small amount that has leaked out, probably 2 or 3 tablespoons.

[F6Dave]

The Seal Doctor costs more, but does a better job and is far easier to use.  Well worth the extra $$.

[hubcapsc]

I wouldn't worry about adding any oil, unless it's just been gooshing out.

If the seal mate works (it worked for me one time) they might
not leak again for a while   ...

I've not had good luck with dealers and forks, but that doesn't make
them all bad...

I used to tear my motocross bike forks down, so I wasn't uncomfortable
doing the same to the Valkyries forks... Valkyrie forks with the right
amount of new fluid, good springs (I have Progressive brand) and
replaced wear parts are pretty good forks...

-Mike

[Valkorado]

Spend the extra for the Dr., it's worth it for ease of use and longevity.  Dave beat me!

https://riskracing.com/pages/seal-doctor

[F6Dave]

If you end up needing to replace a seal, here's a method from our old board that will take an hour or two less than the method in the manual.

[98valk]

So my front forks are obviously leaking towards the bottom. Any tips on if this is an easy job to DIY or what the cost is to take it in? Any help, as always, is greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

little tricks I just did and so far the one seal has stopped leaking.
This could save you a rebuild until your none riding season or even longer.

1) rotate the upper fork tube 180 degrees. have to loosen triple clamp bolts. make sure top of fork tube is level per the manual and then re-tighten clamp bolts.
2) get some felt and saturate it with power steering stop leak fluid.  pull the outer seal cover down and install the felt up into the seal itself, then re-install the seal cover.
after that for about 1-2k miles only fluid going down the fork was the excess PS fluid. now both forks are dry.

[shadowmagic]

Thanks for all the great info everyone, i'll definately order the seal doctor and give it a go first. Ive been doing a lot of work on this motorcycle the past 3 weeks so I'm thinking if the doctor doesnt work I may just take it in. Anybody know about how much it will cost?

[Valker]

Thanks for all the great info everyone, i'll definately order the seal doctor and give it a go first. Ive been doing a lot of work on this motorcycle the past 3 weeks so I'm thinking if the doctor doesnt work I may just take it in. Anybody know about how much it will cost?

Most shops charge by the hour, so it varies. You can save some by pulling the forks yourself as it's pretty quick. I had one nearby shop that charged a flat rate for fork seals. It was a couple hundred dollars. I did my own about two months ago. My son and I did it together visiting and taking our time. It took us several hours, but a lot of that was visiting and trying to find the thing we were holding just a second ago.

[shadowmagic]

I just called the honda place and he said they couldnt even work on it for 3 to 4 weeks and it would take a week or two to complete. Thats sounds crazy to me lol cost would be around 500.00.

[hubcapsc]

I just called the honda place and he said they couldnt even work on it for 3 to 4 weeks and it would take a week or two to complete. Thats sounds crazy to me lol cost would be around 500.00.

If your only other option is to run them dry, that's better than taking them
to someone who tells you that...

-Mike

[shadowmagic]

yeah, no kidding. I'm gonna go fiddle with them some and see what I can "figure out" 

[da prez]

  Unless you are in witness protection , let us know where you are. Help is near.  I have done several sets and it is not $500.00 difficult.

                                                  da prez

[gordonv]

All it is usually is dirt inside the seal allowing some oil to leak down the surface. Nothing much.

No one suggested the first way we learned how to do this, a piece of 35 mm film that can wrap around the most/whole tube. Wrap it around, and using the holes on the edge, slide it up into the seal. The intention is for the debris to get into the hole and get pulled out, allowing the seal to make contact again.

Unless the oil has been leaking for so long that it's reached your brakes, and they have been ruined, then there shouldn't be an issue with low oil of any amount that would be noticeable in the fork.

[shadowmagic]

I'm actually in albuquerque new mexico. I'm going to call high velocity in the morning to see what they charge. I ordered those "no leak" seals from jp cycles. Im going to give those a shot. I may try and do it myself but I've never done forks before. I"ll decide when the seals get here lol I guess it will depend on how strong my coffee is the day the seals arrive, if I'm buzzing I'll give it a go myself 

[hubcapsc]

I'm actually in albuquerque new mexico. I'm going to call high velocity in the morning to see what they charge. I ordered those "no leak" seals from jp cycles. Im going to give those a shot. I may try and do it myself but I've never done forks before. I"ll decide when the seals get here lol I guess it will depend on how strong my coffee is the day the seals arrive, if I'm buzzing I'll give it a go myself 

I did my forks.

You'll have to overcome the little spring's pressure on the rebound-rod
in order to safely screw the fitting on and off without a cross-thread...



There's a special tool to get it loose...



There's some wear parts other than the seals - it is a gamble to use other
than OEM seals...



There's this whacky bolt on the bottom of one fork that sometimes causes trouble...



There's a procedure for refilling the cartridge that's in one fork which is pretty
important if you use the "measure from the top" method of fluid refill...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tikm2dBQ56I&feature=youtu.be

I made seal driver out of pvc plumbing parts once, now I have a real one, it is nice.

Here's the service manual on line:

http://valkyrienorway.com/download.html

I enjoyed rebuilding mine, but you have to soldier on all the way to the end through
several possibly frustrating procedures to have good forks at the end of the job...

-Mike

[txtriathlete]

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,1366.0.html

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/forksprings.html

Two excellent references. If you have a bike jack and some basic tools you can do this at home it is not hard at all. I just did mine a few weeks ago on my IS. And it only takes a couple of hours, not a week. You could do this in an apartment complex parking lot.

If all you want to do is change seals you do not need the special tool, you only need it if you are doing a full tear down.

If you have the option to get Honda parts from Partzilla or other Honda part dealer, that is preferred. Aftermarket seals tend to leak and not work as well (been there done that).

One thing to be aware of is that there is a specified procedure for getting the tire centered after removing it. IF you search you will find it, if not I can go over it for you. Its not hard, just specific.

[txtriathlete]

Fluid level does not have to be super exact (don't be intimidated), you can vary by a few ML or mm within reason, but variance will have consequences. Less than specified and forks will be"softer" - more float and bounce. More than specified and they will be harder and possibly jittery on rough tarmac. If you get the fluid "wrong" for your preferred riding style, its a simple matter to later loosen the top cap and either remove (suck out) some fluid or add a bit.

Manual calls for 10wt, I used 15 and I like it better, but that's my preference. Oil choices will generate many comments...

[F6Dave]

If you end up needing to replace a seal, here's a method from our old board that will take an hour or two less than the method in the manual.

How much is it leaking? If oil isn't getting on the tire or brakes live with it at least until the Seal Doctor arrives and try cleaning first. If you only need to replace a seal definitely follow the method above. It will save hours over the Honda manual's method. No special tools needed and the forks stay on the bike.

[shadowmagic]

Wow, you guys sure know how to give a pep talk lol You have me convinced I can do this on my own without killing myself. Although experience has taught me that if its easy, I can find a way to screw it up. I'll post a selfie of myself with the motorcycle upside down on top of me because I did something wrong and it will be one of those "wow, I've never seen that before" moments 
Thank you again for all the great info

[Jess from VA]

Really, if you get the Seal Doctor and do a good job of cleaning the seals out, you will likely stop all leaks for a long periods.  I kept mine cleaned out for several years (small seeps came back occasionally, and I cleaned again) until I finally could hire a guy who knew what he was doing to rebuild them.  Mostly, it's just debris/crud/dirt that gets up in there, if you lose of chunk of seal, lots more fluid will seep and you'll know it.

In 3-4 years, I never lost enough fluid to affect function that I could ever tell.   

[PSUbag]

Wow, you guys sure know how to give a pep talk lol You have me convinced I can do this on my own without killing myself. Although experience has taught me that if its easy, I can find a way to screw it up. I'll post a selfie of myself with the motorcycle upside down on top of me because I did something wrong and it will be one of those "wow, I've never seen that before" moments 
Thank you again for all the great info

As somebody else mentioned, I would highly recommend using OEM seals. I did mine years ago and bought aftermarket seals. Put it all back together and it leaked worse. I got pissed and took the forks to the dealer and let them do it.

[98valk]

fork nut tool, an electric heater element wrench is the same ID and OD needed. just need to notch the round end to work. large socket other end for torque wrench.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Camco-5-in-Screw-In-Element-Wrench-09883/206807374

[rug_burn]

    I got a few nicks in my fork tubes, from those  one-in-a-million rocks that made it through that 1/8" gap between the chrome shield over the tube and the aluminum casting...  So, after dressing down the parts sticking above the surface of the tube with an Arkansas stone, I was left with some nicks below the surface, which leak.   (I put in new seals probably 9 or 10 years ago)
   And I hate to admit it, but those fork leaked all the way out, and have been dry now for about 5 years.   The forks aren't that bad-  or maybe I'm just used to how they are, but I'm really not feelin' any great desire to rebuild them  (shocking, I know-  I am that lazy.)    
     I went through the phase where the oil gets on the brakes, and just used them enough to burn off the oil, never really losing enough braking ability that I couldn't handle it.  
   But it would be good to actually fix the problem, instead of just living with it.  
    What I really need are some new fork tubes-  just the inner or lower tube part, the hard chromed steel tubes (without nicks) would be good enough, without the aluminum casting [which holds the brakes and axle] would  be good enough.    
   Has anybody heard where to get these?

[gordonv]

Used, a good set?

Someone said you could remove the aluminum bottoms from the tubs, but I couldn't move them with mild heat, and I was just trying, since they where damaged in my accident. A vise and a pipe wrench, nothing.

[F6Dave]

I went through the phase where the oil gets on the brakes, and just used them enough to burn off the oil, never really losing enough braking ability that I couldn't handle it.

Burning the oil off the brakes!  That reminds me of something I did years ago with an old car and not much money.  A leaking axle seal soaked the rear brakes with oil.  I replaced the seal, but didn't want to replace the nearly new brake shoes.  So I removed the shoes, poured a bit of gasoline on them, and let it soak in.  I set them on the driveway and lit a match.  They burned for a few seconds (mostly smoked), the flame went out, and the oil was gone.  They worked like new brake shoes after that.

[rug_burn]

Used, a good set?

Someone said you could remove the aluminum bottoms from the tubs, but I couldn't move them with mild heat, and I was just trying, since they where damaged in my accident. A vise and a pipe wrench, nothing.

Gordon:  Yes- even a good set of used fork tubes, with the aluminum part at the bottom would be fine.   I'd be in the market for those.  

 I was thinking maybe I could fill the nicks in the fork tubes, as another solution to the problem.  
 If I could get them real clean I could use some hard filler, like maybe superglue.  Bondo would be too soft, I would think.

[98valk]

   I got a few nicks in my fork tubes, from those  one-in-a-million rocks that made it through that 1/8" gap between the chrome shield over the tube and the aluminum casting...  So, after dressing down the parts sticking above the surface of the tube with an Arkansas stone, I was left with some nicks below the surface, which leak.   (I put in new seals probably 9 or 10 years ago)
   And I hate to admit it, but those fork leaked all the way out, and have been dry now for about 5 years.   The forks aren't that bad-  or maybe I'm just used to how they are, but I'm really not feelin' any great desire to rebuild them  (shocking, I know-  I am that lazy.)    
     I went through the phase where the oil gets on the brakes, and just used them enough to burn off the oil, never really losing enough braking ability that I couldn't handle it.  
   But it would be good to actually fix the problem, instead of just living with it.  
    What I really need are some new fork tubes-  just the inner or lower tube part, the hard chromed steel tubes (without nicks) would be good enough, without the aluminum casting [which holds the brakes and axle] would  be good enough.    
   Has anybody heard where to get these?

the lower sliders are still available. the upper tubes and complete assembly are not.   https://www.partzilla.com/product/honda/51525-MZ0-003?ref=455e44100526a36a358543ccfe69ce32f922538e

some parts houses have them lower than $500, like https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/oem-parts/Honda

[gordonv]

If I could get them real clean I could use some hard filler, like maybe superglue.  Bondo would be too soft, I would think.

Well if you want to go that far. Clean and use JBWeld. File, stone and you could fill it. But it's grey. But a lot cheaper than new/replacement forks.

[3fan4life]

I'm not brave enough to rebuild them myself.

But pulling the fork tubes off of the bike is an easy task.

The last set that I had rebuilt ran me around $250 and that included buying a set of Progressive springs.


I highly recommend putting in the Progressive Springs they are well worth it!

https://www.progressivesuspension.com/product/1465/fork-spring-kit

Dealers are called "Stealers" for a reason.

Find a local shop and take him the fork tubes to rebuild and install a set of Progressive springs.

[txtriathlete]

fork nut tool, an electric heater element wrench is the same ID and OD needed. just need to notch the round end to work. large socket other end for torque wrench.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Camco-5-in-Screw-In-Element-Wrench-09883/206807374

I made this tool when I did a complete teardown a few months ago. It worked well. The OP won't need it if all he's doing is replacing the seals. The springs do not need to come out of the tubes for that.

[98valk]

fork nut tool, an electric heater element wrench is the same ID and OD needed. just need to notch the round end to work. large socket other end for torque wrench.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Camco-5-in-Screw-In-Element-Wrench-09883/206807374

I made this tool when I did a complete teardown a few months ago. It worked well. The OP won't need it if all he's doing is replacing the seals. The springs do not need to come out of the tubes for that.

 

I also used another modified element wrench to remove and tighten the inner stem nut.  just had to thin the ID of the tabs a little to fit.