Every rider has to face this situation and that also several times. Bike suspension oil leak can make your heart sink. Firstly, there will be traces of oil around the fork seal, and then over time, it will turn into an oil spring. It is always better to replace the seal when there are traces of oil over it.
Oil traces will be easily visible as the dust particles stick over the oil.
If you do not replace the seal in time, then the leaking oil will reach the brake calipers and hence decreases the brake efficiency, or in the worst scenario, you have to replace the calipers.
So, before reaching any conclusion or solution, you should discover the cause of the oil leak and the working of the fork seal.
You might be aware of the function of a fork. Forks are suspensions that absorb shock, which means the oil inside them controls compression and rebound.
These fork suspensions are a huge technological advancement. We are using shock absorbers from the time vehicles are manufactured. Vehicle suspensions were simpler at the earlier times. Spring suspensions do not need oil, but their shock-absorbing properties are not that effective.
Today almost every motorcycle uses fork suspension, mainly over the front wheel. These fork suspensions have oil within them, which controls the compression and rebound. For this oil within the fork, an oil seal is used. This seal comes in between the inner and outer fork tubes.
There could be a lot of possibilities due to which oil leaks through a fork seal.
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There are several solutions for a leaking fork seal depending upon its causes.
If the leakage is due to the accumulation of dust particles, you can resolve the issue by cleaning the seal.
But there’s a drawback of this method. When you clean the seal, some of the dust particles may fall into the suspension oil. Now, these dust particles will cause further damage to the fork tube.
A plus point of removing dirt using Seal Doctor is that it pulls out the dirt and eliminates the risk of any further damage.
All these are possible reasons due to which fork seal leaks. Fork tube replacement is required less often; usually, replacing the seal works out.
Always remember to put back the seal correctly after cleaning. If not replaced properly, the oil will leak immediately after the installation of the fork seal. Also, clean the fork seal thoroughly; even a speck of dirt will result in seal leakage.
The chances of fork seal leakage due to dust increase if you ride over a muddy path. In this case, you can use fork seal covers to protect it from dust.
Your bike fork oil seal gets stiff over time. This stiffness causes oil leakage.
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