Recently purchased a '90 GS500E from user jordanearl. He said the front fork seals had been replaced not long ago, but I've noticed the right fork seal is leaking fluid. I've had it strapped down nice and tight in the back of my truck for almost a week, but that shouldn't make it leak anything should it? Was it just installed wrong...should I replace them again...or is this normal?

-Rafe-

Quote from: Prafeston on October 07, 2007, 09:47:29 PM
I've had it strapped down nice and tight in the back of my truck for almost a week, but that shouldn't make it leak anything should it? -Rafe-

Yes it will  You should never strap it down "nice and tight" just snug.. you dont want to compress the forks much at all or... as you know now, you will blow out your seals 

Lessoned learned I guess...haha. Well, will I need to get new seals...it's only the right fork. Do I just need to put more fluid in it once I get it unstrapped or does it now need to be complete replace because of my newbie mistake?

Unless the leak is "major" I wouldn't take any drastic action right away.  A very small leak can look like a big deal when the fluid is all over the fork.

Wait until you get the bike on the ground.  Remove all signs of the leaked fluid from the forks.  Ride the bike for a few days.  If the leak reappears at any time, THEN start making a plan for what to do.  Otherwise, chalk it up to the higher-than-necessary strap tension and go on your way.  (If you feel like you lost more than a couple cc's of oil, then by all means replace it.)

Another possible cause for the leak (besides overtensioning) is grit or scratches on the part of the fork that passes back and forth through the seal.  Any roughness at all will cut (or eventually wear down) the contact surface of the seal and allow fluid to leak out.  Yes, that includes dead-and-dried bugs ... so keep those forks clean!

Remove the dust seal and clean as Kerry suggested. There will be oil trapped between the fork seal and dust seal.

Do I need to take the fork completely off to remove the dust seal. And once removed...do I just clean the fork and dust seal and then put it back in?

No. Just pry it up enough to clean under it.

i just put new dust caps on, so worst case you may just need to get 1 fork seal.  you can get em at jj's for under 10, thats where i got mine from.  an you will also need to make the special tool, if your ever back down by mountain grove i can give u my tool i made, as well as some more parts i forgot about, stator, covers,  i think part of wiring harness as well

I might have to make a trip down there sometime. Did you still have the tool kit for the bike or is that long gone?

never had one

I finally got on the bike for the first time today after readjusting the idle...for some reason it was set at like 500rpms. Before that I thought I was gonna have to lower the idle cause it was idling at 4k. Then I realized I left the choke on. Took it around the block and killed like 3 times. Seems like the throttle is a little touchy. I may just need to mess with it, but it seemed to go from like 1500rpms to 4500rpms without hitting any middle ground there. It felt nice to finally be riding it though. On my way back to the house I saw a cop and decided to call it quits for the night, seeing as I don't have the bike licensed, nor do I have a permit or license. Hopefully that can all be taken care of sometime this week. Stupid me though, I took it off my truck not thinking about how I needed to take it over to the local Suzi shop to get it inspected. Now I have to put it back up. I don't trust myself going from one end of the town to the other..especially without permit or license.

sounds like you didn't let it warm up long enough, twins are very tempermental when it comes to warm up time.  even in the summer i let her warm up for a few minutes.  i had the idle set at about 1400.  some say 1200, but i felt like it idled better

Quote4500rpms

whats that, besides takin off most of us twinners never seen 4500, wrap that baby up

I think it's just gonna take me awhile to get used to where the clutch releases and stuff. Never been on a bike before. Used to the clutch on a car or truck. Just need to get some hours in on it and hopefully I'll get the hang of it. Unfortunately there isn't an opening in any of the MSF classes until like Nov. 11. So I'll probably go get my permit and just ride it to class ever now and again until I can take the course. Sound like a good idea?