FOAK : Fork Seal Advice Needed

I know this is the place for Advice and Opinions and would like some
regarding leaking fork seals. The left one on my Thundercat is
leaking. It decided to start doing this on the way to the MOT station
[1].

My friendly MOT and bike mechanic blokey says I only need to get the
leaky left one done, and not to really concern myself with getting the
right one fixed as it aint broke yet and may go on til next MOT or
beyond without needing looking at.

The price for him sorting out fork seal (if I get fork off of bike
[2]) is £50 per fork. This includes oils and other shit required.
Price for him removing fork and doing the job was over £100.

The SO says that I should get both of them done as they were both done
together last time and it is likely (in his opinion) that the right
one will go soon as the left one has already gone.

A mate of mine agrees with my friendly bike mechanic and a couple of
mates of mine agree with my hubby. A fair few mates couldnt give a
toss eitherway.

So - do fork seals give out together? Would I be being a numpty for
not getting both done, or would that just be wasting money.


[1] dont they always.
[2] this could be a grin - I am not known for being incredibly
sucessful with spannering.
[3] My sig sep is probably well fecked but I post so infrequently I
cant be arsed

--

 

<snip>

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

Emma At Work says...

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

--
Lozzo
Track pixie
GSX-R1000 K1
I haven't lost my mind, it's
backed up to a floppy disc
that's around here somewhere.

 

The Older Gentleman wrote

Wot they said

but..

If/when it is coming apart anyway you might as well do all the jobs that
need doing and only put it back together the once.

 

I've had the seal on the right-hand fork on my race bike
changed three times this season, compared to once on the
other side. There is a visible flaw in the chrome on the
right-hand fork, which is probably why it is going so
quickly.

If you know when the oil was last changed in your forks
and you're happy that putting new oil in won't make any
difference, then only get the one done. If you don't know
how long ago this was last done, then I'd be tempted to,
as Champ says, get them done as a pair. The labour cost
will be the same to take one or both forks out, so get
them done at the same time and you'll halve the labour
cost.

Interestingly, on the Ducati forks you can change the
seals without stripping the fork right down and losing
the fork oil.

 

He's right. They generally have the same lifespan. Best to get both done
instead of farting around getting the second one done next month/next
year just when you want the bike to be on the road if it's a glorious
day.

I always replace in pairs. Only the most pikey wouldn't.

--

Dave

GS850 x2 XS650SE / SE 6a

I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

 

Not in my experience. Not at all.

A bit of grit, some minuscule pitting, on one leg and not t'other...

The Trophy popped its r/h seal a couple of years ago. had it replaced.
the left-hand one has never weeped a drop.

The 400/4 also did its right seal, a couple of years ago. Same story.

 

My experience differs in that the other seal has usually gone within a
few thousand miles of the first one. After that happening a couple of
times I decided it wasn't worth the hassle of only doing one at a time.

--

Dave

GS850 x2 XS650SE / SE 6a

I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.