Oil coming from front fork/shock

[mac]

I almost *just* got through putting in a parts order to replace my clutch spring and just noticed my right front fork/shock appears to be leaking oil. I guess the seals went bad.

Anything I need to know to fix it? Do I need to do both forks? How much of a pain is it to fix and will I need special tools?

Thanks in advance. I have an '05 1600 Nomad with almost 57K miles on it.

[ringadingh]

Doing both fork is the best bet, also change the fork oil while your at it. Use 15 or 20 wt fork oil. You can order the fork seal kit from Ebay or a Kawi dealer.
Its a pretty straightforward job,with no special tools required, but an impact gun with a 17mm hex for removing the top plug is nice.
Clean the inside well, and the cartridges, a thick sludge forms over time and the stuff settles in the bottom.
Go to Gadgets Fixit sight, and it will show you how they come apart.

[mac]

Thanks for the advice Ringadingh.

[dhuttonkc]

A friend was by on his Valkryie the other day. Let's politely say that he is uuhhh "less than technically inclined". Fork seal on right dripping oil. By the looks of things for quite a while. He turned green as I told him the bike should not even be ridden until fixed. He had oil down on the disc and caliper and brake pads. Washboard roads would be a real problem with no dampening on one side of the fork. And he bragged about being recently stopped at 105...... Don't mess with this leak. Just fix it. Three hours of your time and less than $100 in parts including 20 wt oil. The dealer wants $350-400 depending upon fork mounted equipment. Another shop will do the seal and bush replacement only if you carry in the fork tubes. Kansas City prices.

[VulcanE]

Mac, the 1600s don't need a 17mm hex key (but the 1500s do) to get the cap off, I just use a crescent wrench with a little electrical tape on the hex so it don't get marred up. Break the top plug loose before you remove the tubes from the triple tree.

[ringadingh]

Didn't know that the plugs were different. I had one that was so tight I couldn't get it off without an impact gun.

[mac]

Originally Posted by VulcanE

Mac, the 1600s don't need a 17mm hex key (but the 1500s do) to get the cap off, I just use a crescent wrench with a little electrical tape on the hex so it don't get marred up. Break the top plug loose before you remove the tubes from the triple tree.

Thanks Cliff. So it's something I should be able to do myself, replacing seals and oil? Any special tools that I'll need?

[minst7877]

Just some metric wrenches and allen bits.

DC

[jayc]

Originally Posted by mac

I almost *just* got through putting in a parts order to replace my clutch spring and just noticed my right front fork/shock appears to be leaking oil. I guess the seals went bad.

Anything I need to know to fix it? Do I need to do both forks? How much of a pain is it to fix and will I need special tools?

Thanks in advance. I have an '05 1600 Nomad with almost 57K miles on it.

How did your repair go? I just found what I thought was my right front caliper leaking. I removed it, put a piece of wood between pads and squeezed lever and found no fluid leaking. I then looked a little closer and notice what looks like oil running down the right fork. Same, 2005 Nomad, about 50k miles.

[DragonLady58]

Yes, front forks seals/wipers are easy. Easy job in about 4 hours start to finish, with all the tools. Heres something to think about though. If, you want to change your front springs, or do any other work while you have things apart, its the best time to do that.
When I did my springs, I changed neck bearings, front wheel bearings, fork seals, etc, etc.
Just a thought....

[redjay]

This video explains how to take apart the forks and replace oil seals.
It is generic to a lot bikes, not necessarily a Nomad.
I have watched most of this guys videos and he explains how to do most jobs on a bike, neck bearings, brake caliper overhauls, wheel bearing replacements etc etc.
Well worth watching before tackling a project.

[hammer]

Great video and I have used a lot of Delboys video and other useful maintenance stuff.

[jayc]

Thanks for the responses. Funny thing is, I just did neck bearings and wheel bearings 2 years ago. Then bought a new Vaq. So this is my spare bike.

[Vulcan Bill]

I know this reply is late in the game but there is a bolt in the bottom of the fork tube that holds the inner cylinder in place. I tried for days using every trick I could find on the internet to break those free and couldn't do it. Finally bought a $30 pneumatic air hammer from harbor freight and had those bolts out in 2 minutes. These bolts have a copper oil seal washer on them. Best to replace those but if you clean them up real good they might reseal. Mine did.

[jayc]

I took the whole front end apart. It's definitely the right fork seal. Ordered all parts needed to do both forks, have a guy who works on my buddies race bikes, doing the job for $50.