MOT pass today but with fork seal advisory

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Happy with the pass obviously but fork seals are weeping slightly. I haven't done any research yet but how tricky is it to replace fork seals on a FZ6. Garage has quoted approx. £200 but I'm keen on giving it a try if it's within my capabilities and I don't need any specialist equipment.

Actual advisory note is:

Front Front shock absorber has light misting of stanchion (2.3.3)

[Guest]

It's pretty easy on most bikes. \The hardest part is getting the damper bolt out of the bottom as the damper just spins. I use an electric impact gun to zap it loose but you can also stick a wooden dowel down inside the stanchion to hold it still.

[Bhawk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrmYJgcGX30&t=6s

Delboys garage is a source of a lot of information, he explains things thoroughly and simply.

he has saved a small fortune over the years!

Check out his other videos too, he covers most things including simple skills like welding, soldering, grinding etc

[Phooey]

Del boy is amazing. If this helps, I barely know one end of a spanner from the other but I have changed the fork seals in my ZZR600 when I rebuilt the forks after re-chroming the stanchions. Piece of pi55, as they say! Delboy's vid helped me!

[Tango]

May be worth having a go with a SealMate. .......check the link to it in this thread.....https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=63525

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Thanks all. Will give the SealMate a try first. Worth a try for £6.

[raesewell]

I had a weeping fork seal on the FJR and SealMate worked for a few weeks but in the end I had to have them changed. It might buy you some time to save up to get the seals changed

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Ah right so maybe not a permanent fix then. I think the seals themselves are about £6 each, its the faffing about getting the forks out I need to man up for. . Should be ok, I will need to get a head stand though.

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Didn't get on with the sealmate at all. In fact couldn't even get it wedged in the seal after removing the dust cap/seal. So looking ahead i'm going to try and take forks out and replace the oil and seals. Just need to research (in great detail) the whys and hows first. Tools wise I should be ok but need a head stand to lift the front.

[Mr Fro]

That's where you need an Anna or BeeGee stand with the tie-down strap at the back - no pissing about with a rickety head stand.

[eastanglianbiker]

dont use pattern seals they tend to often fail very quick its always best to go genuine

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Was looking at WEMOTo for parts, should i be looking elsewhere?

[Phooey]

Seals are only a few quid each and I learnt the hard way ... £3 a seal and three months later forks are out again ... Genuine £6 a seal and they are still holding two years on!

I'd go to Yamaha personally!

[TimR]

Fork seals tend to go for one reason.

A damaged travelling area .

Check the stanchions for any imperfection before replacing the seals . Any corrosion or small dinks can be smoothed out with wet/dry paper of different grades.

Make sure any section of stanchion the seal has to travel over on its journey to its intended location is clean and smooth otherwise you will rip the seal .

( fork oil)Wet/grease the seals lips before installing

Pattern parts are fine as long as you don't go for the cheapest from overseas type .

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Looking a at a couple of these http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/yamaha/fz6-s_fazer_non_abs___floating_calipers_5vx/04-05/picture/fork_oil_seal_-_single_oem/

They suggest they are a genuine Yahama part

[Guest]

As Bob suggested. Clean them first.

I ride off road and constantly have leaky forks. 9 out of 10 times or even more, seal mate will stop the leak.

Fork seals should really last the lifetime of the bike in your ownership anyway, like 2 stroke pistons... Most replace needlessly

[Foxy Stoat seeks Pig]

Maybe i should try the Sealmate again. Maybe i was just using it incorrectly (youtube vid makes it look so easy). but i could see exactly how it fits into the seal. i only removed the dust cap/cover nothing else.