I am going to place an order for some sonic springs .90, and whatever else I need as soon as I get some help from you guys. 

My forks are like every other stock front end and bottoms out easily.  I know I need springs.  They are also leaking oil.  The dust cover (possibly the seal?  I don't know what these parts are) is leaking oil also.

Do I need a full rebuild for the forks to fix the leaking?  What should I check.  I have spent two days searching, and I have not found the answer for this. 

I am ready to order, I just don't know what to get. Thanks for the help!

check the wiki .. it has more info and vids too...

but .. probably seals... boots if yours are cracked/worn ... possibly some deeper down bits .. but thats what the wiki will tell you...

a service manual ... some good tools...

i got a mate of mine to do my seal install last year with the pyramid parts seals.. left side only took a week to leak again... BUT i dont know if he did it wrong/upside down?, the seals were dodgy/i should have bought OEM?, there are other issues?.............

I will be in same boat as you later this year but I am gonna use .95 or 1.0 sonics .. so i shall watch this with interest ...

oh and i think you wont have to wait long.... the mech&tech lads will notice this soon enough 

You can install new seals without performing a full rebuild, but to do so you'll need a seal remover, and you'll need to be very careful not to damage the chrome fork tubes.

What was said above. New oil, new seals. Wouldn't be a bad idea to inspect the bushings for wear.

How do I check the bushings?  Also, where should I get a seal remover?  Is that a tool I can fab, or should I purchase it?

WIKI .... err WIKI ... ummm WIKI ...

http://wiki.gstwins.com/

and click away to your informations desire! ...

not fobbing you off.. but theres some GREAT info in there with pics and vids for the keen of eye and calm of hand! 

peace to you brother rider! 

I couldn't find much info on fork seals in the wiki.....  But the video tutorial thread is a great place to look, as well: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58403.0

I would only  order seals and dust caps, OEM if it were me.  However, the bushings may be worn out as well.  And if your upper fork tube is scratched or pitted, a new seal will not last long at all. 

Oh, and what year is your bike.  Makes a big difference when it comes to taking the forks apart.

I don't know what model foney has, but I just ordered parts this morning to replace the seals on my 2006 and maybe a response to my question will help him in the end.  I've read through dozens of prior posts about difficulities with the bottom hex screw and it just spinning with the inner tube when trying to remove it and/or needing a special tool to grab it from the inside.  My question is this:  Can you not just break this screw loose (not remove it) prior to disassembling the fork?

Some people have had success doing that, maybe combined with compressing the fork as much as possible.  Adidasguy's description of his experience would make me skeptical.

Quote from: Janx101 on September 05, 2012, 08:07:56 PM
WIKI .... err WIKI ... ummm WIKI ...

http://wiki.gstwins.com/

and click away to your informations desire! ...

not fobbing you off.. but theres some GREAT info in there with pics and vids for the keen of eye and calm of hand! 

peace to you brother rider! 

I have super duper read the wiki, but I don't see anything about replacing the seals. 

  ... i haven't read it in ages ... but i 'was certain' i had read/viewed it there.... my bad .. 

I really wish folks would mention the model year of their GS when they ask questions or just comment on it, would save me the minute it took to click on foney's profile and on his posts to see that he has a 92 GS.  Adidas has names for all the bikes in his fleet but I can't remember what model year goes with each name when they are called by name only.  Heck, at my age I figure it's gonna be a good day if I can remember my own name when I wake up in the morning.    

Not sure what seal puller might be required, shop practice is to clamp the fork slider in a vice and after removing the bolt in the bottom, the dust seal, and the snap ring grab the fork tube and pound the seal out with it.  Changed the left seal on my 02 GS at 69k miles and not having a vice or even electricity in my garage I just left the fork tube clamped in the triples and pounded out the seal with the slider.  Got 96k miles on it now and it hasn't leaked again and the right seal is still the factory one without any leaks yet.  Never noticed any fork bushing wear problems with either my 97GS with 80k miles on it or my 02 with it's current 96k miles on it.

Quote from: gsJack on September 06, 2012, 09:11:54 PM
I really wish folks would mention the model year of their GS when they ask questions or just comment on it, would save me the minute it took to click on foney's profile and on his posts to see that he has a 92 GS...

I see how this can be an issue.  I have been on other boards where it was required to have your model listed in your signature.  I have done that to make things easier in the future.  Thanks!

Seal puller is only necessary if you want to remove the seals without a full disassembily. Honestly, I don't know that it would be much easier than pulling the forks apart anyway, but I realize that getting the pistons out can be a pain.

Driving the forks in can be done with a length of pipe, with a ID smaller than the chrome tube, and an OD smaller than the outside edge of the fork seal. Best approach I've found is to use a tube longer than the chrome leg, so that you can just pound the seal in from the top with a mallet. This approach helps protect the fork leg against damage, as well.