Holy ShaZam! There's a puddle under my front tire.

[reajcox]

Well after a nice long and hard ride last weekend I can out to the garage to find that my GS is ticked off at me. Not just one but 2 fork seals. Seeing as I've never done fork seals what do I need to know going into this job?

On the other hand she runs better every time I turn the key it seems. This last run I had a really good time and the little GS was running spot on. I wonder how many 20+ thousand mile bikes can say that?

[centuryghost]

Let me get this straight..........your fork seals are leaking a puddle under your tire? I have never heard of that! Are you sure it's not brake fluid or something? 

[werase643]

get it off the tire yesterday!!!!
also check for oil contamination on the brake pads/rotor
if contaminated....clean the rotor with brake cleaner and replace the pads

since you are doing forks....might consider the spring upgrade

[ben2go]

Plenty of links on this subject.I even have one on how to do it.Do a search for fork seals.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

That's a hell of a leak if it's coming out the fork seal.  Usually you just see a bit of oil on the fork leg.

[reajcox]

It was actually running down the tubes and on the floor. They've quit leaking for now. Washed everything.

Thanks ben I'll look it up.

[noiseguy]

I've had them get that bad. I zip-tied rags around both tubes once to keep the oil off the brake pads until I could get to it.

Odd both went after a long ride. Make sure you check the condition of the fork tubes for pitting / bugs. Wondering if you have pits on the tubes that sawed through the seals; could also be bugs. How are your wipers?

[Twisted]

I would say they would have been on the way out for awhile. If you don't know what to look for they can be hard to catch until you get lots of oil seeping out. Pays to look for grime and sludge on your fork tubes or even run your hand around them to feel for oil as it is hard to see most times.

[Wrightboy]

Apologize for butting here, but I just came out and noticed the exact same thing. A puddle around my front tires as well as sitting inside the wheel rim. Was a greenish sort of color but had no idea what it was. Read this thread and went out and looked, sadly saw this guy http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f51/Wrightboy731/P1010676.jpg  (Just one thing after another!)

How bad is this and what exactly is the process for getting this fixed? Is it okay to ride still?

Thanks!
-Wright

[burning1]

Have the forks been touched since they were new? It's possible they were overfilled - that will quickly blow out the seals.

[ben2go]

Apologize for butting here, but I just came out and noticed the exact same thing. A puddle around my front tires as well as sitting inside the wheel rim. Was a greenish sort of color but had no idea what it was. Read this thread and went out and looked, sadly saw this guy http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f51/Wrightboy731/P1010676.jpg  (Just one thing after another!)

How bad is this and what exactly is the process for getting this fixed? Is it okay to ride still?

Thanks!
-Wright

In that pic,the wiper has been lifted off it's seat.I would suspect a hard hit to the front suspension in the form of a curb or pot hole,and it blew the seals and wipers.I would do a disassembly,inspect,new seals,and fork oil.

[noiseguy]

Clean it up and tie a rag around it to keep it off the brakes and tires (it will destroy the pads and do nothing good for the tires) in the meantime.

Forks need rebuilt. Probably a 3 on a scale of 1-5 in difficulty. You need a few custom tools but they can be made from easily available parts cheaply. (PVC pipe, big bolt depending on year of bike.)

[ben2go]

My first GS fork rebuild took me about 3 hours.I tore down the entire front end for inspection,fresh grease,brake job,seals,wipers,and Progressive springs.

[Twisted]

Fork seals go just like brake pads wear out. Be prepared to replace if you own a bike.