fORK SEALS...

[Honda Lover]

I am a new member. I have a 2014 NC700 which I bought still in the crate April of 2015. My factory warranty was done in April 2016 and my concern is this. My fork seals are leaking and when I went to the dealer where I bought it the technician said it is because I don't ride enough. I thought this sounded kind of odd....what happens to the seals during winter storage? I only have about 2000 miles on the bike as I don't ride every single day because like a lot of us I have a life and a full time job.

The dealership wants $300 to replace the seals which I think is fair but I am worried that they will start leaking again. Has anyone experienced this and if so what did you do to resolve it? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gibsito]

That sounds crazy. I have the same year NC700 and no leaking seals. Mine's been ridden a bit more though with almost 8,000 miles on it now. But there are people on this site who bought brand new NC700's that were several model years old and had been sitting at dealerships all that time, and I've never heard of any of them having fork seal issues.

 

[670cc]

Leaking like a smear of oil on the tubes, or leaking like oil running down the legs?

Many seal leaks are caused by debris on the tubes causing damage to the seals. I've not heard of them leaking from low usage. My wife has a Honda Reflex that sees only about 600 miles a year and the seals don't leak at all.

 

[smiller]

That talk is kind of from the old days when seal materials weren't as good and/or a bike that sat for many years without use. In your case if the fork tubes are clean and undamaged and the seal area looks clean you might ask for a goodwill warranty repair or at least a discount, nothing to lose.

They really shouldn't be leaking on a bike that new. Take a close look at the tubes and be sure that there aren't any nicks, etc., that could damage the seal.

 

[Grey1one]

You might be able to get away with a cleaning as shown in this video, we don't have the upside down forks but it still might work.

[video=youtube;8wlzfoVroSY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wlzfoVroSY[/video]

 

[rippin209]

Yeah that's odd. Another member recommended running nylons down your forks as a way to check for any burrs that would cause a leak. I bought my 2012 from the previous owner who only owned it for 7 months. So my motorcycle sat far longer then yours and no leaks. I agree with smiller that doesn't happen much anymore, either burr or overloaded and bounced.

 

[rippin209]

Hey at least he didn't accuse you of doing wheelies lol, I've heard that one here also. The owner of the NC700X was heated accused of doing wheelies by the mechanic, on a NC700X lol

 

[Old Can Ride]

Howdy from Texas!

 

[Deleted member 1183]

This phenomenon is not unheard of. My local dealer has had an occasional new bike (not necessarily Honda) leaking from a fork seal after being in one position on the shop floor for too long a period. It can especially happen if the bushings in the fork are the loose side of spec. He explained to me that the seal in such situations can become deformed after a long period in the one position, thereby allowing the leak. Some of the methods suggested above might alleviate this.

For this reason I regularly change the position of the forks/handlebars on a bike that can be lying up for a period. One can also if necessary, turn the forks 90 degrees in the triple clamps. However when doing fork work on my NC recently prior to sale, I did notice that the dust seals were showing small cracks in the material after only three years. Perhaps the seal material is not as good as it could be.

I suppose taking some of the weight off the front wheel of a bike that will be lying up for a period, will also help.

 

[mtiberio]

You might be able to get away with a cleaning as shown in this video, we don't have the upside down forks but it still might work.

[video=youtube;8wlzfoVroSY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wlzfoVroSY[/video]

you can use an old film negative (remember those) for this purpose...

 

[Honda Lover]

It's running down the legs. I am going to have to replace the seals and dust caps for sure.

 

[Honda Lover]

Thank you for all the responses and great tips. A friend of mine who is a mechanic said that he could help me replace them and save me the $300. I may try the "seal mate" tool just for giggles.

 

[rippin209]

This phenomenon is not unheard of. My local dealer has had an occasional new bike (not necessarily Honda) leaking from a fork seal after being in one position on the shop floor for too long a period. It can especially happen if the bushings in the fork are the loose side of spec. He explained to me that the seal in such situations can become deformed after a long period in the one position, thereby allowing the leak. Some of the methods suggested above might alleviate this.

For this reason I regularly change the position of the forks/handlebars on a bike that can be lying up for a period. One can also if necessary, turn the forks 90 degrees in the triple clamps. However when doing fork work on my NC recently prior to sale, I did notice that the dust seals were showing small cracks in the material after only three years. Perhaps the seal material is not as good as it could be.

I suppose taking some of the weight off the front wheel of a bike that will be lying up for a period, will also help.

It's bad to have any vehicle sit, they weren't designed to be museum pieces, if you own it drive it, or ride it lol

 

[supertux1]

Shock Socks can help here too.

 

[vitesse]

If you do replace the seals get fork gaiters to keep them from any contaminents. I have a left over 14 purchased in April 16, seals are fine, I also have an 05 FZ1 that sat for 5 years until I bought it, seals are fine. It isn't a big job but the dealer should own up and put new ones in.

 

[paprides]

Recommendation:
Feel free to shop around and price after market seals. Then, buy factory seals each and every time.

My personal experience included replacing the seals (easier than I thought!) with less expensive after market seals. They were tight to install and resulted in so much "stiction," the forks didn't work like they should. Like the suspension was too stiff.

Replaced the seals with factory pieces and voila! Smooth working forks again.