Fork seal replacement - looking for assistance (TN, MS, AL, AR?)

[wczimmerman]

Anyone near northern MS that may be willing to walk me through the process of the fork seals, bushings, and oil for my daughter's ST1100? I'm certainly familiar with working on bikes and drank deeply from the @Igofar well of knowledge more than once. I know someone will say "it's quite easy" and that's likely true but there's no substitute for the wisdom of those that have learned the proper/best way to do this job while avoiding pitfalls. I know there are a number of members here in TN...already asked @Uncle Phil but he sends his off to Atlanta.

It's for this bike (@StealthyNinja):


I can come to you with the forks or I'm certainly willing to offer a good meal and beer of your choice to come to me. She rode the Tail of the Dragon last week and upon inspection when we got home, the left front fork is now starting to leak. I'm going to try the Sealmate "fix" this weekend but I don't have high hopes. She has 54K miles on it.

Also happy to host a Tech Day if there's any interest. I do have a No Mar tire changer...

 

[Jevers]

Anyone near northern MS that may be willing to walk me through the process of the fork seals, bushings, and oil for my daughter's ST1100? I'm certainly familiar with working on bikes and drank deeply from the @Igofar well of knowledge more than once. I know someone will say "it's quite easy" and that's likely true but there's no substitute for the wisdom of those that have learned the proper/best way to do this job while avoiding pitfalls. I know there are a number of members here in TN...already asked @Uncle Phil but he sends his off to Atlanta.

It's for this bike (@StealthyNinja):


I can come to you with the forks or I'm certainly willing to offer a good meal and beer of your choice to come to me. She rode the Tail of the Dragon last week and upon inspection when we got home, the left front fork is now starting to leak. I'm going to try the Sealmate "fix" this weekend but I don't have high hopes. She has 54K miles on it.

Also happy to host a Tech Day if there's any interest. I do have a No Mar tire changer...

Hmmm... I used to have a bike that looked a lot like your daughter's. Jevers from Minnesota.

 

[dwalby]

search around, I think there's a few writeups on doing this job if you do a search. If you're used to working on bikes its not a difficult job, but you may need to fabricate a tool for driving things back in. Common pipe parts at Home Depot are all that's needed for that. The only other tricky part is putting the spring compressing clip back on the cartridge fork side, just get a helper for that step and its easy.

 

[wczimmerman]

Hmmm... I used to have a bike that looked a lot like your daughter's. Jevers from Minnesota.

That bike is this one:



She like our daughter's ST1100 so much, that's why we bought yours:

 

[wczimmerman]

search around, I think there's a few writeups on doing this job if you do a search. If you're used to working on bikes its not a difficult job, but you may need to fabricate a tool for driving things back in. Common pipe parts at Home Depot are all that's needed for that. The only other tricky part is putting the spring compressing clip back on the cartridge fork side, just get a helper for that step and its easy.

No doubt. I figured it was worthwhile to ask around since there are actually several in the SE USA on this forum. I highly value hands on learning to avoid pitfalls.

 

[klaproth]

Although I read all that was available on this forum, I found a video on YouTube , Delboy’s Garage, that seemed to bring it to life for me. It was actually not that bad of a job.

 

[Sadlsor]

I'm not that far (Birmingham), but I'm ashamed to say I've never actually tackled any motorcycle forks alone.
Last time I had a friend help me who was a former Kawasaki factory suspension tech for their off road racing team.l

 

[wczimmerman]

I'm not that far (Birmingham), but I'm ashamed to say I've never actually tackled any motorcycle forks alone.
Last time I had a friend help me who was a former Kawasaki factory suspension tech for their off road racing team.l

Bring him along! We'll make a tech day of it. Chairs, beers, mead, wine, smack talking, 12 people watching 1 or 2 do the work.

 

[wczimmerman]

Although I read all that was available on this forum, I found a video on YouTube , Delboy’s Garage, that seemed to bring it to life for me. It was actually not that bad of a job.

Just found that video. I'll check it out.

 

[CYYJ]

Here's a link that illustrates the process on a ST 1300. The ST 1100 is similar.

ST1300 Front Fork Overhaul: An Illustrated Bibliography.

Michael

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

Just throwing this in here, I have seen Delboys as well, this one gave me confidence. It is easy after the first time.

 

[SMSW]

Have you looked at the RAN list? There are several guys in Tennessee.

I was surprised how easy it was to remove, disassemble, put in new parts and Gold Valves on my 1300 and the only assistance I had was the manual and some coaching (here) about preload spacers to adjust the bike to my riding weight. I did take my time, and it took me about a week working on it now and then. Along the way I built a clamp to hold one leg at a time (vise is a no no) and ordered some parts.

 

[Kennyray]

Just found that video. I'll check it out.

I just did mine recently on my ST1100. Send me a PM and a number and we will discuss. I would be glad to help. Ken

 

[wczimmerman]

@Mellow - I know that you're fully aware of the blessing this forum can be in many situations but I thought I'd repeat that here. I've had several contacts reach out by phone or direct message offering assistance. Here's the latest:

• I tried the SealMate treatment and, for once, it seemed to work! Color me surprised. I figure it's not a lasting solution but it's not leaking at the moment.
• A member here (@tinboatcapt ) recently converted his ST to a sidecar setup and offered to sell his upgraded but unused forks to me. This would be ideal as @StealthyNinja 's bike would not be taken out of commission for long AND I can learn the process of fork servicing at a time convenient for everyone involved. Maybe a tech day with a broader audience is in order? So, I took up @tinboatcapt 's offer and we'll get those swapped soon enough.

I'm pretty sure I'm on the RAN list but I'll make sure my contact info is up to date if anyone is in the area and needing assistance or if I can go help someone stranded. Many thanks to everyone! I'll keep this thread updated.