It's fork seal time again!  :mrgreen:  What's your opinion on:

OEM vs Leak Proof oil seal
The Leak Proof cost $20+, the OEM about $10.  Worth the extra?
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Fork boots
Would this fit?  I am thinking of the red one to make sure that everyone sees how uncool I am.  
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Cheers,
Ed.

The no leak ones are softer to begin with. If you forks have little tiny cavities (rust and later cleaned up) in them it is better. The sofetr ones also resist tearing (less brittle). But the factory ones will be better if the forks are perfect. Too many people seem to think they are better. I have used no leaks in my other bikes and had no complaints.
Cool.
Srinath.

Fork boots! Sweet!! I had them on my little SRX250 and made the bike look vintage. It looked cool! And everybody thought the bike was a rare vintage bike! Post pictures!

Go for the fork boots - they will make the seals last at least twice as long and they look cool in a retro kinda way !

Thanks for the inputs and opinions!  Just placed orders for Pro-Moly Leak Proof seals and red retro fork boots (to match my retro unchopped  :mrgreen: fender) coming up!  Will post pix when I get my web page done.

Cheers,
Ed.

Just to add some info without starting a new thread.

I had installed a new set of Standard Leak Proof fork seals less than one year ago and they are leaking again. The good thing is because they have a lifetime warranty I will be receiving a new set free. The gentleman at Leak Proof (in Ohio, can't remebr his name) was very curteous and professional; and when I asked him if these have a history on this bike, he said no, and that their return rate is less than half a percent for all seals sold for all makes and models.

Also, I noted that the clearance between the dust seal and the tube seems to collect alot of grime and then leave a ring at the top of the fork travel.

It's more like weeping, very similar to Kerry's picture in this thread:

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7124&highlight=seal

Now, usually, I can accept a little residual wetness on the forkleg, guaged by: 'If I use the back of my finger to wipe the leg and my finger still appears dry, I'm ok.' But, the heavy grime ring is annoying.

I'm considering the Triumph Speed Triple accessory fork guards or fork gaiters (maybe from an old Norton).

Anybody suggest where to get a fork bushing driver (it's almost the same as a seal driver)?

I'm currently looking in the Dennis Kirk catalog at the Race Tech 37/36mm fork seal driver (p/n: 58-1266, $66.99).

Not sure - are you looking for something to seat new fork seals with?

Richard and I used a length of 1.5" diameter Schedule 40 (I think) PVC pipe and a mallet of some kind.  It worked great.

I'm gonna be purchasing new bushings and so I'll need a bushing/seal driver.

Gotcha.  Good luck, scratch!  

Let us know what you end up with.

How many miles did you have when you took that picture? I know you stated 23,000 with the post of the picture, but mine looks like that after a 10 mile one way commute. I'm guess what I'm trying to guage is if my seals are really going or it's just normal road grime and I should stop whining.  :lol:

I'm definitely going to purchase the Triumph fork guards (p/n: A9641010) though.

Race Tech is the only company that makes a 37mm fork seal/bushing driver. Cycle Gear can order them for $69.99 and they're having a 10% off sale this Saturday (maybe it's local :dunno: ). P/n: 11-527, White Bros. catalog, pg. 680 (big catalog!).

Here are the hairy details:

I bought the bike with ~1,750 miles on it.  Within the next several hundred miles I had the fork seals replaced because the left one (that same one!) was leaking.  So, say about the 2,500-mile point.

At mile 6,240 I hit a cow and put the ding in the fork (and replaced the odometer which started over at 0).  But I didn't do anything with the seals at that point.

So, the first photo below was taken at about 29,500 (total) miles, on 25 Feb.  The second photo was taken a few minutes ago at 30,180 miles.  (Darn that 11-mile round-trip commute!)  I would characterize the RIGHT fork as having normal road grime, and the LEFT one as being leaky.  Suffice it to say that I'm going to change my seals again ASAP.



EDIT: Changed links from sisna.com to bbburma.net

AllRIGHT!! I purchased the Triumph fork protectors and they work great! I slipped them on to see how they fit and I had to file off the inside corners of the flanges where the bolt goes through.

Looks good, scratch!  Well maybe not BLING-y, but smart.

You mentioned the Triumph part number for the fork protectors.  Did you order them through a Triumph dealership, or what?

I was so lucky that they had them in stock, and they were having their Spring clearance sale 10% off!

I like how they cover half the leg and all of the travel area.

But, yeah, they are a bit big.  

They also had the shorter versions available (p/n: A9641005), but that just wasn't what I was looking for with how wide they are.

So, you got 'em at a Triumph dealership then?

Oh, yeah...I'm sorry, I got them at California BMW/Triumph (CalBMW in Mountain View).