Front suspension leaking oil

[Cunningham]

So about a month ago I noticed oily residue around my right front brake caliper and upon further inspection realized that the pistons were not moving at all. Took it apart, cleaned it all up, replaced all the seals (on both sides, mind you) and put it all back together. Brakes appeared to be working great (quick trip around the neighborhood). This morning I noticed more oil dripping off the end of the right fork and down the tire. Brakes still seem to have plenty of pressure, so methinks I might have an issue with the suspension. Not sure I have the wherewithal to service the suspension at home, however. Is this a job for an amateur or for professionals only?

 

[TURBO200R4]

is that leaking out of the very bottom? if so you could pull the axle and use an impac to tighten up a little
or from the forks?
or from the fork seals?

 

[Jagster]

When the bike is just sitting there, the brake system isn't under pressure, so if the brake system has a seal or joint failure that could cause oil to leak out, it has to be due to gravity.
The internals of the forks are under pressure due to weight of the bike. The actual internal pressure will vary also depending on the type of damping that's built into the set up.
If it's not obvious if the oil is brake fluid or fork oil when you check around the brake circuit, my money is on fork seals.

I don't recommend taking on replacing your own fork seals. Take it to a professional.

 

[CrzystghndKC]

You can buy a cheap tool that cleans your fork seal on Amazon. Slide it in and run it around the seals to clean any crud out. May work may not. At $10.00 worth a try.

 

[TURBO200R4]

also wipe the forks when wrap a paper towel around if the paper towel gets soaked then your fork is leaking.

 

[atomsplitter]

With an 06 Rocket it's likely the fork seals. You can try to clean the seal as CrzystghndKC suggested, but the odds are they are worn out if they are original to the bike. If you are comfortable with DIY you'll need some special tools to replace the seals. If you don't have a need to add to your tool chest, take the fork legs to a dealer and have them install the new seals and add the fork oil. Also check your stanchions aren't pitted or rusted, putting new seals onto buggered stanchions won't cure fork seal problem.

 

[Journeyman]

Amateur or professional? That you're asking suggests you may be able to do it yourself. Read the section in the manual and watch some videos then jump right in. The seals and fork oil are up for replacement at 30K or, surely, 18 years since factory installation.

Here's some additional information (copied from other posts I wrote when I did the job on my Roadster)...

***If you're contemplating doing the fork job yourself, with the right tools it is not that bad. I bought a spring compressor, a tool to set the seal, 2 feet of 3/4 steel square tube with a wall thickness of 1/16th (.0625) to hold the damper cartridge from spinning, and made a syringe thing to create the proper air gap. Follow the manual and it's pretty straight forward. You can do it. Note: some have luck using an impact gun to quickly loosen the bolt at the bottom before the cartridge spins, but to loosen easily and then tighten it to the proper torque setting I used the square tube hack.

Beware when reinstalling the spring cap. The orientation of the spring cap in the manual is not shown consistently. On pages 14.10 and 14.15 it shows the spring cap turned so that the smaller part goes into the spring. That way the spacer fits in a shallow cup formed by the larger side of the spring cap. This is correct. But on page 14.13 it shows the spring cap flipped so that the wider cup part fits over the spring and the smaller part goes inside the spacer= wrong. See photo of pages from manual- picture at left is wrong, other two photos show the correct orientation for the spring cap.

Square tube to hold cartridge from spinning

Compression tool

Homemade air gap tool. To set the oil level..... I made the air gap tool with a very large washer, drilled a hole in it and ran the proper length of copper tubing through it, so that when the washer set on top of the fork the tube extended down right to where the oil level should be. Attached a flexible hose to the top of the tube, overfilled the oil level slightly, then suctioned off oil until it stopped- right at the proper gap. Motion Pro makes a similar tool too

Fork Seal Driver (43mm for the Roadster- check the manual for yours).

You'll need a long hex socket to reach the bolt on the bottom- I forget the size. I bought a set from HF and other sizes have come in handy for other projects.

I'd check the AllBalls website to ensure fitament for your classic....

These forks aren't exactly the same, but this video gives you a very good idea of the process....

 

[CrzystghndKC]

Amateur or professional? That you're asking suggests you may be able to do it yourself. Read the section in the manual and watch some videos then jump right in. The seals and fork oil are up for replacement at 30K or, surely, 18 years since factory installation.

Here's some additional information (copied from other posts I wrote when I did the job on my Roadster)...

***If you're contemplating doing the fork job yourself, with the right tools it is not that bad. I bought a spring compressor, a tool to set the seal, 2 feet of 3/4 steel square tube with a wall thickness of 1/16th (.0625) to hold the damper cartridge from spinning, and made a syringe thing to create the proper air gap. Follow the manual and it's pretty straight forward. You can do it. Note: some have luck using an impact gun to quickly loosen the bolt at the bottom before the cartridge spins, but to loosen easily and then tighten it to the proper torque setting I used the square tube hack.

Beware when reinstalling the spring cap. The orientation of the spring cap in the manual is not shown consistently. On pages 14.10 and 14.15 it shows the spring cap turned so that the smaller part goes into the spring. That way the spacer fits in a shallow cup formed by the larger side of the spring cap. This is correct. But on page 14.13 it shows the spring cap flipped so that the wider cup part fits over the spring and the smaller part goes inside the spacer= wrong. See photo of pages from manual- picture at left is wrong, other two photos show the correct orientation for the spring cap.

Square tube to hold cartridge from spinning

Compression tool

Homemade air gap tool. To set the oil level..... I made the air gap tool with a very large washer, drilled a hole in it and ran the proper length of copper tubing through it, so that when the washer set on top of the fork the tube extended down right to where the oil level should be. Attached a flexible hose to the top of the tube, overfilled the oil level slightly, then suctioned off oil until it stopped- right at the proper gap. Motion Pro makes a similar tool too

Fork Seal Driver (43mm for the Roadster- check the manual for yours).

You'll need a long hex socket to reach the bolt on the bottom- I forget the size. I bought a set from HF and other sizes have come in handy for other projects.

I'd check the AllBalls website to ensure fitament for your classic....

These forks aren't exactly the same, but this video gives you a very good idea of the process....

Very nice write up!

 

[TURBO200R4]

for what it is worth
i used progressive springs and the cap washer would not fit
i finally found that when they cut the spring they had messed it up and had melted the metal and made it smaller so i had to grind it out for the washer to fit.

 

[Cunningham]

Wow! Thanks for all the insight. Don't think I'll be tackling this job as my 'garage' at the moment is a dirt floor carport. Not exactly ideal.