fork seal questions

[arkie]

I have an 05 St1300. Sitting on the bike, the fork on the left is leaking. I have removed both forks. I have a few questions for those that have fixed leaking seals.

1) I just want to replace the seals and replace the fork oil. How difficult is the job? I am good with tools.
2) Should I replace the seals on both sides or just the side that is leaking?
3) I have read that I will need some ABS pipe to push the seal into place. Do I need any other specialized tools?
4) I also want to replace the fork oil with the factory weight oil. What is the factory weight oil?

Thanks,

Arkie

 

[georgiast]

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84528&highlight=fork+seal+replacement


Good thread on the subject.

I would definitely replace BOTH seals.

 

[Austech]

I did mine this winter. Don't cheap out like I did and just replace the fork oil only. I did that and the seals were leaking 100 miles later. I your case, you have to replace the seal anyway. DO BOTH!
The worst part is taking the fender and brake lines off. The rest is easy, but take care and really clean out the forks by taking them apart so all the oil is out. That way when you refill, you have the right amounts in each fork. Take your time and follow the threads. I used a 7 w oil. My second time was very successful.

John

 

[Scooter]

I have an 05 St1300. Sitting on the bike, the fork on the left is leaking. I have removed both forks. I have a few questions for those that have fixed leaking seals.

1) I just want to replace the seals and replace the fork oil. How difficult is the job? I am good with tools.

The job itself is not terribly difficult. For me, I usually take longer looking up information on how to do the job that it takes to perform it, but that's just me.

2) Should I replace the seals on both sides or just the side that is leaking?

I don't know how many miles that you have on your bike but at this point you are better off changing both seals since you should get in and change the fork oil. The seals are not too expensive.

3) I have read that I will need some ABS pipe to push the seal into place. Do I need any other specialized tools?

You will need a 17mm hex wrench, and a 6mm hex wrench long enough to loosen the hex bolt on the bottom of the fork. I would suggest using a hex socket bit that is being driven with a wrench. That way you can get better torque and pressure on the bolt head to help prevent stripping it out.

The other items you might want to get is a hex nut and bolt that you can attach to the damper rod to help you pump the fluid back through the system (once the fluid is put back in you push-pull on the damper rod several times to make sure that all of the air is purged out). I'm not sure of the correct size of the bolt that I have. If I can find my thread gage, I report back.

4) I also want to replace the fork oil with the factory weight oil. What is the factory weight oil?

Factory oil is Pro Honda suspension fluid SS-8.