Hey all, back again and thanks for the previous help and advice,

I've got a '98 f3, I bought it about a year and a half ago from a previous owner.

Bike has 18k miles, engines in good shape, cosmetics/auxiliary components are not

I have taken the forks appart and replaced the fork seals several times, oil consistantly starts leaking out a week or so after replacement.

Compression and stiffness is good imediatly after seal/oil replacement but deteriorates within a few weeks and the forks become very soft, not fun to ride at all, cornering is a total bitch

I am 95% confident that I install the seals correctly, espcially since I have done it several times, and am perplexed as to:

1. why oil leaks out
2. why the forks loose stiffness

My assesment of potential issues:

The springs inside the forks cannot be the original ones. When I first took the forks appart I noticed that the cylindrical aluminum spacer was missing from each. I ordered one for each, but when installed, they compress the spring way way too much causing it to bend inside the tube, and the fork cap is impossible to put back on.

The dampening rod in the left fork seems to be faulty, there is some but not much resistance when it is "pumped" both to purge the old oil and when new oil is circulated. The right dampening rod seems to be fine.

So......based off that description does anyone know what the problem could potentially be?

Also, I talked to a guy at the local parts salvage yard and he suggested some type of aftermarket valving system could improve them....does that sound accurate and is anyone familiar with a valving kit that would be effective?

Thanks so much guys/gals

 

did you linish the forks smooth befor reassembling?

 

The only things I can come up with. Are you over filling the forks with oil, seating the seals correctly & last but not least, putting the spring back in the right way up (tapered end goes in 1st). Once the seals are done & under normal use, their good for 1000's of clicks?

 

The length of the springs for 97-98 is 14.4 in. Are the fork tubes of your forks pitted from rust? If so, this will tear the new seals and cause them to leak. Are you using cheap seals from eBay? I've never had any luck with those. Make sure the fork tubes aren't bent by checking them in v-blocks and dial indicator. If none of that is available, roll the tubes on a nice flat surface. If you have a wobble, they need to be replaced.
Regarding the dampener, it can be disassembled. There is a little clip ring at the base of the dampener that will allow you to remove the cartridge. Inspect for damage. Maybe someone has already had the dampener apart and removed some of the shim stack? I have a pile of those laying around if you need some. You can remove the top of the dampener using two wrenches. This will allow you to inspect the needle valve and slide the rebound valve out. Inspect both for damage. There is also a shim stack on this, if some are missing... I've got some floating around for this too.