Fork Seals

[smdtf]

Hi from Maryland. New to the group. I recently picked up a 01, with 34K on the clock. While going over the bike i noticed one fork seal leaking. Considering the year, and the low mileage could it really be bad seals or thin fluid?

[SgtSlag]

Welcome to the Voyager Family! Great bikes, when well maintained, which isn't too hard.

Yes, the seals can/will fail due to age. Ozone gas, a byproduct of gasoline combustion (one of the things catalytic converters addressed), will eat away at rubber.

Did an experiment for Jr. High Science class on it, in the late 70's. Causes rubber to harden and break into dried, tiny, crumbly, pieces -- it partially disintegrates. Never forgot seeing what happened to the stretched rubber band, left by the curb of my street for a couple of weeks.

Change out ALL of the fluids, to be certain your bike is performing optimally!

There are several updates recommended for your XII, on this site:
Progressive Fork Springs and sealed rear shocks; LED bulb replacements; far better than Dunflop tires, and more.

Take your time and read up on what others have said and done. Cheers!

[Nails]

Leaky fork seals is common on old bikes, and I doubt many new XII owners haven't had to deal with this. I wouldn't be surprised if you have the original fork oil. I'd replace all that (and install Progressives) as a matter of course. You'll end up there, so just do it right instead of paying to redo it later.

You can attempt to save the seals by cutting some thin, rigid plastic (like the clear boxes some salads come in at the grocery store) into little hooks. The idea is to hook out the crud stuck in the seal that's keeping it from sealing. I consider this a stop-gap measure, such as to make it back home to fix it right.

[ted1r]

Hi guys ,I have had the same issue a few months ago so I duly swapped the seals with genuine K parts only to find they have gone again.
air pressure was set for comfort about 5psi .
anyway talking with a good friend and long time mechanic he pointed out to me that the bushes can also wear inside the fork tube
so I took the forks into him and sure enough they were all worn .

Hope that helps

Regards Nigel

[Nails]

I do my own wrenching, but this is one job I took to my local independent shop. They have the right tools and all. It was pretty cheap since I took in the fork tubes, bushings, seals, and oil. I had a significant scratch that he smoothed over, and it hasn't leaked yet in almost 30K miles. I'll put fresh oil in it whenever I get a chance to work on it.

[Van Voyager]

Change out ALL of the funds, to be certain your bike is performing optimally!

Ain't that the truth.